Helen Mirren on the surprise beauty ritual that boosted her confidence
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- Anna Brech
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The magic of a great beauty routine is not so much how it makes you look, as the way it lift your mood.
Done in the right way, a slick of magenta lipstick or a cooling layer of night cream can make you feel on top of the world and at the same time, deeply soothed.
It’s perhaps not surprising that Dame Helen Mirren - our go-to on some pretty solid life advice - is well ahead of the game when it comes to this truism.
The Oscar-winner has revealed the unexpected beauty routine that gave her a great big whack of confidence.
“‘I’ll tell you what I had done recently, which I love — I got my eyebrows tattooed,” Mirren tells the Mail.
“I was fed up of my brows barely being there and when one of my girlfriends got it done, I thought that they looked great.
“They’re very lightly and delicately done — but it means that when I get up in the morning and I have no make-up on, at least I have eyebrows. It’s made a huge difference.”
Mirren, who recently shared pre and post-makeover snaps of herself at the Oscars (above), has always been frank about the internal battles she faces - despite a glittering career and the myriad of awards to her name.
“I have experienced insecurity all my life and I still do on a daily basis,” she told the Telegraph earlier this year. “I remember having these panic attacks but not at the obvious moments.”
”… I have never felt beautiful,” she added. “There are people who are beautiful and I’m objective enough to know that I don’t fit into that category. For me, still now, it’s to do with wit and intelligence rather than the way I look. I don’t feel clever or funny enough.”
When it comes to the effect of beauty products, Mirren describes herself as “an eternal optimist”.
In another typically irreverent interview, the actor noted: “I know that when I put my moisturiser on it probably does f**k all… but it just makes me feel better.”
Images: Getty and Instagram @HelenMirren