Courteney Cox Gets Candid
Courteney Cox is a rule breaker, at least when it comes to the outdated beauty guidelines commonly held among women of a certain age. At 53, she is often seen rockin’ a two-piece bathing suit, making it clear that to this iconic Friend, age is just a number. “I feel better than I’ve ever felt,” says the Alabama native, though she does admit that aging in the spotlight hasn’t always been easy. “Hollywood makes it hard; this business makes it harder. I grew up thinking appearance was the most important thing. That as long as I looked OK, I would be OK, which got me into trouble.”
Courteney also reveals that chasing the fountain of youth has its consequences, and that the road to acceptance wasn’t easy. In a town where it’s taboo to admit you’ve done anything more to yourself than get a good night’s sleep or take an extended vacation, it’s refreshing to hear a truthful take on beauty treatments—the good, the bad and the reformed. “I was trying so hard to keep up, and that actually made things worse. Now, I’m as natural as I can be.”
Looking casually chic in a pair of boyfriend jeans, a sheer floral top and loafers, Courteney relaxes into a cozy couch at West Hollywood’s members-only Soho House, ready to chat about all things beauty. “I’ve always been such an open person,” she says. Aside from a light layer of mascara and a slight smudge of eyeliner that highlight her piercing blue eyes, her makeup is minimal.
On Courteney, natural has never looked better. Here, she gets candid about the beauty treatments she’ll never get again, how she’s teaching her teenage daughter, Coco, not to focus so much on looks, and the diagnosis that changed her life. She even opens up about the positive effects of dating a younger man (40-year-old Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol) and her openness to have another baby.
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NewBeauty: Tell us about your morning beauty routine.
Courteney Cox: I start with the Clarisonic to wash my face and then I apply a hot towel. I don’t know if that’s good for my skin, but it’s what the professionals do. I see Mila Moursi once a week for a facial and I’ve been using her products for years. I love the way they smell. They’re rich and rejuvenating—they blend natural extracts, oils and peptides with the best scientific ingredients. I want natural, but not too natural. I want
it to work. I don’t want to just use plants and water. I always put on a peptide of some sort—Mila’s Rejuvenating Serum or a lifting serum. Sometimes a vitamin C product. I also use her Firming Cream, Oxy Cellular and AntiWrinkle Cream. I alternate those, or sometimes use all of them, depending on how dry I am.
NB:That's quite a process—how long does it take?
CC: Not nearly as long as it sounds! It’s all really easy and only takes about three minutes.
NB: How do you take care of your body?
CC: I just realized that I should have started on my body earlier than I did. I thought, “Oh, my body’s fine.” Well, it’s not. It does catch up. I recently started dry brushing, and I’ve got a body roller for my problem areas. But it’s good to start on your body when you’re 25 or 30, not 53. That’s the moral of the story.
Shot on-location at her Malibu home.
NB: Let's talk about your brows and lashes.
CC: I love Latisse! I’ve been using it for a long time. Sometimes you get an [odd] eyelash in there, but most of the time it’s good. Filling in your brows is really important. I do some microblading to save time. Although it doesn’t last forever, it’s great and it saves me time filling in my eyebrows.
NB: What does Coco teach you about makeup?
CC: That my less-is-more theory is true! Coco loves makeup and she expresses herself through it. One of her favorite shows is RuPaul’s Drag Race. She thinks it’s beautiful artistry and she’s really good at it. Luckily at school she can only wear mascara, but on the weekends you would think she’s going out to a rager at 2 a.m.—eyeliner, mascara, highlighter on her cheeks. I don’t like seeing highlighter during the day. Well, to be honest, I don’t even know how to use it. It makes sense if you’re going out, but she begs to differ. I know some people think I should rein her in with the makeup, but it’s a form of self-expression. As long as she’s not sexualizing herself, it’s really just what makes her feel good. Sometimes I do wish her shorts were longer—I’m not going to lie. But I want to keep an open relationship with her. I care more about what she’s watching than what she’s putting on her face.
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NB: How did trying to "keep up" with your appearance get you in trouble?
CC: Well, what would end up happening is that you go to a doctor who would say, “You look great, but what would help is a little injection here or filler there.” So you walk out and you don’t look so bad and you think, no one noticed—it’s good. Then somebody tells you about another doctor: “This person’s amazing. They do this person who looks so natural.” You meet them and they say, “You should just do this.” The next thing you
know, you’re layered and layered and layered. You have no idea because it’s gradual until you go, “Oh sh*t, this doesn’t look right.” And it’s worse in pictures than in real life. I have one friend who was like, “Whoa, no more!” I thought, I haven’t done anything in six months. I didn’t realize.
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NB: So your friend told you she thought you were doing too much?
CC: Yeah. But I’d see pictures and think, “Oh, is that what I look like?” And I’d ask a friend and they’d say, “Oh God, no.” And I never thought of myself as being delusional. I think photographs do show up worse, so when people in the world see you and write comments that are usually mean, I think, “It can be worse than what it really is.”
NB: Well, you look amazing. What are you doing now?
CC: I’ve had all my fillers dissolved. I’m as natural as I can be. I feel better because I look
like myself. I think that I now look more like the person that I was. I hope I do. Things are going to change. Everything’s going to drop. I was trying to make it not drop, but that made me look fake. You need movement in your face, especially if you have thin skin like I do. Those aren’t wrinkles—they’re smile lines. I’ve had to learn to embrace movement and realize that fillers are not my friend.
NB: So are you done with treatments?
CC: I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I want to stay natural. But, they come up with new stuff all the time—it’s crazy how many new machines are out there. I believe in getting laser treatments like Clear + Brilliant. I believe in microneedling. I think microcurrent technology makes sense to strengthen your muscles.
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NB: What about diet—do you have to watch what you eat?
CC: I’m a really good eater. About four years ago I found out I have something called a MTHFR gene mutation, which dictates how my body methylates. I suffered miscarriages, my dad died of a really rare cancer, and depression runs in my family, which made my doctor think I should get this gene checked out. I discovered that I have the worst version of this mutation and my body doesn’t methylate the way it’s supposed to. Once I found out how I could absorb nutrients and protect myself from toxins, my whole life shifted.
NB: What kind of changes?
CC: I felt so much better and had more energy. I used to get so tired and would literally crumble after I ate something. Now I give myself a shot of methylated B-12 daily. When I was pregnant, I took folic acid like you’re supposed to, but I learned later that it wasn’t good for me. I have to take a methylfolate and methylated B, and then I can absorb it. I would love to have a baby now. I mean, I could carry someone else’s egg. I may be one of the older people doing it, but I would love to, with Johnny that is.
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NB: Would you consider having a baby now?
CC: I would. I know it’s crazy, but I would.
NB: How does your boyfriend, Johnny McDaid, make you feel beautiful?
CC: Well, he’s younger than me, and with any other guy that would be the hardest thing in the world, but looks are not that important to him or his family. External beauty isn’t even on his radar. I used to worry about the age difference, but I don’t think it matters. He appreciates beauty, but it’s deeper than that. It’s deeper for me too, but luckily I find him gorgeous and extremely sexy.
