paint lower eyelashes. It would take an hour, and it was fun. We
loved that because it made us look fabulous and fashionable. My dad
would come along and say, “It’s too much.”
The problem is, with fashion, we have to change.
So when natural
makeup came into fashion, I had to change my makeup routine
completely. In the sixties, along with Twiggy makeup, we wanted
very thin eyebrows. I did such good plucking work with the tweezers
that mine never grew back. I don’t think I had many to begin with!
But I tweezed out what I had.
As soon as the style changed, I had to learn how to fill them in.
I still fill them in! That’s the joy of makeup. I’m not good at doing
my eyebrows, but at least that way I have them!
• • •
Now
I am seventy-one, and I still get to play dress-up for the red
carpet or to walk a runway. But that’s not how I dress every day!
Most of the time, when I’m at home, there’s no makeup, just clean
skin and lip balm. I don’t wear makeup when I’m running errands
with my dog, or on my computer during the day, or picking up my
grandchildren from school. I put on makeup when I’m going out to
lunch, or to meet friends, or to a meeting.
My makeup routine always starts
with a clean and moisturized
face. My skin care routine is simple. I use a face wash at home and
soap and water when traveling. I put on eye cream and then
moisturizer with at least SPF 15 for a sunny day. In the evening, I
cleanse my face to take off any makeup I may have been wearing that
day, and then I put on an eye cream and night cream.
Always wear sunscreen! If you skip makeup, that’s up to you. If
you’re skipping sun precautions, you’re asking for trouble. I can’t tell
you how many women worry about skin care and then lie in the sun
for what I call “skin uncare.” The best decision a person can make is
to protect their skin in the sun,
like wearing a hat and using
sunscreen.
• • •
I do my own makeup unless there is a red carpet. If I do my makeup
for a red carpet, I look washed-out. When it’s professionally done, it
is highlighted and more glamorous. Sometimes there’s a green
eyeshadow, sometimes gold in the corners. Really different for a
woman in her seventies. The social media comments are positive, so
we just keep trying. Comments like “fierce”; “on fire”; “GOAT,” which
means “Greatest of All Time”; and “OG,” for “Original Gangster.”
Now that’s really funny.
I take ten minutes when I do my own makeup. Makeup artists take
one hour. Even if I took an hour, I wouldn’t be able to create the right
look because I don’t have that talent. Those people are artists! I’m a
scientist, and I don’t have the talent to do what the artists do. But
even people who aren’t artists can do
some good work with makeup
if they have a few simple tools and they learn how to use them. I
know one makeup artist who has a suitcase for all her colors and
tools. Fifty-two pounds of tools and makeup, and she brings it with
her on flights. And she always has to pay the fee for extra weight, but
she needs those two extra pounds of tools. Because that’s her job.
I’m lucky to have my friend Julia as an artistic director when I
dress up for an event. And we get to decide together who I’m going to
be for the evening. She is thinking about what she can do to ensure
that I’m going to stand out.
• • •
How will they do my hair? How will they do my makeup? Will I look
fresh? Are we going to do a dramatic eye shadow? A strong lipstick?
She may ask for gold,
for purple, for blue. She’s also thinking about
where we are going, because the character that is being created is for
a specific event. Is it a film event? Is it a book launch? Is it a charity
event? Then they get to work. It’s like a costume party.
• • •
When I was chosen as a CoverGirl at sixty-nine, it was a huge and
fantastic surprise. I had done makeup campaigns before, but not one
with me as the main model. I was very excited. Now America could
see that makeup was good for all ages.
I have never been asked to
look younger, nor felt the need to hide my age. I’m so happy to be
seventy-one! I am so happy to let people know that this is how
fabulous we can look. As women, makeup can improve our look.
Let’s take advantage of it.
