Cate Blanchett is quite the fair-skinned stunner, and to whom does she credit the secrets behind her porcelain skin?:

My mum stayed out of the sun and moisturized--she set a good example.  I tried to tan when I was 14, because it was deeply uncool to be this pale.  But I just burned and peeled, so what was the point?"

In recently revealing some beauty must-haves, she sang the praises of her beloved SK-II, but also espoused the au-naturale goodness of the Australian classic, Lucas' Papaw Ointment ($11 at Lucas):

The enzymes in it have a lot of healing properties.  I use it on my heels.  One tub lasts forever."

And how's this for her expanded take on plastic surgery??:

What other women do is not my business, but my feeling is that actresses shouldn't have a mask for a face; they need to be able to reveal feelings.  Obviously, you want to look as good as you possibly can, but you don't want to get too obsessed.  There's a lot more to life.  I certainly don't want to be 25 again."

Well-put, Cate!

(Bauer-Griffin)