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Jennifer Love Hewitt Swears by These Affordable Beauty Products (and They Make Great Gifts!)

Plus, the holiday gifts she's shopping for her husband and kids.

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In the Celebrity edition of What's in My Cart, stars reveal the everyday products they're shopping — complemented by expert insights from our editors and analysts when it's something we love too.

Actress, mom-of-three and self-proclaimed "holiday junkie" Jennifer Love Hewitt goes all out for the holidays — and not just the big ones. As she tells Good Housekeeping, her new memoir, Inheriting Magic: My Journey Through Grief, Joy, Celebration, and Making Every Day Magical, details "how we set the intention of magic in our family and try to carry that throughout the year. The most fun part of the book is that you'll see as the holiday junkie how many actual holidays I celebrate (which is probably 15 more than the normal calendar says), and how I do that."

We chatted with the 9-1-1 actress, who's partnering with Ferrero Rocher on their "Add Your Golden Touch" campaign, about what's on her shopping list for the holidays and year-round. She revealed how she's prepping for Christmas with her family, and we got all the intel on what she's gifting her husband Brian Hallisay and their three children, Autumn (11), Atticus (9) and Aidan (3). She also shared her essentials for traveling with kids no matter the season. Plus, we got the best gift of all: details on Jennifer's favorite beauty and skincare products.

JLH's Skincare Secret

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant

Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant

"A big one that's a classic is Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream," the 45-year-old says when asked about her beauty essentials. "And their Lip Balm. I've used that for [what feels like] 150 years and I'm really big into that."

Fun fact: Stars such as Catherine Zeta Jones and Belinda Carlisle also swear by this time-tested moisturizer.

"I keep it simple. I don't use a lot of stuff," the Ghost Whisperer star says of her skincare routine. But there is one trendy tool she's a fan of. "I really enjoy ice rollers. I'm really into those right now, and my kids are into those."

While she didn't mention a specific brand to us, this TikTok-approved ice roller has over 22,000 reviews on Amazon, with a 4.7- star average rating.

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For a 'No-Makeup' Makeup Look

Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter

Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter

Along with Elizabeth Arden skincare, Jennifer calls out Charlotte Tilbury and Rare Beauty as some of her favorite makeup brands.

She says she loves to use the Rare Beauty powder highlighters on the tip of her nose and on her cheeks. "They're also great for tweens. My daughter uses them and it makes her feel like she's putting on a little bit of makeup, but it's very light and doesn't look like she has makeup on. It just gives her a little bit of an extra glow. I highly recommend that as a stocking stuffer," she adds.

RELATED: Why Is Rare Beauty's Liquid Blush So Popular? Our Review

Beauty Stocking Stuffer Idea

LANEIGE Lip Glowy Balm

Lip Glowy Balm

Another stocking stuffer idea from JLH: "The LANEIGE lip balms. Those are great," she says. The I Know What You Did Last Summer actress shares that when it comes to gifts this year, "Autumn wants all things Sephora, aesthetic skincare, that kind of vibe."

LANEIGE is included in the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab's list of the best Korean skincare brands, as the best brand for lips.

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Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

Lip Butter Balm

"The Summer Friday lip balms are also really good [stocking stuffers]. My daughter's loving sheet masks, just to feel like she's having a spa moment. Press-on nails are fun and don't have to be expensive, but again, give a glam moment to your littles."

RELATED: 40 Trendy Stocking Stuffers That'll Impress Any Teen

Travel Hack for Kids

Crayola Create 'N Carry Art Set

Create 'N Carry Art Set

When it comes to travel, Jennifer says activities for her three kids are essential. "Amazon has the best little activity laptop, all put together with stuff you can give kids," she suggests. We love the convenience of this lap desk kit from Crayola, which has built-in slots to hold markers upright while in use.

Another genius tip when flying with kids? "I do a surprise bag. My carry-on is always a hundred different little Ziplocs filled with toys and snacks, and every hour of the flight they get something new. For Atticus, it's LEGO sets, for Autumn, it's something like drawing. For Aidan, it's maybe cards or Play-Doh. It gets them through the flight and they love it."

RELATED: 39 Products That Will Make Family Travel So Much Easier

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"He gets Yeti everything," Jennifer says when asked what she's giving her husband this year. "He loves it. The coolers, the coffee [mugs], backpacks."

Our Good Housekeeping Institute experts have tested and recommended a number of Yeti products, including this dishwasher-safe travel coffee mug option with a convenient handle.

"I got him some clothes [too]. I can't tell you everything because he might read this or see it and then I'm in trouble. Brian with Good Housekeeping, by the way, is my Christmas gift. That would be amazing," she adds with a laugh.

Holiday Baking Shortcut

Cravings by Chrissy Teigen Ultimate Banana Bread Mix

Ultimate Banana Bread Mix

"I love to cook. It's my favorite thing to do," Jennifer shares. "I'm not a great baker, but I try. I think I'm only not a great baker because I love to just be able to play with things, and baking has to be so precise that sometimes it doesn't go well for me. But especially this time of year, I always keep Chrissy Teigen's banana bread mix in my pantry so it's ready to go."

She continues: "I love to make that, have the house smell amazing, put it out on a wood block with European salted butter and a knife and just leave it out for anybody who's stopping by."

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DIY Gift Idea

Candle Making Kit

Candle Making Kit

When it comes to giving hostess gifts or other small presents during the holidays, Jennifer notes that a cute candle is always a great option. For an extra personal touch, she recommends making your own candles with a set like this one from Amazon.

"I'm always crafty, but recently we've been in our candle making era over here," she shares. "I've been making candles that the kids help me with and we've been giving those away."

RELATED: 100 Best Homemade Christmas Gifts You Can Easily DIY Last-Minute

2021 Co. x HJ Holiday State of Mind Chubby Note Pad

Holiday State of Mind Chubby Note Pad

"I make cards with my Holiday Junkie brand and a company called 2021 Co., and we have this little chubby pad that's for all your holiday lists and everything. I've been doing a lot of that as hosting gifts: Our gift tags, our greatest hits cards for the holidays and a notepad with a cute pen."

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Snowflake Projector

Snowflake Projector

"I'm a big 'magical bath' person," Jennifer says, explaining that she put together a surprise for her kids to celebrate The Holiday Junkie movie, which they appear in.

"I got this projector that's going to project snowflakes on the bathroom wall and window so it'll look like it's snowing. I got Christmas bath toys for the baby, light-up things that are going to make the water red and green ... and then they each have slippers and jammies to change into when we're done."

Last-Minute Gift Idea

Ferrero Rocher Holiday Gift Packs

Holiday Gift Packs
Credit: Ferrero Rocher

"The Ferrero Rocher pyramid for sure has been gifted more than a few times already," Jennifer says. In addition to being a great last-minute gift, she notes that the chocolates come in handy for any unexpected guests who may stop in during the holidays. "It always looks special and magical and like you've zhuzhed it up for people coming by. So I have a big stack ready to go."

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Inheriting Magic: My Journey Through Grief, Joy, Celebration and Making Every Day Magical

Inheriting Magic: My Journey Through Grief, Joy, Celebration and Making Every Day Magical

Outside of gifting, crafting and decorating, Jennifer and her family have another special winter tradition. "We always do Brian's famous Christmas cocktail during the holiday season, and we make sure we don't drink it any other time during the year. So we wait for it and I anticipate it all year long," she reveals. "It's his recipe and it's in my new book, so people will be able to taste it this year."

Inheriting Magic also includes more of Jennifer's favorite family recipes, as well as traditions you can start with your own loved ones any day of the year.

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Jamie Kravitz
News & SEO Editor

Jamie (she/her) is the news and SEO editor at Good Housekeeping. She oversees GH's digital news strategy, assigning and editing celebrity and entertainment news content. Before joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she was the digital editor at Woman's Day. She has over 7 years of professional experience writing and editing lifestyle content for the Rachael Ray Show, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Insider, Elite Daily and more. She holds a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College and lives in Brooklyn with her cats Lumos, Linus and Milo.

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