Jennifer Garner Interview

Photo 1/7

She Looks Young Because of Her High School Job

Jennifer Garner is 43. She has three children, a busy acting career and she works with a number of charities. She also has the glowing, lineless skin of a 25-year-old, which makes her hectic schedule even more impressive. And she owes it all to her high school job.

"I'm very grateful that during my key sunning years -- my teenage years -- I was working in a theater all summer," she says. "I have a sister who was a lifeguard out there just baking and roasting, and we didn't know better."

Photo 2/7

Now She Wears SPF -- Every. Single. Day.

Garner says applying sunscreen is as much a ritual as brushing her teeth every morning. "I do it right away," she says. "I have contacts -- so I brush my teeth, put my contacts in and put my sunscreen on."

Her go-to formula is Neutrogena Dry Touch Ultra Sheer, $13.99. "It doesn't leave any residue or greasy feeling," she says. "And makeup artists like it because it doesn't mess with their work."

Photo 3/7

On a regular day, Garner says she gets up before her kids to work out, and then quickly changes into "real-people clothes" before taking them to school -- "because nobody needs to see me in a yoga pant all day," she jokes. Still, she's got no problem leaving the house without doing her hair. The two looks in her repertoire: wet or in a ponytail. "I don't understand how to blow dry hair," she says. When I ask her if hairstylists have tried to teach her any tricks over the years, she responds: "They know that their job is secure."

Photo 4/7

She Has Tricks to Get Her Kids to Wear Sunscreen

I ask Garner if she's crazy about her kids and sunscreen, and at first she tries to play it cool. "I'm on top of it, for sure," she says. "I try not to be … yeah, I'm crazed. It's non-negotiable."

But she has certain tricks she uses to get them to sunscreen up. "Right now, what I'm doing is letting them choose a stick, a lotion, or a spray," she says. "And the older ones can do it themselves with me watching to make sure [they don't miss a spot] -- because that's the worst: when they do it, and they come home with a big sunburned spot."

Photo 5/7

"He's his own beast when it comes to sunscreen," she says when I ask her whether husband Ben Affleck wears SPF, and she leaves it at that.

Jennifer Garner is one of those rare celebrities who seems like a regular person. And she gives that impression in real life even more than she does on television or in "Celebrities Off-Duty" columns.

When I sit down with Garner for a quick interview about melanoma awareness, she's genuine, friendly and incredibly passionate about the cause. To prepare for summer, Garner wants everyone to get a melanoma screening and stock up on sunscreen. And coming from her, this advice feels serious yet doable. Read on for more of Garner's beauty tips -- then book yourself an appointment with a dermatologist.

Jennifer Garner Shares Her One-Step Trick to Perfect Skin

The actress can't style her own hair to save her life but knows a thing or two about keeping skin flawless

She Looks Young Because of Her High School Job

Now She Wears SPF -- Every. Single. Day.

But She Won't Do Her Hair

She Has Tricks to Get Her Kids to Wear Sunscreen

But Ben's a Lost Cause

GET FREE SAMPLES