Dolly Parton is actually touring now, at 73, which is my mom’s age. My mom is a fit 73 but she’s retired. So many entertainers work late into their 70s, 80s and even 90s, which is impressive and surely contributes to longevity. I’m thinking of Betty White (and imagining a protective shield around her, she’s 97!), Bob Hope and George Burns. Dolly has a cute short interview with the New York Times in which she talks about her tour bus, her theme park, Dollywood, which has a new addition called Wildwood Grove, and her routines. I know about this interview thanks to Mieka at Dlisted, who points out that Dolly doesn’t take off her makeup at night! That sounds like a recipe for bad skin to me, but Dolly has nice skin so whatever she’s doing works for her. Here’s some of what she said:

Do you have any good travel skin care tips?
I clean my face in the mornings. You never know if you’re going to wreck the bus, you never know if you’re going to be somewhere in a hotel and there’s going to be a fire. So I leave my makeup on at night and clean my face in the morning.

Do you fly a lot?
I fly when I have to. I don’t like to fly. But when I tour we make it part of the deal. I don’t like to spend tons of money, just flying here and there to say I’m flying private jets, because I’d much prefer my bus

No matter where in the world you go, you always come home and contribute here. Can you talk to me about that?
I think you should be able to be proud of where you’re from. I didn’t leave here to get away from my people. I wanted to do other things, I wanted to go see the world, but I was always proud to be a country girl.

I knew this would be a wonderful business venture, but I also knew it would really bring a lot of joy and happiness and a lot of jobs, too. That was important to me. Growing up poor, I know how important it is to make a living. And take pride in it.

[From The NY Times via Dlisted]

I really liked what she said about making an honest living, and how she wanted to create that for people in her home state with Dollywood. She also said she doesn’t go on the rides there because she gets motion sickness and doesn’t want to mess up her wigs. As for not taking off her makeup, I just listened to Zendaya’s 73 questions with Vogue and one of her main recommendations was to remove your makeup and wash your face every night no matter what. We’ve seen Zendaya without makeup though, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Dolly without makeup. I’m like Dolly, I don’t feel like myself without makeup, but I always wash my face at night and just redo it in the morning. Other celebrities who don’t wash their faces at night include Lady Gaga (although I bet that’s changed since A Star is Born came out) and I’ve heard that Loni Anderson didn’t wash her face because she didn’t want her ex Burt Reynolds to see her without makeup. Honestly I’ve done that with guys I’ve only dated a few months. I wait a few months before I let them see me without makeup. It helps me not give a sh-t if I have to dump them. (Ok I’ve done this like maybe twice. I’m not that hardcore.) Also, can we get the 9 to 5 remake already? What is taking so long?

photos credit: WENN