7 Beauty Tips I Learned From Molly Sims in Under 10 Minutes

At first glance, Molly Sims is an impossibly glamorous supermodel with mile-long legs, smooth skin, and the most enviable blonde highlights you've ever seen. Of course, that's all true, but as you peel back the layers, it becomes ever apparent that she's also a girls' girl, through and through. Her MO, especially where beauty is concerned, is that sharing is caring. That's why her latest foray into the world of podcasting is so fitting. Now, she gets to put her innate gift of gab and passion for sharing to use, and we all benefit! "That professional picture of me that you've seen wherever has probably been retouched somewhere along the way to make me look better," she tells Who What Wear. "I dislike very much leaving people thinking, 'Oh, I just woke up like this.' I do not just wake up like this."

Enter Lipstick on the Rim, Sims's new podcast with co-host Emese Gormley, who also happens to be her best friend of 17 years. "We talk plastic surgery; we talk to sexologists; we talk to nutritionists, dieticians, endocrinologists. We talk about what we love, what we've found, what we like, and what we don't like," Sims says. In summary, it's high-quality girl talk at its finest.

Even though Sims will use her podcast to call in the top pros in the game to share insights on the most in-demand products, treatments, and the like, she's got a wealth of beauty knowledge herself. Couple this genuine love of all things beauty and wellness with the expertise she's picked up over a decades-long entertainment career, and you've got gold. From the best French skin cream to the lip balm every celebrity makeup artist has in their kit, keep scrolling to see the seven pro tips we learned from her in under 10 minutes.

1. Follow Your Passions

If there's one way to ensure career longevity, it's to infuse genuine passion into all that you do professionally. Sims agrees. "I love talking beauty and wellness and connecting people and advising them on what to wear and try," she told us. "It's what I do; it's what I love." This authentic approach is why Sims has no problem sharing openly—and urging others to do the same. "I do have to watch my weight. I do have problems with body dysmorphia. I do love beauty. I do have combination skin. I have gone on Accutane. I have melasma and hyperpigmentation. So I guess I'm just on this journey with my community and my audience. That's why I wanted to do it. And that's what will make it very different," she explains.

2. It's All About Balance

"You know, I'm into clean beauty, but I'm also into efficacy," Sims says of her beauty product philosophy. "I use as much clean as I can until I need a little bit more. I try, but I do need it to work, so a lot of my brands will be clean and some of them won't." If you ask us, that's perfect.

So what does that balance look like in terms of her beauty lineup? A regimen stacked with the very best serums and treatments on the market, of course. "I love the overnight facial from Sarah Chapman. I like Mara if you're going for a clean line—I would go for the oil with vitamin C and algae. The cleansing balm from Georgia Louise is amazing. The Fuwafuwa cleanser from Seiso is incredible if you have more sensitive skin or you’ve been exfoliating a lot."

3. Identify Your Favorite and Most Dependable Products

Having worked with some of the top pros in the game over the course of her modeling-and-acting career, Sims knows a thing or two about the tried-and-true products that show up in everyone's kits. "Before, everybody had Elnett and Embryolisse [in their kits]. Now, I see the Frost Balm from Tom Ford that just came out." She says woman-owned indie brands like Ilia and Westman Atelier (developed by veteran celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman) have joined the new guard of artist favorites that she loves, too. 

"The Gucci lip gloss in the pot is one you always see a makeup artist have," she goes on. "You're always going to see the Rodial Banana concealer. It’s unbelievable; I layer it with the soft-focus glow drops that you mix with a moisturizer."

4. …Especially the Skincare Multitaskers

Everyone's got that go-to skincare product that ticks more boxes than any other, and Sims is no different. "There's this great cream called Biafine that's great for burns and great for healing. It’s a really amazing cream you can put on your kids’ scraped knee burns. If you got a facial procedure and you're just on fire, it's really calming," she says of the French pharmacy pick. "There's another one from Avène called Cicalfate, too. That’s a great one everyone uses."

5. Biologique Recherche Is the GOAT

The Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 might be the most legendary skincare product of all time. It's got a cult following and more lore surrounding it than any other exfoliant on the market by far. You can officially count Sims as a fan, too. She swears by the stuff. "Apparently it's clean—I don't know how—but that is one of THE best exfoliating toners. It’s very harsh, though; you can only use it two or three times a week for brightening," she says.

6. Don't Wait—Love Your Body NOW

No one is impervious to the "I'll be happy when" line of thinking, but truth be told, it's the thief of joy. "I'm literally going to do a podcast on the last five pounds," says Sims. "But you might not lose the last five pounds—and that's okay." At 48 years old, Sims has lived long enough to know how tempting it can be to fixate on what you don't like about yourself. But she's also lived long enough to have gained a deep understanding of how important self-love is. 

"You just have to embrace our body and be happy. If I showed you a picture of yourself at 27, you’d be like, 'God, I look terrible,' but if I give you that same picture at 42, you would be like, 'Wow, I looked great.' The lesson in it is that at 27, when someone shows you that picture, embrace it. Don't think, 'Oh my god, I look awful.' We always have that tendency."

7. Never Underestimate the Power of Self-Care

"I think people have realized, especially during COVID, that a little bit of self-care is a really good thing," says Sims. Even though she's not able to pour into herself the way she once would now that she has a husband, three kids, and a dog to look after, she makes an effort to prioritize her mental and physical well-being. "As you get older, you can't lose that; you do have to focus on you a little bit. And I think the more I work out the healthier I am, and the sexier and happier I feel."

When we asked about her ideal self-care day, Sims laid out the dreamiest itinerary. "I would start with coffee, and then I would put on something really comfortable and soft. I would either hike with a friend or I would do a class, something outside of my home, where my children couldn't see me, hear me, or look at me. Then I would probably go to lunch. Then I would get a facial and a manicure. I would steam myself for hours. I would be in a sauna for an hour. And then I would come back home, have a glass of wine and then would go to bed."

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