Nicole Kidman on Aging, Self-Preservation, and Why Radiance Is an Inside Job

Nicole Kidman has one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. Her porcelain skin, nearly poreless and luminous, has long been framed by that famously cheeky smile—the same one she flashes as she sits pretzel style in a Beverly Hills hotel. However, her face is equally known for what I don’t see here today: the furrowed brows, the desolation, the anger, the intrigue. Her characters rarely smile; Kidman, however, flashes a grin quite often.

In Clé de Peau Beauté’s latest campaign, The Key Radiance Is You, she gazes into a mirror, almost smirking at her own reflection. Who exactly is she seeing?

“Changes every day, but it’s sort of, I suppose, a woman now…” she says, pursing her lips before continuing. “A woman who’s had an enormous amount of experience. I used to have that kind of out-of-body experience where you go, ‘Who is that person in the mirror?’ I don’t have that as much now. I’m not as self-critical, which is a new state of being. I think as you become older, you become way less critical because you know what’s important. I feel proud now. I’m proud to be able to just say, ‘Okay, this is me.’”

It’s a sentiment that makes her latest role as global brand ambassador for Clé de Peau all the more fitting. The campaign’s tagline, The Key Radiance Is You, goes beyond the surface-level glow of the brand’s conditioning salves and invites people to consider the deeper source of their radiance.

For Kidman, that source is self-preservation—whether it’s letting go of perfectionism or embracing rituals like cold plunging, a practice she picked up from one of her favorite characters. Ahead, the Clé de Peau ambassador shares the beauty philosophy she lives by, how the brand’s mission mirrors her own, and which character’s beauty routine she’d borrow in real life.

What’s your relationship to the word perfection, and how has its meaning evolved for you?

I think it’s just being very attentive to yourself and to your own emotional health, as well; being able to take the time to go, ‘I need time to sleep. I need time to meditate. I need time to work out. I need time for myself.’ That can’t be something that I just give up, which tends to be the case as women, where we sort of [put things] on the back burner. So trying to prioritize self.

Also, perfectionism involves saying no because, I think, as women, so much of what we do is say, ‘Yes, I can do that,’ because we want to be seen as being able to be the carer, be the fixer, be constantly reliable. These are beautiful attributes, but at the same time, they can sometimes mean you can fall apart. A lot of it’s just being able to go, I don’t need to be the perfect version of myself. I just need to be the most authentic version of myself.

Is there a personal beauty philosophy that you abide by daily?

I work out in some way, shape, or form. I do yoga or I do a run—well, a jog. I try to eat well, but I don’t adhere to that religiously because I feel like anything that’s too structured or too rigid in my life doesn’t make me feel free. Part of my work involves being spontaneous, so I like the idea of a spontaneous lifestyle, where I can go, ‘Yeah, I will do that’, or ‘Yeah, I’m just actually going to choose to show up for friends.’ I’m also trying to become more disciplined with sleep.

Empowerment seems to be a throughline both you and Clé de Peau align on. What does the partnership mean to you at this point in your career? Why now?

I was so flattered and taken aback when they asked me to represent the brand because it’s so beautiful. I was already using La Creme, the premiere foundation and moisturizer. I have dry skin and that’s slightly reddish and can be sensitized easily. I have a Japanese makeup artist [Noriko Watanabe] who used [the products]. It was kind of like kismet, like the brand even knows who I am? I love that the quality is so high. You’re dealing with things that have been tested and scientifically proven, and they’re just exquisite, from their packaging to their consistency to their experimentation —in terms of colors—even their lipstick. It’s the best of the best. When you get asked to be a part of the best of the best, you say yes.

If you were to build a starter kit of your favorites, excluding La Creme, which we know is your favorite, what products would you include?

The Brightening Serum Supreme—I think it’s a really good staple. I love the Eye and Lip Makeup Remover because it removes waterproof formulas. Obviously, when I’m doing films and have to cry, I wear waterproof mascara. It removes it without pulling and tugging. It’s fantastic. I also love their glosses, and they have great face masks.

You’ve played so many different characters. Is there a beauty routine of any that you would steal?

Wow. There’s Marsha from Nine Perfect Strangers. I certainly wouldn’t steal hers, although I do like the cold plunges. Doing Nine Perfect Strangers, where there was all of that health and wellness, it was really interesting. That’s where I discovered cold plunging, which I love, love. I’m an advocate for that.

What is the best beauty advice you received, and what is the best beauty advice you’d impart to your daughters?

Discipline, and emotional and physical discipline. I just feel that if you get that wired into your brain early, you stand a really good chance in the world because it builds your emotional intelligence. My dad was really into being disciplined; he would get us up before school to work out. We would have to walk to school, and we’d complain. I also attended a highly academic school, so there was a rigorous academic approach applied to studying and homework. As much as I complained about it, I’m now so grateful for it because I’m able to apply it. I think that sense of self-discipline and being responsible for yourself, not having to rely on other people to be your keeper empowers you, gives you a sense of agency, and gives you strength in the world.

Even though I was not the person who stayed at the party until the end, I was always the one who’d still go out and have a good time, but I would leave at the right time.

You know when to leave.

I’m not an after midnight girl. What do they say? Nothing good happens after midnight. You can still go and have fun, but I know when to leave.