Eva Mendes has long been known for her action-packed on-screen roles from The Fast and the Furious franchise to Ghost Rider and The Other Guys. We also know and love her for her signature, sophisticated look, and candid beauty advice, too. Today marks Mendes’s 51st birthday—if you can even believe it—and to celebrate her second year in her second act, we rounded up the best beauty advice the Miami native has shared throughout the years.
When It Comes to Beauty, Less Is More
Recently, the clean-girl, pared-back beauty aesthetic has returned to the spotlight, but Mendes has spearheaded the movement for years. Mendes sat down with NewBeauty in 2015 to talk all things beauty and got real about her less-is-more approach.
“For some reason, I don’t like spending a lot of time getting ready,” Mendes told NewBeauty. “I wish I was calm and poised, but I do everything in a rush, I’m super loud. You know, I’ve come to terms with it so I just do what works for me and it’s about having those five products that work for me. It’s a foundation that I can make as light or heavy as I need it for that day, a cream blush, concealer, a lip butter that moisturizes and our eye crayon—in case I want to do a little smudgey-smudge,” says Mendes. “And that, believe it or not, is it. I can do my makeup in five minutes and really look somewhat decent and ready to face the world.”
Know Your Face
It may sound silly, but knowing your face shape and what works for you is one of the best beauty lessons Mendes has taught us. During her 2015 interview with us, the actress explained that, when it comes to the perfect makeup look, “It’s all about knowing your face shape. My makeup artist said it’s better for my face shape [a long face shape] to apply blush across the face and even go over the nose—not up and down [your cheekbones] like your mom teaches you when you’re little but across. It breaks up your face and it gives you fuller cheeks. It makes a huge difference in photos,” she says.
Good Skin Comes From Within
Another of Mendes’s fundamental beauty practices is her commitment to fostering beautiful skin from within. In 2017, the actress told Shape, “For me, glowing skin comes from the inside. I start to get sallow if I’m not eating well,” she says. “I take fish oil supplements. And I love coconut oil. I apply it to my face. That’s my go-to. I also drink a lot of water. I always keep a bottle with me and kind of force myself to drink. My skin just looks better when I’m hydrated.”
Mendes is also a fan of Dr. Marina Vergara’s Golden Wand ($22), which helps her tone and snatch her features at home. Supporting the launch of her fellow Latina businesswomen, Mendes posted on Instagram for the product’s launch, explaining, “Since I can’t see [Dr. Vergara] as much as I’d like to during these times, her affordable beauty tool is helping me fight gravity a little bit.”
But, There’s Nothing Like an In-Office Skin-Tightening Treatment
While Mendes is committed to age-defying skin care at home, she keeps it real that nothing can replace an in-office procedure. She called out microneedling with beauty expert Nilam Holmes, who explained via Instagram that “Microneedling is an organic treatment that is used to remodel and stimulate collagen production—It helps improve skin tone and texture and also to tighten fine skin on the eyelids.”
She’s also known to be a fan of dermaplaning, thanks to her in-office treatments with Dr. Vergara. “Shaving my face!” Mendes wrote in an Instagram post. “I received a lot of comments on yesterday’s post from women who’ve been shaving their face for years-ok I guess ‘dermaplaning’ is the preferred word but it is what it is and I LOVE it!”
