With three kids, a hit show fresh off its eighth season and a beauty cabinet that rivals a pro\u2019s kit, Jenna Dewan has figured out something most of us spend years trying to solve: how to look genuinely radiant while running what she laughingly calls the \u201cnever-ending, always-evolving circus\u201d of life.<\/p>\n
Her schedule right now is equal parts chaotic and charmed\u2014three children, three different schedules, a TV set, photoshoots, travel and, somehow, a skin care and makeup routine that manages to be both minimal and meticulously chosen. \u201cI\u2019m always trying to keep the burners on and everything going,\u201d she says. \u201cThe days are crazy, and they go so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
When she turned 44, Dewan says the milestone brought a rush of reflection: appreciation for everything she\u2019s done and been through, pride in what she\u2019s built and the feeling that \u201cthe best is yet to come.\u201d In an exclusive chat with NewBeauty as our May digital cover star, the actress opens up about the ever-growing world of The Rookie<\/em>, the beautiful chaos of raising three kids and the beauty staples helping her keep up with it all.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot! The way the show has evolved, continued to grow and found more and more people who love it is mind-blowing to me. I just don\u2019t know many shows where that happens, where that growth is really seen\u2014it\u2019s honestly been exponential with the later seasons. We feel really lucky and very grateful. I say this all the time\u2014it is the best job I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s different every day. Some periods are more intensive work-wise than others. I try to balance it as much as I can. On certain days, I\u2019m on The Rookie<\/em> all day. Some days, I get to drop off my kids, go to set, then come home for dinner. Sometimes I have photoshoots or press. There are a few quick work trips thrown in. I do tend to know my filming schedule a couple of weeks out, which helps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but it\u2019s an evolving circus in my house. Three kids [Dewan is mother to Everly, 12, with ex-husband Channing Tatum, and shares son Callum, 6, and daughter Rhiannon, who turns 2 this June, with partner Steve Kazee], three different ages, three different interests. Luckily, two are at the same school, so that\u2019s helping. It\u2019s always just trying to keep the burners on and everything going\u2014seeing who needs me the most that day, trying to be there for them, carving out me time, managing work schedules. It\u2019s a circus, but in the best way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have a lot of wonderful people who work for me, and we are all really aligned. It doesn\u2019t feel like work, because we have so much fun together, but they help me stay organized\u2014because I would not say organization is my strong suit!<\/p>\n My North Star\u2014my true priority\u2014has and always will be my family and my partner. Having that be number-one, while also being really ambitious, means constantly making sure I\u2019m paying attention to the areas of my life that might get a little neglected when another part is really active. It\u2019s literally a balancing scale I see in my head sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, now we\u2019re outnumbered! The funny thing is, Rhiannon, our third, just comes along wherever the other kids are. She\u2019s at the baseball game, at Irish dance competitions, at school drop-offs. She makes everything better\u2014her presence just makes everyone happy. It\u2019s chaotic, without a doubt. I\u2019m definitely more tired, but I\u2019m also so fulfilled. I feel like my family is complete.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had a really interesting moment when I turned 44. I was sitting down, not doing anything that important, and I felt this overwhelming life review just go through my head really fast. Almost like a moving scrapbook. I had this appreciation of, \u2018Wow, you\u2019ve done a lot, girl! You\u2019ve also been through a lot, and you\u2019ve had several eras and chapters.\u2019 And yet there was also this feeling that the best is yet to come, and it\u2019s going to be really exciting. I do have little moments like that where I stop, or I\u2019ll see a picture or a video, and I\u2019m like, \u2018That is something!\u2019 I\u2019m proud that I\u2019ve been able to do everything that I have done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would have been in the beauty world in a prior life! I love it so much. Recently, I did the Korean treatment XERF\u2014I think it really works. At this stage of life, I\u2019m really focused on lifting and tightening, and it definitely lifted things a little for me.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also obsessed with Mary Phillips\u2019 new foundation, Le Skin ($49). The colors are perfect. And I know I\u2019m influenced by my teenage daughter, but the Rhode lip glazes are amazing. I could have every color! We literally have them everywhere in the house because we\u2019re just so in love with them.<\/p>\n For hair, I cannot live without the OUAI round brush\u2014It\u2019s Giving Body ($118)\u2014 for a big volume blowout. It\u2019s life-changing. I let my hair air dry and then use that after, and it gives me a full blowout. Jen Atkin really was trying to change every mom\u2019s life with that tool. Beyond that, I go old school: RCMA concealer day-to-day, a little Merit blush, curl the lashes. I also love the Rare Beauty Lifting Gel ($21) It\u2019s a hit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis whole season has been different because we\u2019ve really expanded\u2014the storylines, the locations, going to Prague. We even had what I call the \u2018zombie episode,\u2019 though it\u2019s not really\u2014there\u2019s an outbreak and a mental institution involved. We just got bigger this season, and the finale went really big. Higher stakes, bigger storylines, sides of law enforcement we haven\u2019t explored before, all coming together in a new way. There was a new location, a new stunt\u2014again, with me in water. I don\u2019t know why Alexi keeps writing me into water scenes! But it\u2019s all very fun and always interesting. The writers do an incredible job of asking, \u2018What haven\u2019t we done that we should do?\u2019 A good question for all of us!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe Rookie<\/em> is not so much of a rookie anymore. Can you believe it just wrapped its eighth season?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/0vv8moc6\/newbeauty\/0514df57ddb2370e9999117dfb0bdfd348fd12d8-6163x8217.jpg?w=1200&auto=format&q=70\")
What\u2019s day-to-day life like for you? I imagine it changes constantly, especially with three kids and a packed filming schedule.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
So, you can plan a little.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/0vv8moc6\/newbeauty\/4b84bb30875ae992138a610617bbf0b81ed6d584-2250x3000.jpg?w=1200&auto=format&q=70\")
How do you stay organized and keep going once the day starts?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How has the jump from two to three kids been?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Looking back over 20-plus years\u2014from dancing for Janet Jackson to where you are now\u2014what does that feel like?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/0vv8moc6\/newbeauty\/4b54b9516261e911b0d042dd905c2a2361afa54a-2249x3000.jpg?w=1200&auto=format&q=70\")
Beauty is clearly also a big part of your life. What are you loving right now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The\u00a0Rookie<\/em>\u00a0finale just debuted. What were some highlights from the season?<\/strong><\/h2>\n