Tampabay.com
SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Cindy Crawford uses Meaningful Beauty, hates clutter, looks amazing at 43


CindyCrawford

Not to name-drop or anything, but... Oh, who am I kidding? CINDY CRAWFORD! The supermodel, who five years ago teamed up with Rooms to Go to launch a furniture line, will stop by the RTG on North Dale Mabry Highway tomorrow from 11 a.m. to noon to sign autographs and take photos with fans.

Earlier this week, Crawford called me from her Malibu, Calif., beach house to talk home decor. (Hey, chatting it up with a supermodel doesn't exactly qualify me for Dirty Jobs, but someone had to do it.) You can read that interview here or in today's tbt*.

While I appreciated Crawford's tips on how to set up a kid-friendly house and what to pack so you feel at home when you're traveling, I couldn't hang up until I'd asked her the secret to looking so stinkin' good. Crawford credits sunscreen, monthly facials and the Meaningful Beauty skincare line she developed with Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh. There's been some grumbling on the Interwebs that Meaningful Beauty is a sham, but all I know is Crawford is 43 but looks 23. Here's her anti-aging advice, plus the wardrobe tip anyone can afford.

Deal Divas: What advice would you give women in their 20s or early 30s who want to have your skin and want to look as great as you do? What can they do now?
Cindy Crawford: There's all the things that we all know, like use sunscreen. I don't smoke. I guess those are the two big ones. Try to get enough sleep. I'm not a party girl. But obviously some of it's genetic, and then there's stuff that you can do. I've been working with Dr. Sebagh -- I've been doing Meaningful for seven years, but I've been working with him for maybe 14 years now. I'm sold on him but also on the products that we developed together. That's what I do. For me also, it's the same mentality, I guess. I want to know I'm taking care of my skin, but I don't want it to be a major production every single day. I get facials once every four or five weeks, which include microdermabrasion, and I think that's been really good for my skin, 'cause in some ways I think my skin's better now than it ever was. But I use the Meaningful Beauty system, and that's it. I don't worry. Sometimes my skin takes a beating, like last week I was on a commercial all week. You're in front of hot cameras 12 hours a day for five days, so it's nice to have something simple to clean the makeup off and know I'm getting the right antioxidants on there.

DD: What's been in your closet the longest?
CC: I guess I have some coats, like I have a ... leather jacket from 20 years ago, and I don't know that I wear it out. I probably don't wear it very often, but it's one of those great classic, timeless pieces that I can't bring myself to not have hanging there anymore. ... But I am a big purger. I've kept a lot of things for my daughter, thinking, This will be fun for her to wear, but if I don't think it will hold up over time or I don't see her wearing it, I (donate) because again, I don't like clutter. When I bring in a new pair of shoes, I try to get rid of one. I don't always. I'm not always successful, but that's the idea. I find my brain works better when I can see everything, so I don't want the shirts so shoved in there that you can't see anything. To me that's crippling.

Deal Diva Dalia

(Photo by Getty Images)

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THE AUTHORS

Stephanie Hayes came out of the womb wearing high heels. While other kids were reciting multiplication tables, she was learning to calculate an extra third off the half-price discount during buy-one-get-one week. She loves animal prints, black mascara and anything that sparkles. She objects to visible panty lines, Crocs and anything that costs more than a car payment. And she doesn't drive a nice car. She can be reached at (727) 893-8857 or shayes@tampabay.com.

Emily Nipps As a sullen teenager, Emily Nipps refused to wear anything but black, olive green or burgundy, preferably ripped. She has since added color to her life but still experiments with her dark streak. A product junkie, she has tried tons of overpriced face creams and hair products but loves drugstore brands that work the same. She's an Aries and a bassist in a punk band. She has a pet pig, seven chickens, three cats and a rabbit. And just as many lip glosses. She can be reached at (727) 893-8452 or nipps@tampabay.com.

Kameel Stanley has never encountered a thrift store she didn’t like. Her mother taught her that the true value of clothes isn’t how much they cost, but how many outfits one can create from them. Having grown up in Michigan, she was delighted to learn upon moving to Florida that she almost never needed to wear socks or boots again. There’s a lot of turnover in her closet, and she’s obsessed with dresses, necklaces and wedge heels. She can be reached at (727) 893-8643 or kstanley@tampabay.com.

A disciple of the little black dress classics school, Letitia Stein stretches her budget by looking for styles with staying power. She lives for 80 percent off shoes at DSW, floral sundresses and bohemian chic tops. She confesses to being a bit of a snob when it comes to handbags and jewelry. She can be reached at (813) 226-3400 or lstein@tampabay.com.

Coming from a long line of fashionable women, Kim Wilmath considers herself lucky to fit into their hand-me-downs. Her wardrobe staples include her grandma's vintage blouses and her mom's funky jewelry. When she's in the market for "new" items, Kim hits her favorite thrift stores -- a habit she also picked up from mom. But when circumstances require a visit to the shiny stores in the mall, you'll find Kim at the sale rack like a good little diva. She can be reached at (813) 661-2442 or kwilmath@tampabay.com.

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