Plus, she opens up about being a role model and leading with “with dignity and intellect.”
Fran Drescher may be best known from her time spent playing the ever-bold, funny and stylish Fran Fine on “The Nanny,” but the actress and producer has held a number of iconic roles through the years, both on and off the screen. Most recently, she served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild, where she led the guild through the more than 100-day strike in 2023.
While some considered her to be an unlikely face of the movement, the work she did during that period made a historic impact on the industry as a whole. And at the same time, through her tenure, she realized the impact that she could have on women and girls, simply by being a good, caring leader.
“I was in negotiations with the opposition in ’23, and right away they went for the lowest hanging fruit: Let’s discredit the woman leader, let’s make her out to be ridiculous,” Drescher shares. While she was advised by her team just to ignore it, she went a different route.
“I did a self-tape video [on Instagram] putting on my makeup, as millions of women do every day when they’re going to work, as I was getting ready to do. And I told women and girls that you don’t have to emulate male energy to lead. You can lead with dignity and intellect and empathy and wisdom, all the things that women bring to the table. And you can still rock a red lip.”
The dedication and passion that she brought to her position were part of what made her tenure so impactful, but speaking to her, it’s clear that it’s something that she brings to all aspects of her life — including the brands that she chooses to work with. So, as a spokesperson for the mature beauty brand, Laura Geller Beauty, you can rest assured that she’s actually a fan of the products.
“I must walk the talk, I’ve got to be a person of word and deed, that’s very important to me. So when they called me [about a partnership with Laura Geller Beauty], I said, ‘Send me the product. I’m not going to say yes until I try it, my mom tries it, all my girlfriends try it. Send a bunch of stuff and I’ll let you know.’ And sure enough, everybody loved it, still loves it. And I do too.”
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she teamed up with the brand to create a limited edition makeup kit, which benefits Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer non-profit. Drescher and Geller are each cancer “survivor and thriver[s]” (Drescher had uterine cancer and Geller had breast cancer), so the kit feels particularly meaningful.
Below, we spoke with Drescher about her partnership with Laura Geller, the item she took from “The Nanny” set that she still wears and her secret for a long-lasting at-home manicure.
Shopping Diaries: Fran Drescher
The gift that gives back:
Laura Geller Limited Edition Cancer Schmancer Kit
Drescher calls this kit a “great stocking stuffer,” and we think it’s perfect for makeup lovers and “The Nanny” fans alike, as it includes bestselling products, like the brand’s eyeliner, eyeshadow palette and shadow brush, each with Drescher’s signature printed on the label.
For each one purchased in the month of October, 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Cancer Schmancer initiative.
Her go-to mascara:
Laura Geller Kajal Longwear Mascara
“I’m really using almost exclusively Laura Geller [makeup products],” Drescher tells us. And that includes the brand’s mascara.
Though she says, how much she puts on has changed in her beauty routine as she’s gotten older. “I wear less mascara … on the bottom, less mascara, too. Someone once gave me that tip. They said that if you go to morning meetings, never wear mascara on your bottom lashes. And then as the day goes on, you can build up the mascara.”
Another thing that’s changed? “I need to fill in my eyebrows now. When I was a kid, I had such thick eyebrows, like Brooke Shields. And even before that, I used to feel like Eddie Munster because it was straight across when I was a little kid, I hated it. Then I started tweezing and I tweezed the middle, but I never had to use eyebrow pencil. Now I do.” (And to do that, she uses the Laura Geller pencil, of course.)
Her secret for removing stubborn eye makeup:
Lancôme Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover
“I use Lancome’s Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover,” Drescher says. “It’s half water and half oil,” she adds, so you have to shake it to activate it before you use it. But she says that it takes everything off and doesn’t leave her with the dreaded “raccoon eyes.”
The kit she uses for a long-lasting at-home manicure:
Dazzle Dry Complete Starter Mini Kit
“I recently discovered Dazzle Dry Nail Polish,” Drescher says. “It is non-toxic, lasts much longer than regular nail polish, and you put it on in four different stages. I think it’s an amazing product.”
Even though it’s long-lasting, it’s not gel, so she adds that you can just take it off with regular nail polish remover.
The item she still wears from “The Nanny”:
Dream Pairs Women’s Over-The-Knee Boots
Much like her character in “The Nanny,” Drescher is known for her bold fashion. If she had to describe it in just one word, it would be “cool.” (And we agree.)
When we asked her if there was a piece of clothing that she took from the set that she still wears, she said: “Over-the-knee boots.” While she didn’t share the brand, we found this affordable pair that you can try.
Her cozy at-home uniform:
Parachute Linen Stripe Robe
Ugg Women’s Classic Short Crescent
However, when she’s at home, you can probably find her in this uniform. “I live in my white linen robe and my Uggs,” she says.
“When I was working as the president of the union, early on, before they got to know how eccentric I was, I was taking a Zoom meeting — everything was on Zoom because it was COVID when I started. And my chief of communications said to me, ‘Fran, I think you should change your top because it looks like you’re wearing a robe.’ And I said, ‘You know, it looks like I’m wearing a robe, because I am wearing a robe. And I’m not changing!’”
While she gets her robe from a safari lodge she stays at in South Africa, Singita Lebombo (as a self-proclaimed “crazy bathrobe collector,” she calls theirs “the best), Parachute is a popular home and sleep brand that offers linen products, like this robe, which they say has a soft, lived-in feel.
The skin care brand she swears by:
Geranium Botanical Oil Serum
“I discovered a fine oil brand from Canada called Penny Francis Apothecary. And it is marvelous. I buy it for my mom, and my mom thinks it’s great.” Drescher likes the face and body oil, as well as the brand’s eye serum (which is currently sold out).
Her non-toxic home hack:
Bontip Glass Spray Bottle
Both in her beauty routine and in her home, Drescher makes it a top priority to only use non-toxic products, free from potentially harmful chemicals. “I‘m very mindful of what I bring into the home, all my personal care items, all my cosmetics, all my oral hygiene, everything I clean the house with, even the clothes that I wear.”
She continues, “I make my own cleaning products most of the time. So we clean the floor with water, white vinegar and a few drops of mint essential oil. And everything smells nice and it’s super pure and clean.”
If you want to take a page from her book, you can create your own cleaning solution using her recipe and these reusable glass bottles.
Her solution for better beauty sleep:
Dreo Smart Humidifier
“I have to sleep with a cool mist humidifier. [It’s] excellent for the skin, the hair, the nasal passages, everything.”
While she didn’t share the specific humidifier she uses, this one is a Shop TODAY award winner and is perfect for larger rooms.
