Guilty pleasures: We've all got one (or five). By Oxford definition, it can be anything someone "enjoys despite feeling that it is not generally held in high regard" — which, maybe for you, means spending your entire Sunday alternating between The Real Housewives and Keeping Up With The Kardashians reruns. For Lucy Hale, and millions of other people, it's watching pimple popping videos.
"No one will admit that they like them, but I gladly will — I'm obsessed," she gushes over the phone while being ushered between various SXSW appearances in a packed car. "There's something so gratifying about those popping videos. I love skin care, and I used to struggle with [acne], but they just make me so happy. And the grosser the better!" (Heads up, Dr. Pimple Popper: She will definitely be watching your new TLC show.)
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And yes, she knows you're not supposed to, but "I pop my own sometimes," Hale admits with a laugh. "I once dated a guy where I would always be like, 'Please let me!' I used to pluck my mom's eyebrows growing up, too. I love that gross stuff."
Ahead, Hale walks Refinery29 through her other juicy (but maybe not as oozy) beauty secrets.
Her Dream Job
Despite landing a starring role in the CW's just-released Life Sentence, not to mention a sweet new gig with Degree deodorant, Hale does have one profession she'd like to check off her list: "If I weren't an actress, I would love to be an aesthetician," she says. "It'd be so much fun. I've been going to my facialist Molly Lucio since I was really young and she has transformed my skin. Plus I always feel the best after leaving a facial, so it would be really nice to make other people feel that way."
Despite landing a starring role in the CW's just-released Life Sentence, not to mention a sweet new gig with Degree deodorant, Hale does have one profession she'd like to check off her list: "If I weren't an actress, I would love to be an aesthetician," she says. "It'd be so much fun. I've been going to my facialist Molly Lucio since I was really young and she has transformed my skin. Plus I always feel the best after leaving a facial, so it would be really nice to make other people feel that way."
The Beauty Products She Hoards
Anyone who knows Hale knows she's somewhat of a beauty aficionado — but it's rare for her to stock up on multiple products at once. A few exceptions? Bioderma's Micellar Water (because "I can never find it in stores so I'll buy it [online] in bulk," she says), Degree's Dry Spray in Pure Rain (which "gives women 48-hour sweat protection and has a really fresh, clean scent"), and the Biologique Recherche line. "It's this European skin-care company you literally can't find anywhere, and the products are amaziiiiiing," she says. "I was just in New York and bought three of everything."
Anyone who knows Hale knows she's somewhat of a beauty aficionado — but it's rare for her to stock up on multiple products at once. A few exceptions? Bioderma's Micellar Water (because "I can never find it in stores so I'll buy it [online] in bulk," she says), Degree's Dry Spray in Pure Rain (which "gives women 48-hour sweat protection and has a really fresh, clean scent"), and the Biologique Recherche line. "It's this European skin-care company you literally can't find anywhere, and the products are amaziiiiiing," she says. "I was just in New York and bought three of everything."
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Though she's always switching up her hair, Hale keeps that part of her routine relatively low-key. "My hairstylist Kristin Ess sends me boxes of her products so I don't really have to buy anything. I always use the Air Dry Créme because I don't blow-dry my hair when I'm not working, and it gives it a good texture when it dries."
On Keeping Secrets
Hale certainly had to maintain an air of mystery for her role in Pretty Little Liars, but there are also a few things in real life she keeps under wraps — like her fragrance. "It took me a while to find my staple perfume, so I usually don't share what I wear because I don't want anyone else to wear it," Hale laughs. "But I will say it's a fragrance from Le Labo. It's really fresh, and not overpowering at all."
Hale certainly had to maintain an air of mystery for her role in Pretty Little Liars, but there are also a few things in real life she keeps under wraps — like her fragrance. "It took me a while to find my staple perfume, so I usually don't share what I wear because I don't want anyone else to wear it," Hale laughs. "But I will say it's a fragrance from Le Labo. It's really fresh, and not overpowering at all."