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Aubrey Plaza

Aubrey Plaza, 40, has the complexion I dream of - and I've tracked down her $24 skincare secret

The Parks & Recreation star swears by this primer 

Carla Challis
Commerce Partnerships Editor
Updated: September 26, 2024
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I've been a fan of Aubrey Plaza ever since Parks & Recreation, with her character April's witty and dark personality serving as the perfect antidote to Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler) and her optimistic, sunny ways. My love for Aubrey only strengthened when she portrayed the manipulative Harper, who despite being a pretty unlikable character had a killer wardrobe. No lie. To me, Aubrey is ageless with the kind of skin I could only dream of - so after watching her in the Disney+ hit Agatha All Along, I was spurred on to do the research and track down her skincare secret.

Aubrey, 40, says she puts her glowing, clear skin down to something pretty simple - the Hourglass No28 Primer.

"I just started using this on the last movie I did," she told NYMag. "I don’t know anything about makeup products at all (it’s not really my thing), but I learned from professionals that my skin gets really oily — imagine that — so it’s a simple thing to put this on before makeup. It absorbs everything and just preps your face. I also love the way it smells. It smells like rosewater. The makeup artist Betsy Marshall used it on me, and I was like, “What is this sh*t?”

Aubrey Plaza on the red carpet
Aubrey Plaza's skin looks flawless on the red carpet

For a woman who says her skin is "really annoying because it will go for long stretches of being really chill and then it will just not be chill", it's good news for fellow oily skin gals who find their complexion more oil-slick than J-Lo glow.

Said to "repel water", so that makeup stays on longer, don't be put off by its concentrated oil blend; the ingredients and formulation is designed to soften and rejuvenate skin, creating a flawless base for makeup, or even on those no-makeup days when your skin needs a little zhush without a full-on face.

You can pick up a bottle of Aubrey's primer at Amazon for $24. Although only a travel size, its an ideal way to test out if the product works for you and your skin - not to mention easier to take on the go.

Currently on the promo trail for two new movies, Megalopolis and My Old Ass, including on The Drew Barrymore show on Tuesday, Aubrey has been serving look after look on the red carpet and talk shows. And she's a pretty down to earth beauty girl, with drugstore favorites including Lucas Pawpaw Ointment, $4.99 and L'Oréal Elnett Satin Hairspray, $12.99.

The actress told Into The Gloss that she always uses the former "on my lips and any weird skin irritation that I have all over my body" and that the hairspray is "good for colored hair, which mine is — gotta get rid of those grays."

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