Dame Helen Mirren is no stranger to the kind of events that require glamorous hotel suites, elaborate couture gowns and a crowd of hairstylists and talented make-up artists. I speak to the 78-year-old actress the morning after the evening before: namely about her appearance on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, where she has been present for more than ten years. We’re talking via Zoom: I’m in London and Mirren is in the L’Oréal Paris suite at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes (the brand is the official makeup sponsor of this year’s festival). Dressed in a silk polka dot blouse, her shiny white hair pulled back from her face in a chic style and a hint of vibrant pink blush on her cheeks, Mirren certainly does not It looks like she was out late at night.
On the other hand, I get the distinct impression that the actress has a finely tuned agenda when preparing for an event or a big occasion. And instead of simply dressing and applying makeup and sending it to the flashing cameras, Mirren is involved every step of the way. Indeed, she has a braver and bolder approach to clothing than most. Case in point: Mirren dyed her hair pink for Cannes in 2019 and wore a thick cat-eye eyeliner in 2022, a look that wouldn’t be out of place at a fashion show. (She has previously told me that this look evoked a reaction that was “surprise with a hint of horror.” This was the most pleasant for her.) Last year in Cannes, and most shocking of all, she dyed her white hair with attention . I chose electric blue to match her 18th century style Del Core dress.
For her final performance in Cannes on Friday evening, for the premiere of La Plus Précieuse des Marchandises (The Most Precious of Cargoes), Mirren wore a floor-length purple dress from one of her favorite designers, Elie Saab. Her hair and makeup were relatively subdued: a tucked-away sleek bob with a flattering hint of pink lipstick. Subdued perhaps, but certainly not simple. Mirren tells me how she prepares for a big event, and how she calms down afterwards.
Choosing the dress
Mirren is passionate about choosing a dress that speaks to her – whether it’s through the relationship she has with the designer or through sheer appreciation for the work that went into creating the dress. “It is a great honor to wear these dresses, the artwork in them is simply extraordinary. It is an incredible experience to wear such a dress, even once in your life,” she says. “But it’s not necessarily comfortable!”
Before hair and makeup
Mirren always makes sure she has slept well the night before. On the day itself, I definitely don’t eat, she says, and I certainly don’t drink if I’m wearing a very tight dress. It’s the classic stuff.” Before she sits in the make-up artist’s chair, she takes care of her nails. “I take out the old scrub brush to make sure everything is clean because you want to give these people a clean slate to work their magic on.”
The team
Preparation for Mirren’s red carpet appearance takes at least a few hours. “I have an amazing glam team here in Cannes and yes, the preparation is quite extensive, but it’s like poetry in motion when you see them all working,” she explains. Mirren has six hairdressers working at the same time, and a team of leading make-up artists. “If you don’t look good in the end, shame on you,” she laughs.
In the chair
I feel like I already know the answer to this, but are there snacks? “No, no snacks allowed,” she says firmly. What about music or a playlist in the background? “I’m such an unmusical person, I never have music in the background. Even though the hair team had something great in terms of sound yesterday – there was some really beautiful and interesting music being played,” she tells me. Mirren preps and hydrates her skin with the Hyaluronic Acid Filler Serum, £16, from L’Oréal Paris. “I don’t really have any specific rituals because I really trust the team to make sure I look and feel good before I get on the carpet.”
The big reveal
As we have come to expect, Mirren loves to make a statement. “For me, the red carpet is a short theatrical moment and I would like to create that. I have done a lot of theater and the red carpet is really theater,” she says. “I love dressing up and I love costumes, that’s part of why I’m an actress.” Would she ever be tempted to dye her hair a bright color again? “I’m sure I will,” she says. “The great thing is that you can be my color at six o’clock, bright pink or bright blue at eight o’clock and my color again at eleven o’clock the same evening. The stuff is great, especially if you have white hair like me.
About beauty
“I’ve always been a bit against beauty as a general term,” she says. “I like looking at beautiful people, it is nothing but a pleasure to see a beautiful man or a beautiful woman, but that is not true for all of us. A small part of us is beautiful. The rest of us look great.” She pauses. “I look pretty good, but you’re not Naomi Campbell and I’m not David Beckham,” she laughs, “when we talk about Real beauty.” For Mirren, the term beautiful is something “out of reach.” Instead of beauty, Mirren prefers the term “swagger.” “We can all have swagger, we can all put on an outfit or makeup that makes us feel like ‘oh f- it, I’m going there, I’m going to have a good time’.”
Confidence with makeup
Whether she’s working on a film set, walking the red carpet or at home with her husband (director Taylor Hackford), Mirren loves the effect of wearing makeup. She tells me that during the Covid lockdown “she was just at home with my husband for the first time in our entire relationship, the first time we’ve managed to be in the house together for a long period of time and it was wonderful. ”. She wore makeup every day. “He didn’t care, he didn’t notice, he doesn’t see things like that – but I do. So when I walked past a mirror and saw myself, I saw a person ready for the world, and it made me feel alive and present,” she says. “I don’t know why that is, but it is.”
Relaxing after an event
After a red carpet appearance, Mirren is looking forward to the moment she can get out of her dress, loosen her hair and remove her makeup. “I make sure I thoroughly remove my makeup, re-feel my face, and nourish and hydrate my skin.” Age Perfect Golden Age Cooling Night Cream, £20 from L’Oréal Paris leaves her skin feeling “incredible” after a long day of make-up. Then she bathes with Epsom salts (try Epsom Bath Salts, £3, from Westlab).
“I love a nice bath, an old-fashioned bath with a candle. I love that feeling of cleanliness and then applying a lovely body cream.” Mirren doesn’t like beauty tools or gadgets. “I’m fascinated by all these rollers and red light masks, but I do it for two days and then forget about it. I lose interest after the first two or three times,” she tells me. “Life is too short in the end,” she laughs.