Helen Mirren is the new face of L’oreal Paris, she’s representing their Age Perfect line. She’s an excellent choice for the brand, both in terms of visibility and believability. While I do think that Helen, 69, has had a little something done to look as excellent as she does, it’s hard to tell and she looks like she’s all natural. Plus her ads are going to be more realistic-looking than we’ve seen in the past. Helen will be shown with her everyday lines and wrinkles. This is a definite change for the brand, as they usually Photoshop Andie MacDowell, 56, to the point where she looks like she’s in her twenties.
The Daily Mail has the details of Helen’s upcoming campaign along with an interview. She has some interesting things to say about beauty, attractiveness and personal style as we age. I really like what she had to say about hair in particular, and how we shouldn’t get stuck in a hairstyle rut. Here’s some of what she said, with more at the source:
On insecurity
‘I think the great advantage of getting older is that you let go of certain things. Having said that, I think all women worry to some degree — and I don’t think men are exempt.On beauty vs. attractiveness
‘I don’t really like the word “beauty”. There are physically beautiful people in the world (David Beckham, for instance, is unbelievably beautiful), then there are other people that are not beautiful, but are very attractive because of their personality, energy, brilliance, genius: all kinds of things.‘So I have a resistance to the word “beautiful”. I wish we could find another word that takes it away from physical beauty and brings it more into the world of true attractiveness.
‘I think L’Oreal’s slogan “Because I’m Worth It” really strikes a chord with women. Self-esteem is such a hugely important thing and it’s so difficult for all of us.’
Self confidence
‘People say to me “Oh, you’re so self-confident” but I am not naturally self-confident, I just have had to be in my work and my life. If it’s a problem, it’s my problem — I’ve got to deal with it.’Her beauty advice
‘I’m not obsessive when it comes to looking after my skin. I have always used moisturiser at night and in the morning — it makes me feel better and to me that’s what I want from it.‘It doesn’t have to make me look ten years younger: it’s all about how it makes me feel better that day.
‘My biggest beauty advice is just to make sure you clean your skin really well and don’t smoke. I also have to have my eight hours of sleep a night.’
Hair advice for older women
‘Be bold! Be bold with your cut, really look what young people are doing and copy them — don’t copy what old people are doing.‘I loved it when I dyed my hair pink. A lot of women get stuck at what they are good at and what they did between the ages of 18 and 28 and they never have the courage to change that.
‘You see women from the Sixties still with their beehives and now they’re in their 70s. You see women from the Eighties who still have those Eighties hair-dos. My advice is to look at what’s happening now and go with the flow — don’t do what you did when you were 24.
‘Some people have a classic haircut and it works for them and that’s great, but it’s much better to accept how you look now and then be modern.’
That’s so true that women get stuck with hairstyles from their youth and hold on to them too long. Do you remember when Helen dyed her hair pink? It was just a temporary wash and she said she did that because she was “obsessed” with America’s Next Top Model. She has a great example of a contemporary, easy-to-style cut. Helen says she now uses L’oreal haircolor and that she knows she sounds like she’s shilling but that it’s “fantastic,” “it really does what it says on the box,” and that “it has layers of colour.” She’s such a good spokesperson. L’oreal was clever to hire her.
You can see more photos from Helen’s ad campaign on The Daily Mail.
photo credit: L’oreal Paris and WENN.com
I love her to death, and agree with what she’s saying here, but she does NOT use boxed hair color from the store, LOL.
Accept that you do have to do some minor tweaking first of all.
She went shopping when she still had bruises on her jowls/neck area but the pap’s long distance lenses caught her out. Same place where Madonna had her bruises.
She might be. Her hair is all silver so she just needs a light color to make it blonde.
Also she might be adding other colors to it or using a different developer, not what’s in the box. Just the color.
It’s easier to use box color at her age unless you go too dark or want streaks / low lights And high lights.
A boxed colour applied by a professional yields excellent results. It’s the self-administration part that’s problematic.
I’m in love with her hair in the top pic. The soft waves, the deep side part, the lovely white colour… I want it!
I wish I could wear my hair like that because I have her shape face. However, my curls make it impossible.
Love her. She is the epitome of attractiveness: intelligent, charming, sexy, charismatic and super talented.
+1!
She’s definitely been pulled, but still looks human and her age and fabulous. She keeps young by keeping young. Too many people think themselves into being old.
She doesn’t look pulled in that second photo after the header. She looks years younger in the first photo, though.
I love her too.
@ Jayna – Me too. But you know what would make the interview even more endearing? A joke or two about her hot flashes.
My love for her is unlimited. I simply adore her.
I adore her and she looks fabulous. She is right, do what’s right for you, love it and people will take notice! You don’t need to be drowning in designer clothes to feel your worth all the time. Go girl, love her hairstyle.
And thank you Helen Mirren, for teaching me the funny new phrase “a.s over t..s”!! Hahah……
http://bit.ly/18oCAge
That’s so cute…my British dad used to say “a*s over teakettle” when I was a kid – I imagine he sanitized it for the benefit of the little ones 🙂
You know, I hear what she says re hair- but that’s easy to say when you have a stylist at your beck and call. When it’s just you and the willfull head of hair that’s yours, it’s another matter! I would give my eye teeth to have that hair style in the photos- but again, no amount of product,etc can make my hair look like that w/o professional intervention. Oh well- on a happier note, can’t wait to see the ads, as well as her movie coming out in May!
OT- anyone seen Racing Hearts with Jamie Dornan? Was tempted to rent it.
Everyone can have a flattering haircut that’s not stuck in a time warp.
Sigh- not to belabor the point, but finding an au courant hair style that works with your hair is sometimes an impossible task. It explains in no small part why the classic bob is just that- it works well with many different types of hair. But then you read how a bob is “boring”- no wonder folks- inc men here- stick with a style that works for them and their hair.
I fully agree!! I’m only 27, and I already have friends telling me to enjoy my long hair while I “still can”. Others are younger than me, and experimenting with color and dramatic cuts because they “don’t have much time left”. I call BS!!
As long as you find a style that flatters your face and hair type, there’s nothing wrong with going for a contemporary (or even trendy) look. Women are allowed to have fun with fashion past their 20’s or 30’s… and I refuse to limit myself when I get older.
It’s an interesting perspective, though… most of my older female family members have had the same cut and color for decades, and they judge other women for letting their gray roots show, or trying out styles that are “too young”, or letting their hair grow too long. Does it occur to them that *they’re* the ones stuck at the wrong age? They’re not styling it to suit the present day, either… they’re styling it like they’re all still 35. The irony is only just hitting me… and it’s refreshing. I don’t have to listen to them!!
I’ve already discussed with my hairdresser friends that twenty years from now when my hair is completely white (it’s only white in the front right now so I still color it). I want to cut my hair into a bob hairstyle and let it go all natural and stop coloring it. I definitely look to Helen as an example of what to do when I’m in my 60’s. I don’t mind my wrinkles as I’m getting older but I have to admit that I do not like the sagging skin. But like Helen says, try to embrace it. I had a friend pass away recently and he was far too young. It reminds me of the saying “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” It really is.
Me, too. I’m still coloring my hair because my natural color has some gray in it, but not enough to be pretty – it’s just mousy and drab. I look forward to ten years from now, when (I hope) it will be nice all over silver or white and I can go natural.
I love you Helen but you lied like a rug …
if you are 69 and your chin and jowl are that tight you have had it pulled and tacked…ain’t no way in the world you are that tight naturally….I wake up every morning and look in the mirror hoping the age fairy came by in the middle of the night and magically tighten up my chin and jowl area….I’m 67 almost 68 ..and barely have any wrinkles but my jowl gives my age away……
Her hair now …will I am with O’real….which I have used for years….I am naturally white and use a light natural blonde shade for a little color and it is really dimensional looking and never flat one color look…I was sick for a while last year and didn’t do my roots and my hair grew out a couple of inches so I decided to cut off the color and go natural well my husband took one look and said he didn’t like the new color it was two light and I needed to go back to my “natural’ color …..and I did…..Like the old slogan ” Only her hairdresser knows for sure” ….
I absolutely love Helen. More people- men and women both- should have her awesome attitude.
She’s just pretty and classy and fabulous!!
Yes she looks amazing but I am fairly certain she has had more work done than she implies- I’m a nurse practitioner and I have been 1st assist to a plastic surgeon for 15 yrs. I’m guessing work done on her neck/jowl area- this is an example of ‘good’ plastic surgery- the subtle variety that you can’t spot a mile away.
Who cares?-every woman should have the opportunity to have tweak here and there. The idea is to be discrete-that’s the whole point in not telling. Also, she is having surgery in her mid-60’s-she did not start tweaking in her late 30’s (see Nicole Kidman and others). Also, she IS being relatively honest about her age-look at the pics-she still has wrinkles.
Compare her work to Hillary Clinton’s. I got the Christmas card from the Clinton Foundation-Hillary and Chelsea posed around Bill-and Hillary’s face looks so tight you could bounce a coin off of it. It’s sad that as a female presidential candidate she feels-or has been advised-that she must look younger. Note in the card that Bill is to her right, with all his wrinkles on display. He has reformed as far as his health, which is what should really matter for a presidential candidate of either gender.
But, I digress in a MAJOR way (the Clintons are always a topic of rabid controversy)! If you want lying like a rug, think of what women of perhaps a generation before Helen used to do-either not disclose or overtly lie about their ages. Not only is that lying-I’m addressing your issue with Helen-it is problematic for lots of reasons. Lying on public records is a great example, and some women did-and do-go that far. The result can be a series of relatively minor-but deserved-legal snafus.
Let her be fabulous at her age-her modeling contract is a great confidence builder women like me who are very uncomfortable with the prospect of growing old and grey. (Love her dye job, too, btw!).
Totally agree that Helen has had subtle work done. If you watch reruns of “Prime Suspect” she looked much older and had deep wrinkles in her forehead. all gone now. She looks fabulous. As for going grey – which I have done – there is a point that you really do not know what you are going to get. If you started with really dark hair, you will get a true white, which is attractive, but you don’t know until it grows out. I love my grey and get many compliments. I also am saving a lot of money. A great hairstyle really makes a difference.
Love her!! And appreciate that, if she has had work done, it’s so subtle that she still looks her age and not like she’s trying to look significantly younger. I really hope that L’oreal doesn’t photoshop her into oblivion. They’re clever for hiring her, but all that will be undermined if they ‘shop all the “Helen Mirren” out of her.
I don’t think she has had work done necessarily. She looks like a woman in her late 60s with good genes and money to pamper herself and a good make up artist.
What a woman. Damn!
The no smoking and moisturizer is easy enough, but it is impossible for me to get 8 hours of sleep every night!
She is a great example of growing older with grace, I enjoy her interviews.
I agree with everything she said.
About the hair :I had it pixie short, than it reached my waist.
Now it’s pixie again. I just stoped colouring it, now it salt anf pepper.
As my husband put it I look like the Viper from Top Gun sans moustaches. Suits me just fine.
This is all for economic reasons-the beauty and health industries know that older women will be their main demographic for quite awhile with the boomers aging.
so while we can applaud their efforts, it’s not some philisoohpical vanguard position or social statement on the part of any of these companies, now or in future campaigns.
Women are the largest consumer sect and now aging women will be. I expect a number of industries will be shifting advertising efforts. will be interesting to watch.
Sure, it will probably influence (change?) how we view being ‘older’ and that is ultimately a good thing IMO. Mirren looks fabulous and has a nice perspective on life generally.
Helen Mirren-my getting-older-the-sexy-way role model!
If you look at her pictures when she was young, she was an explosive hottie, and she is still a fox!
…and she is married to director Taylor Hackford-17 years and counting! How refreshing in a culture of disposable relationships and marriages.
Apparently they have a strong, mutually respectful and loving (I borrow that from J Law) relationship. I will say that this is one of the few couples over 65 I can see “making love”. (Note that I am now 50, so I will revise that attitude).
I loved her at the Harvard Hasty Pudding “coronation (?)”. She was so spontaneous and fun! She is also incredibly generous. There is one particular story of her generosity and spontaneity as far as stepping up when everyone else-those Brits!- was standing around wondering what the proper protocol should have been. I am speaking of the occasion when Helen stepped in FOR THE QUEEN when a child with Down’s syndrome who was dying of multiple complications that go with the disease requested an audience with HRM Elizabeth herself. Of course, the Queen being the Queen refused the dying boy’s request.
Distressed at the boy’s potentially heartbreaking disappointment, Helen stepped in, and pulled off the switch perfectly, with Pembroke corgis-friendly ones-to complete the impersonation. The Queen should have been ashamed, but that’s the Royals for you. Besides, Helen makes a much more attractive Queen!
http://gawker.com/helen-mirren-has-tea-with-dying-boy-after-actual-queen-509157446
(I think CB covered this, too, but I could not find the post).
Helen’s life has been fascinating from the start. Helen’s birth name was Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironoff; her father was the son of a Russian civil servant and her mother was English. The story, per her Wikipedia bio is that “Mirren’s paternal grandfather, Colonel Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov, was in the Imperial Russian Army and fought in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. He later became a diplomat, and was negotiating an arms deal in Britain when he and his family were stranded during the Russian Revolution. The former diplomat [her grandfather] became a London cab driver to support his family and eventually settled down in England.” It was his son, Helen’s father, who anglicized the names of his family members.
Perhaps those Russian genes and the fact that she DOES NOT smoke is another secret to her continued sexiness.
Oh, and Dame Helen has a website of her own, with more sexy pics!
http://www.helenmirrenofficial.com/
I don’t know if you will see this as I’m late to the party but I love your comments and I was aware of her background and have always thought she looked VERY Russian— not at all traditionally “English Lady”. In fact years and years ago she was famous for her naughty roles as you probably know. Whether or not she has had work, beautiful people who love a healthy life often turn into beautiful elderly people — I remember seeing a gorgeous couple in their late 70s or 80s in St Barths. Everyone was talking about them. She sunbathed topless and it was clear that these two had once been tall, athletic beauties with gorgeous bone structure. Try as I might, as good as I may look, it won’t be like she or Helen or the model Carmen does.
Lying about age– I was once sagely advised by a very wealthy woman to lie– by ADDING 5 years to my real age. Then everyone truthfully says I can’t BELIEVE how young she looks!!
Her granddad the Russian aristocrat– Downton Abbey and many a period British prestige drama feature White Russian noble refugees of that era. Remember Lady Violets lost forbidden love??
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