Cheat Meals and a Savvy Skin-Care Regimen Are the Keys to Jaclyn Smith’s Ageless Beauty
Jaclyn Smith knows what it’s like to juggle multiple roles. But as the 73-year-old switches between acting and designing her women’s apparel and home furnishings line for Kmart, the former Charlie’s Angel is keeping her focus firmly on family.
“I think as you get older, the balance of things is more important. I don’t want to miss the moments,” Smith said. “If anything recharges me or keeps me sane or keeps me grounded, it has to be my family. I don’t know how you make it if you don’t have your loved ones. To have a sense of the value of time and loved ones is the best part of life.”
It’s this perspective that led Smith to develop Spencer by Jaclyn Smith, an infant clothing collection she started with her daughter Spencer. As she puts it, the collaboration was an excuse for the two to spend more time together. “One of the joys right now is watching my daughter be a mother, and she is such a good one,” the actress said. “My granddaughter Bea smiles all the time. It’s like a gift from the heavens.” And to keep up that joyful outlook as she navigates the hectic schedule that the project brings, Jaclyn relies on a few savvy strategies she’s learned over the years.
How to Look Ageless at Jaclyn Smith’s Age
A heat treatment revitalizes hair. “If you dye your hair, I believe you should deep-condition it every four to six weeks,” Smith said. “I use a cholesterol conditioning cream. Or you can go into your kitchen and throw on something moisturizing like olive or coconut oil. Then once it’s on, either put a heat cap on or wrap your hair in plastic wrap and just cover it with a hot towel for 10 to 20 minutes. It just gives your hair a break.”
Classic go-to’s inspire confidence. “My mother was very fashionable well into her 90s and had a natural sense of how to mix things up and make them her own. She always looked like a million dollars,” Smith says of her style inspiration. “But if I’m ever in doubt, I always say less is more and turn to the classics. I have certain things that when I’m rushing around, I know I can reach for and they’re always comfortable — and always look great. A great pair of black pants or jeans, a white silk or cotton shirt and a blazer always works wherever you go. These are just classic things that I call ‘no-brainers.’ You just put them on and they work.”
A plank-a-day firms jiggles. “At this point in my life, I’m not going to be a slave to working out. If I’m asked if I want to work out or hold my granddaughter, she comes first,” Smith said. “But when I play with her or hold her in my arms, I’m instantly more aware of the muscles I need to work on and build. That little girl gives me the motivation to do it. So now I do circuit training. It’s a mix of weights, stretches, and core work — a lot of planks! They keep my core and lower back strong. I may add an arm or leg lift with the plank so it’s not just stagnant.”
Weekly cheats melt menopot. “I grew up on a farm eating fresh foods with no hormones or preservatives and still try to eat that way,” Smith said. “I enjoy a lot of raw vegetables, organic meats, all forms of lettuce. I love okra, whether it’s fried, steamed or pickled. But I also believe in everything in moderation — you can’t be too disciplined. Being too regimented sort of steals the joy sometimes.” Here are some of Smith’s guilt-free pleasures: “Once a week I’ll enjoy a little fried Southern food, some Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, or a nice lean hamburger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and a little mayonnaise and mustard — because that’s how we like them in Texas.”
A moisturizer can work better than a facelift. After decades of trying out beauty products on set, Smith has seen what works and what doesn’t — and she put that knowledge to work when developing her skin-care line. “You want to find a moisturizer that doesn’t separate makeup,” she said. “That way, you can take a sponge and dab a little moisturizer on over your makeup and it refreshes it. It gets into the lines and brings out more color and vibrancy to your skin so it doesn’t look dry. I often reapply this way midday if I have to go somewhere.” To keep wrinkles at bay, Smith relies on a potent antioxidant. “I’m a big believer in retinol at night. It’s the gold standard for anti-aging. It takes away brown spots, it diminishes pore size, it builds collagen, and it sloughs off old skin. I use it every night before bedtime,” she said of her Intensive Night Moisturizer with Retinol ($58 for 1.7oz., JaclynSmithBeauty.com). Indeed, a study in JAMA Dermatology found that using retinol three times a week reduced the appearance of subjects’ fine lines and wrinkles by 31 percent over six months. Sounds like the closes we’ll get to the fountain of youth in a jar!
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