Though Jessica Alba may be one of the most beautiful faces in Hollywood, it's not her looks that got her to where she is today. At the age of 34, the Golden Globe-nominated actress, celebrated mother of two and savvy entrepreneur has built a multi-million-dollar fortune creating safe and nontoxic products for moms that are also stylish and functional. Now she's taking that same business acumen and attention to detail and expanding into the beauty market.

This summer, Alba officially blessed the beauty world by debuting her Honest Beauty line of safe-ingredient products. Putting herself into every product, Alba derived inspiration for her skin care and beauty line from her history of sensitive skin and her grandmother's skin-healing remedies. We caught up with Alba at her Honest Beauty pop-up shop in L.A. to talk about her favorite beauty products (from her Honest Beauty line, of course) and which beauty trends she just does not approve of.



1. Total Beauty: Safe beauty products means different things to different people. What does it mean to you and your brand?

Jessica Alba: It just means that we have really high quality, safe ingredients that I love. I have very sensitive skin, so when we formulated [the products], we did so with that in mind. I also really wanted an effective product, but often if you go for a safer product, it's not as effective. So, being able to combine the two worlds is a dream come true. I also wanted to make it in a price range that's accessible. We're definitely not a discount brand and we're not cheap, we're not even a mass brand, but I built prestigious, luxurious products with formulations that are the top of the line -- and made them available at a more affordable price point.

2. TB: What's one beauty product from the line you absolutely can't live without and why?

JA: All of them! But if I had to choose, I think the skin care. At the heart of, you know, any sort of beauty anything, you need to have great skin. A skin-care regimen is really something I've been doing since I was 11 years old and is something I still do. Our skin-care bundles are amazing because it just ensures you never go a day without your best skin.

3. TB: You're a beauty icon to many women. Who is your beauty inspiration?

JA: So many people. My friends, my kids, my grandmother, my mom... If we're talking famous people, Gwen Stefani is amazing; and classical beauty, Audrey Hepburn. I also like people who have fun with their looks and change it up like Beyoncé.

4. TB: What is one beauty trend you absolutely refuse to jump on the bandwagon with?

JA: I'm not into the clumpy eyelashes. I think it looks like spiders. I love a full lash, and I think you can get full, long lashes without looking clumpy.

5. TB: What is your favorite makeup trick?

JA: My favorite makeup trick is to use the Honest Beauty magic balm, right at the top of your cheekbones to take away those creases you can get when the makeup cakes. I also love using the magic balm to get that dewy-looking skin without looking like a grease-ball.

Images: HonestBeauty.com; Braun.com