Long before every actor, singer, and influencer had a beauty line, Cindy Crawford created Meaningful Beauty skincare with Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh, a French plastic surgeon. Their secret ingredient? Powerful antioxidants from a particularly age-resistant melon. Trailblazing is nothing unusual for Crawford, who practically defined the term “supermodel” in the ’90s, arm in arm with Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista. Crawford surely got where she is today with strength and ambition, but it’s her kindness and serenity that make her refreshingly different. She lives in Malibu with her husband of 27 years, the tequila and hospitality mogul Rande Gerber, with whom she has two children, Kaia, 24, and Presley, 26. Through decades of modeling and motherhood, she’s mastered the art of unwinding, with a nightly Jacuzzi soak and a temperature-controlled bed at the heart of her routine.
When do you start getting ready for bed?
If I’ve gone out for dinner, I start around 10:30 P.M. If not, it’s between 9:30 and 10.
What does your nighttime skincare routine look like?
I luckily have my own skincare line, so pretty much all of the products I use are from there. If I’ve gone out, I have to wash my face and do my full skincare. If I stay in, I often take a Jacuzzi break to unwind and then do my skincare before dinner. I always cleanse my skin, and I always use the Meaningful Beauty Youth Activating Melon Serum. I love it because it really increases hydration, and it also helps the other products you put on top absorb better. Sometimes I use an eye cream, sometimes I use an oil, or sometimes I’ll use the Meaningful Beauty Age Recovery Night Crème.
Do you take supplements?
I take too many. I have a doctor who looks at my blood work and then recommends a vitamin regimen. I probably take about 12, like vitamin D, fish oil, and RestorAid, which is a magnesium drink I use to wash them all down. If I’m jet lagged, I also like the new Athletic Greens sleep powder called AGZ. It tastes pretty good. When you mix it with hot water, it’s a cozy drink before bed.
Once you’re in bed, do you read or watch anything?
I usually read because it doesn’t stimulate me too much. If I’m watching a TV show that has a lot of action, I have a harder time falling asleep.
What’s one thing you have to do before bed?
I take care of my feet. I’ve been doing that for a while, but now I use a new Meaningful Beauty product called the Hydration Body Stick. You can apply it on your heels and any rough spots. I sit on the side of my bed, put that on any dry patches, and get into bed. One thing I also do almost every night is pin up my hair in a loose bun because it makes my blow-dry last longer, and it keeps me from getting too hot.
Do you add any steps before a shoot or event?
I don’t drink alcohol or have soy sauce the night before a day of work because I don’t want to risk being puffy. I want to give my skin the chance to look as good as it can.
How do you decompress?
That goes back to the Jacuzzi. Yesterday, for instance, I had a photo shoot all day, and I didn’t get home until 8:30. The first thing I did was wash off my makeup and get in the Jacuzzi. I just like being outside. At my house, you have to walk through grass to get to the Jacuzzi, and I think having my bare feet in the grass and then getting into the warm water lets me decompress in like five minutes.
On to your pajamas…
I either wear one of my husband’s old shirts, like one that’s been washed so many times it’s so soft, or nothing. I’m not really a pajama girl.
Are you particular about sleep conditions?
We have blackout curtains, but even if my husband is on his iPad next to me, I have to put on an eye mask. The one I like is called Mindfold. It’s really comfortable and light, and I can open my eyes in it. It’s like I’m turning off the lights, but just for myself.
We like it pretty cool when we sleep. One of the game changers has been getting an Eight Sleep pod for our mattress. You can set its temperature, which has been incredible, because I like to get into a warm bed, but after I fall asleep, it drops to cool, and then it warms up again in the morning. My husband likes to get into a freezing cold bed, but I’d probably feel like a slab of meat if I rolled over to his side. Now we’re both comfortable at night, so I’m obsessed.
What about your mattress and sheets?
We have an Aireloom mattress and sheets from Schlossberg, which are a little pricey. They last forever and they’re so soft and high quality. I love them.
How long does it take you to fall asleep?
My husband says I fall asleep fast… probably in less than 15 minutes. If I have any trouble, it’ll be waking up at four in the morning and then struggling to fall back asleep. I just listened to a clip of Andrew Huberman talking about how to help with that. He says to exhale slowly, and at the same time, with your eyes closed, to move your eyes back and forth, for five breaths. I have to say, it’s been working, so hey, kudos to Andrew Huberman.
What’s your strangest nighttime habit?
I think the eye shades. It’s not sexy, but it does the trick.
Where’s your all-time favorite place to sleep?
We have a cottage on a lake in Canada where we live during the summer. We’re usually in Malibu, and even though I love the sound of the ocean, it’s very active. At our lake house, it’s so silent. You just hear the lapping of waves, not the roar of the ocean. And once in a while, you hear a train in the distance. There’s just something so quaint and cozy about that.
What’s the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had?
I’m an early riser, even when I don’t have to be. So whenever I can sleep in, it feels like a miracle. I remember one time, before I had kids, I had just finished fashion month, so I’d been in Paris and Milan and then New York, and it was just go, go, go, go. I was exhausted. I went to a friend’s house in upstate New York, and we got there at three in the morning on the Friday that ended Fashion Week. I went to sleep, and I woke up at five in the afternoon the next day. I couldn’t believe it. It was just such a luxury. I didn’t have anything to do because it wasn’t my house, and I didn’t have any responsibilities. It just felt so good to not be on a schedule.
Jeanne Malle is a Junior Editor at AIR MAIL
