Mariska Hargitay Is Calling the Shots

17.09.2025, 14:35 allure.com

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Mariska Hargitay knows how to take a great selfie, as anyone who follows her on social media can attest. But when she grabbed my phone and positioned us in front of a window at The Edition Hotel in New York City, I realized why one of her selfies gets more likes than all of my posts combined: The actor knows her angles.

Well, that’s just one (small) reason. The more likely cause for her viral posts is her 40-year acting career, almost 30 of which have been spent as Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Those three decades on-screen came with many lessons on self-image and confidence, which she shared when we met in person to mark the occasion of her appointment as the face of Cetaphil’s newly-launched Skin Activator Hydrating and Firming collection.

First, Hargitay has learned how much individuality matters to her. “Everyone has to do what makes them feel powerful and beautiful,” she says. But some beauty trends give her pause: “I get worried when people start all looking the same… altering their faces to look more like other people than themselves.”

Lesson two: Face stressful situations head-on. “When you get older, you just feel that fear and do it anyway,” she says. Hargitay adds that certain beauty treatments help, including getting a good manicure. She jokes that she and her SVU character have very different tastes in nail looks. “It’s not like anyone is going to compliment Olivia’s gels when she’s flashing her badge,” she says. “But I do always feel best with a fresh manicure. Many a not-so-great day has been saved by a great classic Chanel Red—just not while shooting.”

Last, but certainly not least, never mix wine with scissors, a lesson she learned the hard way while shooting season three of SVU: “My hairstylist had a glass of wine and I really should have known better,” she says. “Maybe he'd thought I’d be aerodynamic when I was chasing perps. I have no idea.”

The resulting pixie nearly cost her job. “We went real short—shorter than anticipated,” she says. “I almost got fired.” Looking at the photos now, she can see how the cut could be seen as “easy, cool, and cop-like.” But would she erase this era if she could go back in time? Definitely.

Throughout our interview, Hargitay had a sunny demeanor while talking about beauty—a stark contrast to her relationship with the concept as she grew up. “My parents were both classically beautiful,” she says. “Growing up with this iconic mother—this sort of legendary beauty and somebody so glamorous—it was a lot.”

That iconic mother, of course, was Jayne Mansfield, the Hollywood bombshell who rose to fame in the 1950s. In her documentary, My Mom Jayne, Hargitay revealed that Mansfield’s on-screen persona ultimately "put her in a box" when it came to her career. “I think she had a tactic and a plan to achieve something, and it didn't quite pan out,” Hargitay says, explaining that this shaped her own approach to fame. “I’ve learned not to be as accommodating. I learned to call the shots a little bit and not let people put me in a box—any kind of box.”

She’s shared that wisdom with her own children, including her daughter Amaya Josephine Hermann, 14, whom she considers a Sephora teen. “My daughter has a 156-step beauty routine,” she says, adding that her own is not nearly as extensive. Cetaphil’s Skin Activator Hydrating and Firming Cream is a new favorite. When skin ages, it becomes dry and thinner, and it can get crepey, not going to lie,” Hargitay says. “And then all of a sudden [this] just plumps everything up in such a beautiful way.”

And when all else fails, Hargitay draws a bath. Her secret to a super-relaxing soak? “Bubbles to the ceiling.”

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