Sarah Rafferty Shares Her All-Time Beauty Favorites, Including Her ‘Sunshine-y’ Makeup Essentials

Based on a few rather eye-popping stats, Sarah Rafferty might be one of the most popular and straight-up famous women in America right now. The actor’s extensive and versatile filmography has always resonated with a large audience, but when Netflix acquired the streaming rights to Suits, the nine-season legal drama that first premiered on the USA network, it quickly became the platform’s most watched show ever. With billions of eyes on the star, who you might just call the queen of streaming, more and more fans are clamoring for details on Rafferty’s beauty routine — especially after her appearance in that mega-viral e.l.f. Super Bowl commercial.

Speaking with the star about her everyday essentials, Rafferty’s casual yet professional approach to beauty is refreshingly individual. In a world of ever-changing trends and extreme crazes, she’s both happy to experiment and play along, but not at the expense of her personal style and comfort. Getting the lowdown on her go-to products feels as authentic as reading an anonymous review online, with the warm-voiced Rafferty unafraid to explain exactly how she feels about them all.

Ahead, get to know the hair, skin, and makeup favorites Rafferty loves at the moment and has stayed true to through the years.

The Makeup & Skin Care She Loves

No Sephora Tweens in Rafferty’s house, but her kids are up on some of the coolest accessible makeup of the moment — they’re happy to share, too, with the actor telling TZR they put her on to the best products and trends. In fact, the first e.l.f. product she was ever hooked on was the Glow Reviver Tinted Lip Oil, a recommendation from her kids.

While Rafferty says she doesn’t keep up too closely with assorted beauty trends, she does know what she likes and doesn’t. “For me, when I’ve had people really bake on powder on my makeup, I do not like that. That just doesn't feel good on your face, and I don't think it's very becoming for me in particular.” But what does make Rafferty feel the best cosmetics-wise is what she describes as “warm, sunshine-y” makeup. She lists off coppery, golden tones as her favorites, along with orange-toned lip palettes.

It will probably come as zero surprise that Rafferty is a sun care devotee — you don’t get a complexion that excellent otherwise. “I always always have SPF [in my bag], whether it’s a tinted kind of SPF that's one step, or e.l.f. has a spray that’s really quick and easy.” She shares that she keeps the sun protection on hand virtually at all times, along with mascara and lip oil.

How She Keeps Her Hair Color So Fresh

Speaking of lush golden tones, it would be impossible to talk with Rafferty and not ask her about her trademark red hair. “It is my natural color, but feel free to use air quotes on that term because I have an amazing colorist,” she laughs, explaining that they’ve worked together for 16 years — she’s the secret to keeping her genetic red looking so vibrant, bright, and healthy. “When I'm away from her, she blesses me with some glosses that I can use on my own to just get the shine, to bring up the tone when it fades a little bit,” she says. On days off, she tries to give her strands a break by just leaving it alone, something any actor who’s spent years working on sets, logging hours in the hair and makeup chair, appreciates. “When we were doing Suits, my hairdresser would send me home every weekend with a big tub tub of leave-in conditioner,” she shares. “I would put it in and I would put on a baseball hat and kind of live with this goop in my hair all weekend long.” Before Olaplex buns were a thing, Rafferty was clearly ahead of the curve.

Some of Rafferty’s beauty muses are her fellow redheads, too, she shares. “In a general way, I am just so thrilled at how many women, diverse women and women over 50, I’m seeing grace the screen and tell stories that I am so eager to watch — and that there's enough of it that I can't quite keep up.” She gives a shoutout to all women, but says she looks to her redheaded peers for beauty ideas due to their similar coloring. She lists Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Julianne Moore as a few of her favorites, and she and her makeup artist check out their past looks to get inspiration. “They have great style and they're so themselves and they're so smart and they're so multi-dimensional.”

Really, though, Rafferty could be describing herself, too.