Jessica Alba Out for dinner at Craig’s Restaurant in West Hollywood – Sept 24

Jessica Alba dines out with friend and the director of Honey Bille Woodruff at Craig’s Restaurant on September 24, 2013 in West Hollywood, California.

 

Jessica Alba and family going to a birthday party in West Hollywood – Sept 22

Jessica Alba and her husband Cash Warren take their daughters Honor and Haven to a birthday party in West Hollywood, California on September 22, 2013.

 

Jessica Alba shopping at Barneys New York in LA – Sept 21

 

Jessica Alba covers Health Magazine’s October 2013 issue

jessica-alba-300x200There’s a new Jessica Alba in town. The screen star is still here, of course—this fall she appears in two major films, the comedy A.C.O.D. and the action movie Machete Kills. But the mother of two daughters (Honor, 5, and Haven, 2, with her husband, Cash Warren) is also an entrepreneur, who saw a need for more natural products for new moms and made it happen. A year after launching The Honest Company—which sells everything from nontoxic diapers to body wash—she has written a handbook to clean living, The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You, and is in the process of moving the company into new headquarters in Santa Monica. It’s a bright, skylit space, where one wall is peppered with positive mantras. Among the painters and movers shuffling through, Jessica, 32, fits right in: She’s wearing denim overalls and a black-and-white-striped tank top, her hair up in a topknot. It’s a style inspired by “um, hammering things?” she says, laughing. “It doesn’t get done unless I do it!”

As she sips a green drink she brought from home, the down-to-earth star chats with Health about how she got her brand off the ground, which healthy change helped her allergies the most and what it took for her to finally wear a short skirt in public.

When you started this company, you were already a movie star. Was it daunting to try something completely new?

There were certainly moments when it was scary. The day we launched, I was like, Is anyone even going to go to our website [honest.com]? Our distribution is mainly the Internet. It took me about three years of people telling me I was crazy and that there’s no way it could ever happen before I found the partners who could balance my weaknesses.

What is it with people feeling the need to tell you it will never happen?

Well, because it’s so untraditional, in a space that’s dominated by big, big players. But at the end of the day, when you’re so big, it’s hard to be malleable; it’s hard to have a soul. We never entered thinking we were taking on the big guys. We just knew that there was an opportunity to do something cool for families. We all have young children here, and all the choices we make are really dictated by what would make our lives better as parents, versus solely relying on market research. Of course people were like, “I’ve never heard of that.” Because it didn’t exist; there was no template.

Well, like your mantra downstairs says, “Dive in to the deep end…” What’s your mantra of the moment?

Breathe. I swear. It’s been so hectic. And I’ve been doing more work in movies and on television lately.

Is the fulfillment you get through your company different from what you get through acting?

Oh, yeah. My decisions here affect more than just me. It’s a lot of pressure. This is intense. This is important. This is time-consuming. When I do a movie or a television show, I have control over so little of it. So I’ve found, lately, that it’s so much more fulfilling to be a lot more risky with my acting choices.

What are you drawn to these days?

My choices used to be about pleasing other people. And you have to be the opposite, I think, to get the most out of your experience as an actress. So now I don’t feel the pressure to be that girl. It’s also part of getting older and being a mom. So it’s a nice balance, because this business can really wear you down, especially being in it as long as I have. This year, I’ve acted for 20 years. That’s so messed up! How did I do anything for 20 years? [Laughs] Now I don’t work just to work. To me, doing two or three days on a movie with a cool director is more important than spending my life on a set. – Health Magazine

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW

Jessica Alba and family at the Farmers Market in Venice – Sept 15

Jessica Alba and husband Cash Warren take their daughters Honor and Haven to the Farmers Market in Venice, California on September 15, 2013.

Refinery29.com interview Jessica Alba

1This past week, while the rest of us were sweating our way around Lincoln Center, Jessica Alba was staying calm, cool, and collected. The style icon and businesswoman has been showing off the enviable outfits she’s known for, and asserting her place in the front row of the hottest shows. But, that’s her M.O. — no matter the occasion, she always manages to look amazing (and, more importantly, like she feels amazing). Nowadays, she’s got her plate more than full, what with running her own business, The Honest Company, keeping up an enviable movie career, and playing mom to two adorable daughters — all while staying one step ahead in the style department.

We caught up with the star towards the end of her jam-packed Fashion Week, while she took on yet another project as Guest Editor over at Piperlime. She stopped by the pop-up store to pick out her favorite looks, and to chat with a few lucky editors (that’s us!) about her musings on life and fashion. Read on to find out what trends Alba fell victim to in the past, what she’s into now, and what you can do to live more of the honest life.

DVF is one of your mentors — what are some of the most important things that you’ve learned from her?
“Perseverance. She’s pretty incredible. She’s also such a champion for women, and an advocate for supporting women in business. When I first talked to her about my idea to start The Honest Company, and the challenges I was facing with getting into conversations about raising money and venture capital, I was the only woman there in those rooms. I put the business together, I brought all my partners in, and she was the same way with her company. So, it’s nice just to have someone who’s been there and done that, to guide me through the process whenever I was like ‘Ahhh!'”

What was your style like as a kid?
“Very tomboy and very practical, mixed with moments of Punky Brewster influence, moments of Clueless, The Craft, and then Nirvana for sure. I’m sort of doing a version of that now, actually — kind of the rebel.”

What trends are you obsessed with right now, and what do you hope never comes back into style?
“Oh, I’m into crop tops. But, I’m not into full-baring. I’ve done that, that was the No Doubt style back in the day when we did the full midriff. My grandmother was constantly pulling my Pepe Jeans up and my shirt down. And, then I would get vintage baby tees — remember baby tees? — when raves started. I went to raves, don’t worry about it. I’m actually into the way the platform tennis shoe has evolved, the way Isabel Marant made it, I think it’s cute in that chunky way.”

With The Honest Company, you teach how to be eco-friendly and healthy. What is one thing that we can all be doing to incorporate that philosophy into our lifestyle?
“You know, I have a lot of items like that incorporated in my book, because I’m not an extreme version of what you should be to be super-eco. I approach it from just a very practical, healthy viewpoint: I don’t want my kids to be poisoned, so how do I do that? I think the most basic thing is just read labels. Know what you’re bringing into your home, and then you can choose to not have this or have that. It’s up to you after that. And, take your shoes off at the door, because then all of that stuff you’re stepping on all day comes in the house, and it gets into your air and affects your air quality.”

What should every woman have in her closet this fall?
“Probably a good boot. I know the thigh-high boots are big, but I can’t get down with that. It cuts off your circulation — or if it doesn’t, it looks so bulky. And, you can’t help but look like a girl with a different kind of job, who you might not want to look like if you know what I mean. Unless that’s your job, then that’s fine. But, yah, a good boot. I think a nice, warm scarf that you can kind of throw over anything. And, a good motorcycle jacket. Sometimes it’s just annoying if you have a floral dress, and pumps, it can look girly, so it can be nice to have something to make it a little cuter and younger.”

You’re photographed a lot, even if you’re taking your kids somewhere. Does that influence the way you dress, or change your decision to wear sweats or something similar?
“You know, every time I do that, I feel so schlubby. It just makes you feel so much more self-conscious to know people are watching. But, if you’re going to the gym, you’re going to the gym. It’s weird, it’s a strange thing to happen every day. I’m not complaining about it; I understand it’s part of the deal, but I have not gotten used to it.”

What types of back-to-school trends have you noticed with your kids?
“I have no idea. Are there trends for kids?! I feel like so much of what’s out there for kids is so tacky. I feel like I’m editing or eliminating more than anything, because a lot of it is just crazy. They try to make your children look like working girls sometimes. I just think, ‘Are you kidding me?’ My husband is always saying ‘That is a shirt, that is not a skirt,’ and I just don’t know what to say. So, we put leggings with everything, and we taught our daughter how to compose herself, like walk and sit in dresses and skirts. So, age-appropriate is a big thing. And, at my kid’s school, they have this rule that there’s no sandals and no boots, only sneakers. I’m into sneakers, I love sneakers, but I’m a little upset that she can’t wear her Docs.”

How many bags and shoes do you think you own?
“I actually can’t even talk about either, it’s a problem. My husband, it comes up in conversation at least once a week. He always wants to know if it’s really necessary to have another bag. But, you know, a lot of it is people are very generous, and I’ve gone to so many premieres and press days and all these things, so people have gifted me a lot of stuff. And, to be quite honest, 99% of my closet is about that, so I’m very lucky that that’s the case. And, then there’s a nice story that comes with everything you own.”

Do you ever give your husband style advice? Has his style evolved since you’ve been together?
“I’ve been trying! I got him into the more tapered leg, it took about four years. But, he feels comfortable in it now. I think, when Jay Z embraces, something then Cash thinks it has to be alright, since he’s kind of the ultimate icon. I’ve been trying to get him to wear boots, but he’s such a sneaker or a loafer guy, and the loafers are fine, but he might need to break into another zone. So, this will be our third season where I’m trying to get him to wear a boot. Let’s see what happens.” – refinery29.com

Jessica Alba leaving her hotel in NYC – Sept 12th

Jessica Alba steps out in a green cardigan, leggings and boots as she checks out of her New York City hotel on Thursday, September 13th.

 

More Candids below:

September 12 Heading to the Ralph Lauren fashion show in NYC
September 11 Out in NYC
September 11 Out for lunch in Soho NY
September 10 Shopping in Soho NY

Jessica Alba front row at Narciso Rodriguez – Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2014

Jessica Alba came out to support her designer friend Narciso Rodriguez at New York Fashion Week on Tuesday (September 10) at Sir Stage 37.

 

People.com: Jessica Alba’s 5 Favorite Accessories—in the Kitchen!

jessica-alba-2-600x800If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of Jessica Alba‘s kitchen—and we’re not just referring to her enviable looks.

“I cook as often as I can,” the actress and co-founder of The Honest Company tells PEOPLE. “I really enjoy making food for my family and friends, so it’s really the way I relax—even if it means putting together a last-minute dinner on a Thursday night.” So what’s on her menu?

“My trick is to keep it simple and healthy,” she says. Alba turns to dishes like lemon grilled chicken and kale salad, grilled hot wings in the warmer months and roasted Cornish game hens when the weather cools down. As summer turns into fall, “I’ll prepare roasted butternut squash or other veggies that I toss with olive oil and herbs, like rosemary and thyme,” she says.

That’s what the mom-of-two (daughters Honor, 5, and Haven, 2) is serving—but here are the essentials you’ll find in her kitchen:

1. Measurement Equivalents Magnet

“When adapting recipes, I never can remember how to convert measurements,” she says. “So this quick-reference magnet is awesome because it does the calculations for me.” ($7, surlatable.com)

2. Fruit & Veggie Wash
“I use this on everything!” Alba says. “Even when you buy organic, you need more than water to rinse away the pathogens, waxes, dirt, handling germs and bacteria often found on the surface of the produce. Plus, it makes your farmers’ market goodies last longer.” ($7, honest.com)

3. Magnetic Refrigerator Calendar
“The kitchen is our family hub,” Alba says, “so we stay organized and keep track of the girls’ activities with a whiteboard calendar that we attach to the side of our fridge.” ($17, containerstore.com)

4. Retro Magnetic Kitchen Timer
“I love the simplicity and function of this timer’s vintage design,” she says. “Plus it’s great for using over the stove.” ($15, surlatable.com)

5. Colorful Dishtowels
“I love to mix and match one-of-a-kind dish towels in the same color palette,” Alba says. ($6, etsy.com)

jessica-alba-600x450

Jessica Alba out in Soho, NYC – Sept 9

Jessica Alba was spotted grabbing coffee and fruit juices while out and about in Soho, New York City earlier today (Sept 9th).

She was later photographed at Central Park Zoo and at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center watching the US Open men’s singles final match.