Helen Mirren Wants You to Enjoy the Ride When it Comes to Aging

We toss around the word “icon” a lot, but for Helen Mirren, the label truly applies. The actor has Oscars, Tonys, and BAFTAs under her belt, and is even an actual Dame, invested in 2003 by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Onscreen, she’s known for her character work in films like The Queen and Barbie, but offscreen she’s known for her impeccable style and playful approach to aging.

Mirren is known for her signature silver hair, which she often wears in experimental styles like extra long waves and bright colors—last year the 78-year-old made headlines for attending the Cannes red carpet with baby blue hair. This year, she returned to the CannesFilm Festival—sans rainbow hair—in order to support the L’Oreal Paris Lights on Women’s Worth intuitive, a dedicated yearly award program for promising female short filmmakers.

“All of the initiatives that L’Oreal Paris have put into action are great,” Mirren, a longtime L’Oreal Paris ambassador, tells Byrdie. “Lights on Women is a very important part of that because they are supporting young female filmmakers. And as Delphine [Viguier-Hovasse], our L’Oreal boss said yesterday, these are the future Cannes Film Festival directors. They support them by giving them a platform, by showing their work, and then with a monetary prize at the end of it, which is fantastic.”

“I love working with L’Oreal Paris because of the incredible technology that goes into the products and the variety of the products,” she continues. “The other side of their work is to support women in all aspects of their lives. And that is one reason I’m very proud to be a part of the brand.”

We caught up with Dame Helen Mirren between Cannes red carpets in honor of the event. Ahead, she chats her beauty essentials, thoughts on aging, and how she gets ready for the day.

The One Skincare Step She Never Skips

“I never skip taking my makeup off at night. When I was young, I used to go to bed with my mascara on and everything and in the morning would be like, all down [my face]. But I don’t do that anymore. I take all my makeup off religiously at night and then religiously put it all on again in the morning.”

The One Beauty Product Always in Her Bag

“I always have some sort of slightly-tinted lip balm or lip gloss in my bag because even if you have nothing else on, you have a little bit of lipstick on. I think for someone of my age, it just brings your face to life. So, I do always have some sort of lip tinted lip balm or lip gloss—some color that I can put on my lips. [I like] L’Oreal Paris Glow Paradise Lip Balm-in-Lipstick in shade 130 Nude Heaven.”

Her One Philosphy on Aging

“My philosophy on aging is, it’s going to happen. If you are incredibly lucky, you will get older, and it will be absolutely fine. And you will find that it’s a part of your life, the way being young is a part of your life. Being old is a part of your life.

“Of course [this philosophy] changes over the years because you can’t comprehend when you are aged 20 being 60. It’s like, ‘No, it’s not going to happen to me. I’m going to be the one person who miraculously will stay 20 for 200 years.’ Well, it’s not going to happen! You are going to get to be 60. You’ll find it’s fine when you get to be 60. But you can only get to be 60 to understand that fully.”

The One Thing She Would Tell Her Younger Self

“I think it is exactly related to what I just said, which is that it’s fine! Don’t worry about it. It will be okay. Of course, life is full of problems, difficulties, tragedies, and challenges that are sometimes surmountable, sometimes insurmountable. And and that’s the great journey of life, and you are on that journey with everybody else. Just accept that fact and enjoy the ride.”

On Her Morning Routine

“I’m not a ritualistic sort of person. I never do the same thing twice. I never put the same moisturizer on twice. I just grab things. I think, ‘Oh, I feel like that today’. I don’t believe in any rituals really, honestly. And some mornings, I’m late, and I do not have time for anything. And other times, other mornings, I’ve got all the time in the world, and I sit indulging myself.”