Soap Stars Spill Their Secrets: These Are the (Beauty) Days of Their Lives

by Jessica Radloff

NBC/Days of our Lives
NBC/Days of our Lives

Here's the thing about the ladies of daytime TV: they seriously do not age. It's almost as if they have an endless supply of magic potion that produces glowing skin, shiny hair, and ethereal makeup. So, with the release of the Days of Our Lives' book, Better Living, which is about--you guessed it--glowing skin, shiny hair, and oh yeah, healthy living, we decided to go straight to the source and find out what these stunning actresses use to keep looking so gorgeous.


What's the beauty product you can't live without?

Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady):
"Sunscreen. Even in the winter. Put it on your face always. I use La Mer to moisturize my face, as well as their eye cream--but just a tiny little dab of it! It's expensive, but it's great."


Kristian Alfonso (Hope Brady): "Eleven Skin products. The ingredients are all from the ocean. I love their serum and hydrator. I also love M.A.C. liner and mascara. The pigments are really great. I love Naked's neutral palettes. They are so beautiful and easy to travel with."

Kate Mansi (Abigail Deveroux): "I love Kiehl's moisturizer. And my Clarisonic. It makes your skin so soft, it's like getting a facial."


Jen Lilley (Theresa Donovan): "Maybelline Colossal Volum' Mascara in the yellow tube."

Melissa Reeves (Jennifer Horton): "Kiehl's Creme D'Elegance. My skin is super dry so I wear it daytime and nighttime."

Arianne Zucker (Nicole Walker): "Stila lipgloss in a salmon color. I also love Burt's Bees, and Neutrogena nude lip gloss. For my skin, I use RoC at the suggestion of our makeup artist. It has the highest concentration of retinol that you can get over the counter. I use Cetaphil moisturizer on my face at night and I'm a big Dermalogica fan as well." prod


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What's your must-have hair product?


Jen Lilley: "I have really thick and strong hair, but it dries out really easily. Suave Professionals, their natural line, works the best and it's like $2.89 at Target. It's cocoa and shea, and I leave it in while I wash the rest of my body. I also use citre shine which makes my hair really shiny."

Meredith Scott Lynn (Anne Milbauer): "I wash my hair maybe every two weeks. Otherwise it gets too dry. I use Neutrogena Daily Conditioner. I bend over and comb through with my fingers. No combs or brushes cause that will cause it to frizz. I wrap a towel around it to absorb the water, and then I bend over and I put a ton of the Neutrogena Deep Recovery Mask on it and it stays in. Then I don't need any additional products. I keep it in, and I blow dry my hair with a diffuser. On the show, we curl it even more."

Alison Sweeney: "Frederic Fekkai hair spray. It smells so good, but it's light also so it brushes out nicely."

Chrishell Strause (Jordan Ridgeway): "A teasing comb and Kenra hair spray! Big Sexy Hair has a great volumizing hairspray too."

Kristian Alfonso: "MoroccanOil. The scent is intoxicating. I just love it. Their products just really stand up. I literally just pour it on and rake it through with my fingers."

Kate Mansi: "I like dry shampoo. It's a really good in-between product. Bed Head makes a great one. I also love Schwarzkopf's Hair Rescue. It really revitalizes your hair."

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The lifestyle routine that really makes a difference:

Melissa Reeves: "Tai Bo! I hate spinning. I get bored, but Tai Bo I've been doing for fifteen years on and off. This year I've ben going 2-3 times a week. I don't do any weights. We do a lot of push-ups and just using your upper body. You just move your arms for an hour and punch things even if there's nothing to punch."

Kate Mansi: "At breakfast, I always stick to fruit or oatmeal. At lunch, I'll have a wheat tortilla wrap with tuna or something. At night is a really big salad with quinoa or beans or salmon. That, and always being active."

Alison Sweeney:
"When I'm eating out, I remember less is more, so if a dish looks complicated, you can always simplify it by saying sauce on the side, or asking for something grilled instead of fried."

Buy Days of Our Lives: Better Living now.

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