Jennifer Garner Wants to ‘Normalize Looking Normal’ with Her ‘Low-Key’ Makeup and Skin-Care Routine 

Let’s be honest: There are few celebrities as seemingly down-to-earth as Jennifer Garner. Whether she’s getting real about her drinking habits or admitting to mistakenly texting a selfie to a stranger, the award-winning actress often feels a lot less, well, award-winning and more like your BFF. So, it should come as no surprise to learn that Garner’s beauty routine is, in her words, “low key” — plus, filled with fairly budget-friendly products that you might already include in your own arsenal as well.

In a recent interview with Shop TODAY, Garner, 49, opened up about wanting “to look normal” rather than the “actor version of [herself] that is perfectly made up by brilliant artists.” After all, the latter is not how she looks on a daily basis and the actress doesn’t want people or her children thinking otherwise. “I want to normalize looking normal. I always have felt really strong about that,” said the mom of three. “And then if I’m dressed up, I like that my kids are like, ‘Woo, look at mom!'”

But she didn’t always have this minimalistic mentality. During and after college, Garner’s idea of makeup was what she would wear if she was “doing a recital or the Nutcracker,” she told Shop TODAY. “I literally opened my fishing tackle box of theater makeup and just went at it.” The result, according to Garner? A faceful of “light-colored pancake makeup” that allowed you to see where her chin met her neck, or, in one word (according to her): “atrocious.” (I mean, could she be any more relatable?!)

Fast forward to today, however, and she’s all about keeping it simple with just a few everyday essentials, including concealer — Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick (Buy It, $68, sephora.com) — and blush — Stila Convertible Color Dual Lip and Cheek Cream (Buy It, $25, amazon.com). Garner, who’s a longtime ambassador for Neutrogena, also turns to the brand’s Healthy Lengths Mascara (Buy It, $8, amazon.com) and MositureSmooth Color Stick for Lips (Buy It, $8 $7, amazon.com) for a little oomph around the eyes and mouth every day.

Now, it might be hard to imagine that this is truly all Garner uses on her face each day, especially as someone who’s always in the spotlight — be it that of a paparazzi’s camera as she steps out for coffee or of a ring light as she films her crowd-pleasing social media content. But, as the actress seemed to imply during her interview with Shop TODAY, feeling good without relying too heavily on cosmetics is also about taking care of the outside influence(s) on her self-image. (See more: The Wellness Practices Jennifer Garner Relies On to Feel Her Best)

For one, “I try to not see unflattering pictures of myself because I know I look better in real life than paparazzi pictures make me look, and if I don’t, I don’t want to know it,” she shared. She also tries to remember to “step away from the mirror,” according to Shop TODAY.