celebrity shopping

What Hilary Swank Can’t Live Without

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist. Photo: Carlo Furgeri Gilbert

If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. We asked Hilary Swank — who stars in the ABC series Alaska Daily, which recently aired its mid-season finale before returning in February — about the e-bike she chauffeurs her pup around town in, the frying pan she buys in multiples, and the backyard splurge she says is “worth every penny.” 

Almost ten years ago, I started trying to eliminate the toxins that are prevalent in pretty much every single thing we put in and on our bodies. When I realized how many pollutants are in cosmetics, shampoo, candles, or perfume, I just couldn’t believe it. I was like, “How is that even legal?”

I’m not a big makeup wearer, meaning I like my makeup to be more natural. Ilia Beauty’s products are organic and natural. I like everything they make, really. The Super Serum Skin Tint can go underneath anything, and there’s a tint to it if you want a really light makeup base. I ask every makeup artist I work with now to use nothing that’s toxic, and we’re using Ilia makeup on Alaska Daily.

I live in Colorado, and I also spend part of my time in Washington State where I grew up. Both places are muddy and rainy, and I’m an outdoors person, so I need shoes that can be all-terrain and go the distance. Before, I felt like there were only a few choices for the types of hiking boots you could have, and they weren’t bad, but it’s nice that there are new shoes sprouting up.

Once I put these on, I was like, “Holy moly, I’m in.” They couldn’t have said it better: These are literally like you’re walking on a cloud. The hiking boot is really a game changer because it isn’t too tight around my ankles so it doesn’t hurt, but it gives me support. Also, the waterproofing is excellent.

We’re really into riding bikes, so when we were going to get e-bikes, we tried a couple of different ones and did a lot of research because it’s an investment and you want to make sure you’re getting one that suits all your needs. We love this one because it has larger tires, and living in Colorado, it’s a must to have wider tires with the trails and the terrain we ride on. Also, I have a little basket on mine where I can keep my dog. I have five dogs, but one of them, Moon, goes with me everywhere. So Moon can go in my little basket and ride with me while all the other dogs run alongside.

We found Green Pan because we were trying to avoid carcinogens. Some more environmentally sound pans will lose their nonstick quality, and that’s been really frustrating for us — as well as really expensive — because then you have to go buy a new pan every six months. Our Sear Smart pans have never lost their nonstick quality, and supposedly it will last forever. Plus, they’re not overly expensive, so you can buy like ten and still be okay.

We live at 9,600 feet, and we can grow fruits and veggies all year round in this thing, even in freezing conditions. In these Grow Domes, you can plant anything at any time because it’s got a thermal-mass water tank in it that heats up during the day and gives off heat overnight. There are also windows that open and close automatically based on the temperature outside and the contraction of the dome’s honeycomb shapes. When the windows are open, bees and birds come in and pollinate, and then they take whatever they need out with them.

We actually found out about these because our neighbor in Colorado invited us over for dinner and we saw it in their yard. You can design the inside of your dome in whatever way your heart desires, and in the middle of theirs, they had a table so they could have dinner. There were all these lights strung up and it was so cozy and romantic. You could pick whatever you wanted from the garden right there and then just sit down and eat it. It’s something I cannot recommend highly enough, and it’s worth every penny.

We love granola, but some granola is so sweet, and we’re not overly sweet people. We found Your Granola Garden at the farmers’ market when we were living in California in the Pacific Palisades. It’s a Black-owned mom-and-son company. The mom had this recipe in her family forever, so they started this company together and he sells it.

It’s so delicious that even though we don’t live in California anymore, we still order from them. I love the peanut-butter flavor, I love the apple cinnamon and the vanilla almond. We also get the sugar-free one, because sometimes you might want a whole bowl of peanut butter, but sometimes you might want to mix it with the sugar-free. I don’t eat dairy, so I always eat it with cold oat milk and maybe some blueberries, raspberries, or bananas.

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What Hilary Swank Can’t Live Without