Brooke Shields has had many roles throughout the course of her long career. Among other things, she's an actress of both the stage and the screen, a model, "New York Times" bestselling author and, now, the founder of a beauty brand.
When Shields joined us as a speaker at the Shop TODAY Stages: Health & Wellness Summit at the end of March, she discussed her journey to becoming CEO of Commence, her hair care brand designed specifically to address the needs of women over the age of 40.
“The reason why I’ve had such a varied past is because when some area didn’t want me, I pivoted and found some area that did want me,” Shields told the audience during her panel. “So if it wasn’t TV, it was movies, if it wasn’t movies, maybe it was stage. And then I just had to keep going where the water was warm, so that I could learn and I could maintain a creative life."
However, her pivot into the world of mature beauty has been different than roles she's had before, because she says, "it's all being generated from me."
"This was the first time that I ever went out on a limb — having no experience in it, and harnessing what I did know, surrounding myself with women who were supportive and [who] I admired and really just going and saying, 'I want to make a difference.' But for reasons that are coming and being generated from me ... It's much more in my skin and empowered, because it's all being generated from myself, what I feel, rather than me just doing what I'm paid to do by somebody else."
Commence filled what she said was a "white space" in the industry, targeting the hair changes that happen with age and menopause. But it's not just about addressing these beauty woes; it's also about recognizing a large group of people who are often forgotten and ignored — or worse, shamed — by the industry.
“We knew there was white space that we were filling, that we were servicing women through this change in their lives without shame,” Shields shared. “We are not just menopause. I mean, it’s great that we are talking about menopause. I’m so happy about the freedom with which that is being talked about. But we don’t jump over this, just to be menopause. So it was important for me to share with women the desire that I have for them to feel more empowered and to live this era of their life without shame and with excitement.”
After her panel, we sat down with Shields to discover some of the items she doesn't leave the house without. From the Commence products she uses to keep her hair looking fresh on the go to the comfy shoes she changes into after a big event, here's what Shields keeps in her bag.
Brooke Shields: What's in my bag
"I always have a pair of flats in my bag, because I can't wait to take my shoes off," Shields says. On the day of the event, she had a pair of Rothy's flats in her purse.
The editor-loved shoes are perfect for storing in your bag, as the brand says they have a cushioned insole for comfort and are washable, so they're easy to keep clean.
As a glasses-wearer, Shields knows the struggles of dealing with dirty lenses. “I’m the person who has smudgey glasses,” she says. So she keeps these individually-wrapped wipes in her bag to help keep her vision clear.
"I have my datebook, which I copy everything from my phone into," Shield says. And she keeps it filled with erasable pens, "which are amazing," she adds.
There is nothing more classic than Ricola's cough drops. And shoppers say that they're great throat soothers, so it makes sense why Shields would want to keep them on hand.
"I don't leave home without [my needlepoint]," Shields says. "I am needlepointing a backgammon set, and yes, I am 80 years old." You can find the star needlepointing everywhere, from car rides to video calls. "It keeps me calm, because it's a good behavior to make me not spin out of control."
She keeps her needlepoint projects in a cute pouch from Clare V. While the leopard version she has is no longer available, we found this similar clutch from the brand.
Shields calls this charger her "favorite." And it's not hard to see why! It has the cords built in, so there's no need to carry anything extra. Plus, it has an LED screen to let you know how much power you have left.
Shields says that she "can't live without" these eye drops. As she previously told us, “My eyes are always bloodshot, with or without sleep.” She added, “It’s the only thing that really clears up my eyes.”
"It's what I put on during the day — on wet or dry hair — but I usually put it on during the day to rehydrate my hair," she says of this 3-In-1 Leave-In Conditioner from her own hair care brand, Commence. The brand says that the leave-in treatment works to tame frizz, soften strands and increase shine.
"If I get sweaty, I wait until my hair sort of dries and I use my Instant Shampoo, just to revitalize my scalp and kind of give me a little volume," Shields tells us. "
These two are always in my bag," she says of her leave-in treatment and dry shampoo.
"I like to snack on seaweed," Shields says, which is why it wasn't surprising to find one of these packets in her bag. They come in multiple flavors, including wasabi and spicy chipotle, though she appeared to have the original olive oil and sea salt version with her.
According to the brand, this peptide lip treatment provides color, glossy shine and intense hydration, so it's practically like having three products in one. It features arnica, along with hydrating and plumping ingredients, so it promotes cell regeneration and helps to fight acne at the same time, the brand shares.
Now that spring is finally in full swing, sunglasses are a daily essential. So it’s not surprising that Shields keeps a pair in her bag. When we spoke to her, the ones she had in her bag at the time were from Chloe.
“[They] are nice and dark sunglasses,” she says.
