Fall may be approaching, but Jessica Alba isn't ditching the beach just yet.
The sun-kissed actress appears on the cover of the October issue of Self magazine, which features Alba strutting her stuff in the sand in a blush-colored bandeau and matching ruched skirt—the perfect ensemble to hug those killer curves. The Barely Lethal actress keeps her beauty look low-maintenance, opting for a simple messy ponytail and muted makeup.
In a second portrait featured in the editorial shot by legendary fashion photographer, Gilles Bensimon, the business mogul is even more stripped down, with untamed curls framing her face and a bare lip and subtle brown smokey eye.
The mother of two is juggling quite the handful these days—in addition to photo shoots on the beach, Alba is starring in three upcoming films, is mother to two daughters, Honor, 7, and Haven, 4, and is the co-founder of The Honest Company, a business currently valued at $1.7 billion as of August. Talk about multi-tasking!
"I've always been business-minded. I approached Hollywood like a business," Alba says. "I was very calculated. I wanted to be treated like a guy; I wanted to put asses in seats. I saved my money, invested wisely and marketed myself. I've been building my own personal brand over time."
Alba is no stranger to the cut-throat Hollywood industry. The Golden Globe nominee won her first acting role at 13 years old and has been working in the business ever since in blockbuster films like Fantastic Four. Alba launched her own non-toxic household goods consumer brand in 2011 when she was just 30 years old, a relatively young age for a company that is already worth over a billion after just four years.
Despite some recent hurdles within the company, Alba credits her daughters with giving her the confidence she needs to feel capable of running such a challenging operation.
"For a long time, I didn't think I was smart. I felt like an impostor," she says. "It's not until you feel whole in yourself that you fit in anywhere. And it took me becoming a mom to actually feel that way."