Helen Mirren, 78, Reveals Her Red Carpet Beauty Routine

• Helen Mirren shared her pre- and post-red carpet beauty essentials.
• The routine she follows is surprisingly simple but effective.
• She also shared why she loves red-carpet beauty so much.

Cannes Film Festival is kind of Helen Mirren’s thing. She has attended the event for over a decade, each time debuting glamorous red carpet looks (from blue hair to XXL platinum locks), and although this year’s look was a bit understated comparatively, her timeless elegance remained thanks to her tried-and-true red carpet beauty routine. Keep reading to learn how the 78-year-old preps herself from head to toe for a big event like Cannes—plus, how she winds down after the festivities.

She prioritizes rest and limits snacks and alcohol

In a new interview with the U.K.’s The Telegraph, Mirren shared that getting a good night’s sleep the night before a big event is of the utmost importance. When morning rolls around, “I definitely don’t eat,” she shared. “And I definitely don’t drink if I’m wearing a very tight dress. It’s the classic stuff.”

While in the hair and makeup chair, in which she’s swirled by a team of professionals, she doesn’t snack to pass the time. “No snacks allowed,” she said.

She cleanses and moisturizes her skin

Although her glam team does most of the detail work, Mirren makes sure to give them a solidly clean canvas, down to her nail beds. “I get the old scrubbing brush out to make sure everything’s clean, because you want to present these people with a clean slate for them to work their magic upon,” she said.

Then, the L’Oreal ambassador will make sure her face is moisturized for makeup with the brand’s Revitalift 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid serum. Other than that, “I don’t really have any rituals per se,” she told The Telegraph. “I really trust the team to make sure I’m looking and feeling great ahead of the carpet.”

She’s indifferent about getting-ready music

“I’m such an unmusical person, I never have music on in the background,” she shared. “Although yesterday [before Cannes] the hair team had a great sound thing going on—some really lovely and interesting music playing.”

She leaves the rest to her glam team

In Cannes, Mirren had six hairdressers and multiple makeup artists working on her at once to package the elegant, slicked-back bob and glowing makeup that paired effortlessly with her royal purple ballgown. “I have an amazing glam team here in Cannes and, yes, the preparation is quite extensive, but it’s like poetry in motion watching them all work,” she said. “If you don’t look good at the end of that, then shame on you.”

After the event, she removes her makeup and goes for a hot soak

“I make sure to thoroughly remove my makeup, feel my face again, and nourish and moisturise my skin,” she shared. The night cream she uses, L’Oreal’s Age Perfect Golden Age Cooling Night Cream, makes her skin feel “incredible” after a long day. To book-end the beauty rituals, she has a hot soak using Westlab salts.

It may sound like a lot of hubbub for one evening, but Mirren wouldn’t change any of it. “For me, the red carpet is a brief theatrical moment and I like to make it that. I’ve done a lot of theatre and the red carpet really is a theatre,” she said. “I love dressing up and I love costumes, that’s partly why I’m an actress.”

And she does it all so well. You can shop her red carpet essentials below.

L’Oréal Paris Revitalift 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Now 46% Off

$19 at Amazon$37 at Walmart$36 at Ulta Beauty

L’Oréal Paris Age Perfec Cooling Night Cream

$23 at Amazon

Westlab Dead Sea Salts

$14 at Amazon$19 at Walmart

Kayla Blanton

Kayla Blanton is a freelance writer-editor who covers health, nutrition, and lifestyle topics for various publications including Prevention, Everyday Health, SELF, People, and more. She’s always open to conversations about fueling up with flavorful dishes, busting beauty standards, and finding new, gentle ways to care for our bodies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University with specializations in women, gender, and sexuality studies and public health, and is a born-and-raised midwesterner living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two spoiled kitties.