Feud ’s Molly Ringwald on her Skincare, Hair and Makeup Essentials

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Should you think you know everything there is to know about Molly Ringwald, consider this: She recorded her first album at the age of 6. Entitled Molly Sings: I Wanna Be Loved by You, the LP was recorded with her father, blind jazz musician Bob Ringwald, and features a cherub-faced girl with a Dorothy Hamill haircut—the precocious vocalist herself—beaming winsomely on the front cover. The intrepid can still track it down on eBay, where it occasionally pops up for nearly $100. And that wasn’t even where Ringwald really got her start: at the age of 3, she made her stage debut in a community theater production of Truman Capote’s The Grass Harp. Which is a funny coincidence, considering that she is currently starring as Joanne Carson—the ex-wife of talk show host Johnny and one of Capote's closest friends—in the gossipy, gorgeous series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.

Ringwald is, of course, imprinted on our collective cultural memory for the John Hughes teen films that catapulted her to fame in the 1980s—Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Pretty in Pink (1986). She was unlike other actresses of the era: quirky and relatable, with a dry humor and intelligence that somehow perfectly crystallized Generation X’s existential angst. Yet she managed to dodge the stereotypical perils of childhood superstardom, absconding to Paris for years in the 90s before returning to the States to build a diverse career as a theater actress, jazz singer, translator, and writer. When we meet for lunch in a midtown restaurant, she has none of the affectations of someone who has been in and out of the spotlight since she was a toddler—she is gracious, relaxed and funny, as open to talking about her family (that would be husband Panio Gianopoulos, 14-year-old twins Adele and Roman, and 20-year-old daughter Mathilda, who will soon appear onscreen in The Idea of You with Anne Hathaway) as she is about nail art.

And yes, we do talk about nail art, a lot. If the title of Ringwald’s 2010 book (a celebration of womanhood and wisdom post-40, delightfully illustrated by Ruben Toledo)—Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family and Finding the Perfect Lipstick—doesn’t tip you off that she is a beauty lover, her Instagram likely will. As her playful, often done-up-to-the-nines photos reveal, this is a woman who knows how to have fun with the contents of a makeup bag. Today, she is dressed in a white turtleneck and black skirt cinched at the waist with a wide leather belt, delicate gold rings glinting on her fingers. Her iconic red hair is pinned into a perfectly undone updo (which she shakes out at one point to illustrate the “growing-out mullet” she’s contending with), and, wearing little more than understated plum lipstick and mascara she looks luminous. “I feel like I should be a bit embarrassed by my beauty habit,” she says, “but on the other hand, I feel like I do enough serious things in my life that I can allow myself this little pleasure. And it's never really felt like it’s as much vanity as it is a creative expression.” She laughs. “It’s just something that I've always loved." In other words, if you’re looking for product recommendations, you’ve come to the right place. Read on.

When did your interest in beauty begin?

I’ve been interested in products from the time I was very young. I’ve just always liked trying new things and experimenting. My mom wasn’t really into beauty stuff, so I don’t know exactly where I got that from. But oh, the amount of makeup that I used to wear as a teenager! I mean, so much and so much foundation. I really didn't like my freckles, and I was having teen skin issues. I would take blush and extend it up onto my temples and my mom would say, ‘Molly is putting pink splotches all over her face!’ to my dad, who was blind. I’m like, ‘What did he have in his mind?’”

Now you are a mother with two young daughters. Do you have beauty rituals that you share with them?

My daughter Adele kind of takes after me, in that she could do a flawless cat eye when she was six years old. Although now that she’s 14 she hardly wears any makeup at all, which is funny. But during the pandemic we really got into watching beauty tutorials together, which was a real bonding thing for us. We watched Lisa Eldridge’s videos, which almost count as ASMR, there’s something so calming about her voice. And Jayne Matthews, who is the hairdresser who does my hair, started teaching people to cut their hair online during that time. Watching videos like that is a nice thing to share with my daughter, and it’s fun to see people from all over the world and how they approach beauty. There are some incredible talents out there, and now they have a platform, which is amazing.

How does makeup help you get into character for roles?

It’s a big part of it. When I was playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway, I remember how it felt to strip off all of my makeup at the end. That character wore a lot of makeup—tons of lashes, just tons of everything—I just stripped it all off really fast backstage at the very end. It was incredibly powerful, and vulnerable.

I did my own makeup for a bunch of movies. I was sort of fixing my makeup in the bathroom before, but then eventually I was like, okay, I'm just going to start doing it all myself. I think I started on The Pickup Artist. I worked with a makeup artist who was sort of an old union guy. He was Natalie Woods' personal for years. He was old and really didn't care about makeup, but he had great stories. So he would clean the brushes and have everything ready for me. And then I would come in and do my makeup, and we would sit and talk. It was the best.

What was the hair and makeup process like for Feud?

It was fun. Most of my scenes are in Los Angeles. Joanne was Truman’s friend and he spent the end of his life with her there. They really wanted my character to be an antidote to these very brittle, glamorous New York women, so my look is much more bohemian, warmer, more colorful. That kooky California 70s look.

My character did get to go to the Black & White ball, which I was very happy about. In real life, Joanne was invited and had a dress designed and then got the flu, so she didn’t go. But in the Ryan Murphy version, she does. That makeup was very 60s, with really graphic eyeliner and lashes on the bottom lash line. But in the later California scenes, my makeup is much more toned down, with earth-toned eyeshadow and mascara. But in most of those scenes, I’m crying, so it just smeared. I spent days in makeup that was applied and then cried right off.

What are some of your own favorite makeup items?

I’m really loving all things Lisa Eldridge right now. Like I said, I’ve watched her tutorials so I was really excited to try her products, and they’re amazing. I love the lipsticks, because they actually stay on but don’t dry out your lips. And the foundation is fantastic. You can still see your skin through it.

Which is good, because your skin is flawless. What skincare are you using?

I try lots of different things, but the thing that I use no matter what is retinol. My sister was trained as an aesthetician and she has always said it’s important, but my skin is very sensitive so it took a while to find one that isn’t irritating. Beauty Pie makes a really nice one, so I use that every night. Sometimes I’ll throw in Vitamin C or some of the other stuff you’re supposed to do but the retinol is non-negotiable. I really like Embryolisse moisturizer, the one every makeup artist has, because it plays well with foundation, and I always wear sunscreen. Elta MD is the best.

How do you take care of your hair?

Sarah Spratt is my colorist. I've followed her to like three different salons. I've started using Hairstory New Wash, which I really like. I wash with it every couple days and then two weeks or so I'll use a regular shampoo just to reset. At first it seems like it might not be so good, but then your hair adapts. I feel like I have a lot less fading and a lot less frizziness. I have my whole family on it now. And I use the Dyson hair dryer. It’s so good that now I can’t imagine using anything else.

Are you into fragrance?

I really, really love fragrance. I love the bottles. I love the ritual. All of it. For years I used to wear what some people would consider a fusty old perfume, called by Je Reviens by Worth. Now it's sold in pharmacies and it’s not a fancy perfume anymore. But I loved it until they changed the formulation. Lately I’ve been really into this brand Vyrao. I’m wearing their Georgette fragrance today and I also love another called I Am Verdant. I’ve been layering those two.

You have long, shimmery nails today. What's going on there?

I've been teaching myself how to do gel nails. I find doing nail art to be meditative. I've never been able to paint or draw, but there's something about painting a big canvas or a big sheet of paper that feels very intimidating. The idea of painting a little tiny nail, though—I can do that! I got really into doing nail art, and then my daughter really wants to get gels and acrylics and everything, so I got a kit for her for Christmas and I've been using it to teach myself. It’s definitely not as easy as you think it’s going to be.

Do you subscribe to any wellness practices, like meditation?

Anything that's good for your brain, I try to do. Including still learning languages, and I’m trying to teach myself how to read music. I've been musical my whole life, but I never really learned how to read music. And it really is like another language itself.

I have this mask from Therabody that massages your forehead and around your eyes. It kind of rolls around pressure points and it feels amazing. So sometimes I'll put it on and lie in bed listening to a meditation that for 10 minutes.

Do you use any other devices?

Not really. I'm curious about the LYMA laser, though. I had one of those red LED masks, but one of my daughters stole it.

Is this a problem?

It's a big problem! You could put that in print! It's terrible. I have to hide my own stuff so my kids don't steal it. With Mathilda, I used to just be able to go into her room and find stuff and take it back. But now she lives in Brooklyn, so it just disappears. I hide things, but then I forget where I put them. I spend all of this time organizing my makeup and they just come in and mess it up. It's hopeless.

Georgette Eau de Parfum

Dyson Supersonic™ Hair Dryer in Fuschia at Nordstrom

True Velvet Lip Colour in Velvet Jazz

Hairstory New Wash Original Hair Cleansing Cream + Scalp Brush for All Hair Types | Color Protectant, Natural | Sulfate, Paraben, Detergent & Cruelty-Free | Shampoo & Conditioner Alternative, 8oz

Embryolisse LaitCreme Sensitive 3.4 fl. oz.

Dyson Supersonic™ Hair Dryer in Fuschia at Nordstrom

True Velvet Lip Colour in Velvet Jazz

Peptide Lengthening Mascara

Hairstory New Wash Original Hair Cleansing Cream + Scalp Brush

Therabody SmartGoggles

Peptide Lengthening Mascara

Therabody SmartGoggles

Embryolisse LaitCreme Sensitive 3.4 fl. oz.

EltaMD UV Elements Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 44 (2 oz.)

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