Blake Lively on Why We Should All Embrace Growing Old

Months before my 30th birthday last December, I felt anxious about aging. Would my skin begin to show fine lines? Would my never-been-dyed brunette hair go gray? As I entered the fourth decade of my life, dread filled me. But, of course, nothing actually changed — which I explored more in this essay — and now that I'm officially in my 30s, I feel a lot more confident than I ever thought I would.

I wish I had seen Blake Lively's latest movie, The Age of Adaline, before I spent any time worrying about leaving my 20s. The movie proves that aging is actually a blessing — not a curse. In the film, Blake plays Adaline Bowman, a woman who is uncomfortably frozen at the age of 29 for over six decades.

At the NYC red carpet premiere for the movie, Blake explained how the storyline shaped her own stance on growing old. "I think it's really neat because it turns the allure of eternal youth on itself," she said. "You see that mortality is actually a blessing, because when the people you love don't age, it's a time difference." As Adaline's own daughter looks more like her grandmother, we see her struggle to fit into society and develop her personal relationships.

In addition to the topic of maturation, we also get to see Blake wear a bevy of gorgeous retro beauty looks. "I had some pretty cool costumes from the '50s," she gushed. "There was this look where it was raining, and it was very film noir. So I had this cool hairdo, and I think that was my favorite." While she enjoyed playing a character from different eras, she said if she could live in any decade, it would be the present one (though she did note that she loves '40s fashion and '60s music).

The L'Oréal Paris spokeswoman looks flawless IRL (trust me — I was this close to her); however, she wasn't always a beauty queen. "I was terribly awkward," she said of her puberty years. "Clear braces, lots of acne, eye shadow matching the multicolored pants — because the most popular girl in school had it, and I thought it looked good on her." Hard to imagine, right?

Now, she's so beauty savvy that she has even jumped on the DIY trend. "I do my hair a lot — for a lot of things," she noted. "I am always asking people [about it] when they do my hair. . . . I'm that annoying person. I like braids. I like crazy, messy braids."

But for last night's look, she got a little help from L'Oréal Paris makeup artist Elaine Offers. The pro said, "Blake's red Monique Lhuillier dress was superglamorous in that old-school way. It was such a classic red carpet look — something you might see in Cannes. We kept the makeup on theme and timeless." Glossy waves tossed over one shoulder complemented the makeup perfectly.

The key to getting her Old Hollywood makeup was combining L'Oréal Paris Infallible Lipliner in Coral ($7) and L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Balm Pop in Bold Blush ($6) to create a shapely but not overly defined pout. Her skin looked HD ready, thanks to L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation in Sun Beige ($12), and her eyes popped after a few coats of cult classic L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Mascara ($7). Keep reading to see more images of Blake's stunning red carpet beauty!

Blake Lively at the Age of Adaline Premiere
Getty

Blake Lively at the Age of Adaline Premiere

Blake Lively at the Age of Adaline Premiere
Getty

Blake Lively at the Age of Adaline Premiere

Blake Lively at the Age of Adaline Premiere
Getty

Blake Lively at the Age of Adaline Premiere