Elizabeth Olsen's hilarious hack for banishing tired eyes

Elizabeth Olsen's skin is so flawless that one of the makeup artists she regularly works with, Gita Bass, has said she cuts out most of the complexion products she usually reaches for with most of her clients.

In a recent Instagram post, Bass called Olsen "fresh faced", and dubbed her makeup look for the His Three Daughters press tour as "barely there (but strategically placed) makeup for a stunning girl who doesn’t need it".

But the fact that the 35 year old doesn't need to wear much makeup isn't just down to her winning the genetic lottery — although her older sisters have definitely impacted her beauty routine — Olsen puts a lot of effort into her skin care routine. 

She believes investing in her skin is an investment in her career

"Seriously, no one takes better care of their skin, not only with products but holistically as well. And it shows," Bass said via Instagram in 2022.

"My mum and my sisters don’t wear makeup, so I learned [about makeup] through work. The most important thing, especially for someone like me who doesn’t want to look like I’m wearing a lot of makeup, is to prep the skin with a lot of moisturiser or serum, so whatever foundation you use looks dewy," Olsen shared with Allure in 2019.

She doesn't just prescribe to traditional modes of self-care like a three-step skin care routine either, Olsen does all the things your aesthetician has told you to do, but you can't be bothered to commit to. 

"My night routine and morning routine probably take—depending on if I do a mask—20 to 30 minutes every day. I schedule it in," she told The Zoe Report.

In other words, much like her acting career, Olsen isn't afraid to put in the work. Plus, as the past face of Bobbie Brown and the current global ambassador for Korean beauty brand MISSHA, she has to put her best face forward.

"As an actor I really want to be able to move all the parts of my face for as long as I can," Olsen told Harper's Bazaar. "And I also want to do that while feeling good about my skin texture, and so I try and do everything that is good for stimulation from the inside of your skin-out."

"I look at actresses who haven’t done [cosmetic procedures] and see the wealth of characters they get to play," Olsen expressed in an interview with Allure. "Patricia Arquette gets to play incredible roles because she has the freedom to move her face and be all different sorts of people."

She's a big fan of eye patches

Case in point? Whilst working on His Three Daughters, Olsen combatted the effects of an early call time with a few sets of eye patches strategically placed underneath her eyes and on her upper eyelid. We're talking a 360 degree approach to tired eyes, dark circles and puffiness, people. Olsen calls them her "double trouble eye masks" — it's genius.

She's even managed to influence the morning routine of her co-star Natasha Lyonne.

The duo shared a selection of photos from the film's makeup trailer before they started shooting for the day, and the images are both hilarious and iconic. Lyonne even doubled down on the "double trouble eye masks" by placing a third set around her mouth to plump and smooth her nasal labial folds. We love the innovative thinking.

Her makeup artist, Gita Bass, has been using G.M. Collin Instant Radiance Eye Patches ($60 from Boutique Deauville) on the actress during the His Three Daughters press tour, but Olsen is also fond of the selection from 111Skin too. 

"I’ve been masking more on the road, because I’ve needed to," Olsen shared with CNN. "I like 111Skin masks ($148 from Net-A-Porter). Those are kind of amazing."

She doesn't mind splurging on quality skin care

In fact, Biologique Recherche has been a mainstay brand in her routine for years thanks to a recommendation from her sisters.

"I’m pretty committed to Biologique Recherche’s whole skin-care line; I use, like, 800 of their products. It’s the biggest splurge, but I think of it as an investment in my career," she confessed to Allure.

"Every day begins and ends with Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 ($248.50 from Melanie Grant)," she told Harper's Bazaar. 

"I’m obsessed with their Crème Masque Vernix ($411 from Melanie Grant), which you can leave on during a long flight," Olsen shared with The Zoe Report in 2019. "It’s moisturising, it’s protective, it’s tightening. It’s all the things you want it to be."

She also religiously applies Augustinus Bader's The Rich Cream ($405 from Net-A-Porter) to combat dryness after cleansing. "I learned that my skin dries out from water, so I have to very quickly moisturise instead of doing nothing," she explained in an interview with CNN.

Main image credit: @patidubroff

Much like Olsen, this model knows her face is her money maker. This is every single product in Emily Ratajkowski's skin care routine.