My Five Beauty Obsessions: Abigail Spencer

For actress Abigail Spencer, 33, healthy living is in her blood. Her late father, Yancy Spencer—known as the father of Gulf Coast surfing—lived a life that revolved around the ocean and health.

“My father was very much into what could help him be a stronger surfer,” says Spencer. “He was one of the only people in our area that traveled to the natural foods store in the next town over. I’ve heard the words ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ my whole life.”

Now, Spencer—who’s been in everything from Mad Men and Suits to films like This Is Where I Leave You and Oz The Great and Powerful—infuses the healthy lessons she learned as a girl into her adult life.

She does resistance training three times a week, weight trains, loves to bike around Venice Beach and lives by the steps her Fitbit tracks. “The Fitbit made me realize how sedentary I was becoming,” she says. “I couldn’t believe how little I was moving in my daily life.”

It shouldn’t be too hard for her to keep moving now, considering her schedule is currently packed with shooting the third season of her critically acclaimed Sundance Channel series Rectify and she’s also appearing in the can’t-get-here-fast-enough second season of HBO’s True Detective. Her on-set secret weapon? A penchant for local, natural beauty. (She even sold the Arbonne line when she was an out of work actor, she says).

“I’ve always been interested in the most natural approach to beauty,” says Spencer. “I want the cleanest products that are the kindest to the earth, but I also obviously want stuff that works. When I’m using the right natural products, I glow from the inside out.”

Try her favorites, and you just might have the same luck. —Sari Tuschman

1. Fiele Fragrances Juniperus Eau De Parfum ($85) This is a Santa Monica-based fragrance company. They are new and small, and I love their very woodsy, natural scents. This one is reminiscent of Sandal 33 from Le Labo—I love that these are local.

2. May Lindstrom Youth Dew ($120) You could eat this for dessert. I love all the products in this line, but the Youth Dew makes me feel like I climbed out of a spring from a fairy farm in the underworld. It’s so delicious and really, really works.

3. Saje Wellness Travel Safe Kit ($35) I fell in love with this Toronto-based brand of essential oils and aromatherapy, and now I travel with them all the time and use them for headaches, belly aches, and to sanitize. I’ve never been into aromatherapy, but this brand converted me.

4. Arcona Basic Five Travel Kit for Problem Skin ($87) Arcona is also a Santa Monica-based skin-care line. I love their skin-clearing line—I get super hormonal and break out on my chin. This definitely helps prevent and clear the natural way.

5. W3LL People Bio Brightener ($34) I love this company. I met the founders in Santa Fe while I was shooting Cowboys & Aliens, and we’ve been friends ever since. It’s the best completely organic natural makeup I’ve tried, and I particularly love their lip balms and face brighteners!

6. Beauty Bonus! Escentric Molecules Perfume ($135) People stop me and ask what I’m wearing when I put this on. It’s an all-natural, scent-enhancing formula. It takes your own pheromones and turns them up a notch. You can mix them with other scents or wear on clean skin. It’s basically a dog whistle for humans, but instead of for their ears it’s for their noses.

For more information, visit www.instagram.com/abigailspencer

(Photo: Abigail Spencer)