Maria Shriver: I grew up putting baby oil on my face and tanning
Maria Shriver and her daughter Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt have a partnership with a probiotic supplement company called ReNew Life. I wouldn’t have guessed that partnership. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not what I would have pictured. To promote this, the ladies discussed beauty regimes with People magazine. I guess they’re going for this whole beauty starts on the inside angle since they’re schilling gut care. Maria admitted that she came late to a skin care routine and that most of what she learned was from Katherine. She said that growing up, she never discussed anything like a beauty regimen with her mom, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Being a kid on the Kennedy compound, all she knew was how to to apply baby oil to her face and tan with a reflector.
Just one look at Maria Shriver and daughter Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, and it’s clear they have the same radiant smile. But what the New York Times best-selling authors also have in common is a similar take on beauty, self-care and wellness — and to celebrate their partnership with probiotic supplement company ReNew Life, they shared their everyday approach to those with PEOPLE.
“I’ve learned everything about skincare from Katherine, and I love that,” says Shriver. Growing up, the acclaimed journalist and author, 66, “never” talked “about beauty” with her mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who she recalls not having a morning or evening routine.
Instead, Shriver says, her mother focused conversations on other qualities, which in turn helped her have a healthy perspective on beauty. “She always spoke to me about my brain. She was always emphasizing that. So I came to have a philosophy on beauty that, first and foremost, it was something that came from the inside out.”
Shriver also recalls that when she was young, “there wasn’t much emphasis on products like there is today.” But after years of watching her daughters (Katherine, 32, and Christina, 30) she’s “learned to value” her skin.
“I grew up putting baby oil on my face and tanning with a reflector. I know, I know. My mother sailed and was out in the sun all the time. But Katherine has always prioritized sunblock. I am the beneficiary of a daughter who’s really into that, and reminds me to get into it and shares her product. So, I think that’s a really wonderful gift,” says Shriver, who is now a sunscreen devotee.
Shriver also recalls that when she was young, “there wasn’t much emphasis on products like there is today.” But after years of watching her daughters (Katherine, 32, and Christina, 30) she’s “learned to value” her skin.
“I grew up putting baby oil on my face and tanning with a reflector. I know, I know. My mother sailed and was out in the sun all the time. But Katherine has always prioritized sunblock. I am the beneficiary of a daughter who’s really into that, and reminds me to get into it and shares her product. So, I think that’s a really wonderful gift,” says Shriver, who is now a sunscreen devotee.
“I’ve always looked up to my mom, who wore little to no makeup every single day and really was just the ultimate beauty icon to my sister and me. I grew up with a really great example of natural beauty.”
I remember those reflectors Maria’s talking about. I didn’t use one, but I knew people who did. Lord, did anyone else spray themselves with a water-filled spray bottle to accelerate their tan i.e. burn themselves quicker? And like Maria, I never used sunblock. Fortunately, my husband was raised the opposite, he was lathered in sunblock his whole life. So he was diligent with our kids and they are religious with their application as a reult. My mom was like Eunice, always at the beach, sailing, doing something in the sun without a drop of sunblock. She is having pieces of her carved off due to skin cancer now as a result. That’s not an exaggeration either. Lather up, y’all.
I also put baby oil on to tan like Maria, but not my face, only my arms and legs. However, I used baby oil on my face to take off my makeup (I still do). I guess I didn’t really discuss skin care with my mom, but I would watch her do all her cleansing and lotioning. So I understood there was a process but I never asked what did what. I don’t think she knew. She’s a salesperson’s dream, they told her she needed this or that and she’d fall for it. When it came my time, I followed suit and went to counter at Macy’s to get my education. Fortunately, I’ve learned a little from the facials I got periodically (pre-covid). However, I’m still pretty susceptible to the “oh, you need this!” line. Like Eunice, though, I rarely wear makeup and my daughter noted it to me as well. It wasn’t about natural beauty or anything like that. But she has friends who won’t go out without makeup and she doesn’t feel that way because I don’t often wear it. I do it for me (because I’m lazy), but I found it interesting to hear her comment on it.
Photo credit: Instagram and Getty Images
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcG5gboN0e8yaqaKZj6i1s7XVnqmYoY%2Bcv6bDvq6nmKilqcGqusaYmZqaqZS8qri%2BqKWYpamUs6KvxJiYp5yPqa6vusinnmg%3D