Here's What Danica McKellar Looks Like Without Makeup
Danica McKellar has gone from playing the fresh-faced girl next door on "The Wonder Years" to getting all glammed up on "Dancing with the Stars" and having a fun punk rock makeover for Avril Lavigne's "Rock N Roll" music video. McKellar's 2010 Maxim magazine photo spread was another big step away from her child-star past. "At 30, I was going to show the world that you don't have to be in your 20's to look great," she told Forbes.
These days, McKellar is also known for her wholesome Hallmark Channel movies. In a 2016 makeup tutorial that she shared on her YouTube channel, the actor revealed that the Hallmark gig gave her access to a talented glam squad, and those pros helped her improve her own makeup game. She also admitted that she wouldn't dare attend a red-carpet event without makeup. "The angles might not be right, or the lighting might not be perfect. And as an actress, the way you look is important," she said. "It's just part of the job."
But McKellar has been more than willing to let her fans see her without makeup on social media. She told Forbes that she once planned on posing for an empowering, Maxim-style photo shoot every half-decade, but now she can use Instagram to provide evidence that she's the female version of the ageless wonder that is Paul Rudd — and she doesn't need help from foundation or filters to prove it.
Danica McKellar went bare-faced on her birthday
When Danica McKellar turned 48 years old in 2023, she celebrated the occasion with a makeup-free Instagram selfie. While showing off her gorgeous, glowing skin, she gave the camera a little smirk. Among her followers impressed by her youthful appearance was "Riverdale" star Marisol Nichols, who commented, "You look 20!"
In her caption, McKellar shared her belief that beauty really does come from within. "If there's any secret I've found to youth, it's in the attitude ... and a healthy, clean lifestyle, of course," she wrote. The actor shared her explanation for how eating healthy and working out improves her mood, making it easier for her to maintain her healthy lifestyle. "When I discipline myself to see good (and laugh at the absurduties) in the world, resisting the seduction of outrage addiction, I find I'm more likely to stay in gratitude and make healthy choices," she wrote.
As for what she eats to fuel this perpetual cycle of positivity, McKellar shared a few diet details in a 2019 YouTube video. She keeps it clean, consuming a lot of veggies and brown rice, as well as good fats like olive oil. She tries to avoid greasy foods and refined sugar, revealing that her go-to snack while filming is almond butter in a cup with sliced bananas. Yoga is one of her favorite workouts, and as far as skincare is concerned, she keeps it simple; she exfoliates with a washcloth and makes sure to moisturize.
Danica McKellar's bad experience with fillers
While sharing some health and beauty tips with her YouTube subscribers, Danica McKellar admitted to experimenting with fillers just once. "It was horrible," she said. "It was so painful." The actor revealed that she used dermal fillers to try and minimize the appearance of her nasolabial folds – or smile lines — and suffered more than one undesirable side effect. "I had these bumps on my face," she recalled. "When they finally went down, I guess the line was lighter ... but my lips got smaller on top."
McKellar said that she's never tried Botox, swearing that Facercise helps her resist the allure of the popular injectable. Facercise is a series of facial exercises developed by esthetician Carole Maggio, and McKellar shares Maggio's philosophy that the face needs exercise just like the body does. "Can you see lines?" McKellar said as she pointed to her forehead. "Barely. I'm 44 years old, and I've been doing Facercise for a long time. I should probably be the spokesperson." McKellar also spilled her secret for depuffing under-eye bags: She's a big fan of the cooling, soothing feel of jade and rose quartz rollers.
Sharing what she's learned about beauty with her fans might also help keep McKellar looking and feeling younger than her years. "The other secret to life? Taking all that gratitude and giving back to the world in as many ways as I can," she wrote in her 48th birthday post.