Kate Winslet has played many roles throughout her decades-long career, and in addition to her Oscar and Golden Globe statues, she’s gained one other critical thing: life experience. The Mare of Easttown actress has observed a lot being in front of and behind the camera over the years, and tells Refinery29 that it drastically shaped her outlook on beauty.
It’s why L’Oréal Paris tapped Winslet as its new spokesperson. “It’s a privilege to stand alongside wonderful ambassadors who have led incredible lives, have remarkable careers, and are strong and powerful people across the ages,” Winslet says of her new appointment. The actress joins a roster of influential women including Viola Davis, Katherine Langford, and Eva Longoria as part of the L’Oréal family, an honour she doesn’t take lightly. “So much has changed for women in recent years, and space is being held for us in a whole new way. We’re able to speak up for ourselves, for each other in completely different ways. ”
Taking up space, Winslet says, is a notion that she wants to emphasise as a new beauty ambassador. “For me, beauty has transformed so much in the last 25 years,” she tells us. “When I was in my twenties, it was about putting on makeup to be attractive to men.” Winslet says that the shift focusing on self-love and empowerment has changed how she sees herself. “I look at my daughter and her friends, and they’re not getting themselves ready for some boy,” she says. “They get themselves ready to feel good and to have fun and that’s exciting.”
Though Winslet is a firm believer in championing self-love at every stage in life, she acknowledges that it’s a journey that doesn’t always include good days. “I think truly accepting oneself is still a huge deal for so many of us,” she shares. “It’s hard not to criticise ourselves and scrutinize small flaws and imperfections.” But it’s why Winslet says that she focuses on truly caring for herself, by sticking to a relaxing skin-care routine and focusing on conscious consumption, versus quick-fix solutions.
“There’s a broader range of skin-care products available to us now than ever before,” she tells us. “These things go a very long way in making us feel cared for.” Winslet credits the L’Oréal Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Serum as a small piece of self-care in her beauty routine. “Beyond being very sincere about their product and technology, it’s affordable,” Winslet says of the new serum. “Beauty should not be some elitist, unattainable thing.”
The actress also revealed that she’s constantly looking for ways to reduce her carbon footprint, by recycling and reusing product packaging and implementing sustainable changes, like refusing single-use plastic or growing her own food when possible. Winslet’s passion for sustainability aligns with L’Oréal’s ambitious goals which focus on transitioning to carbon-neutral factories and 100% recycled and recyclable plastics by 2030.
For Winslet, tending to your mental health is an equally important part of nurturing yourself and the world around you. “I think a healthy outlook and mental attitude is critical to our capacity to survive and to cope,” she shares. “It’s why looking after yourself is allowed and okay. It doesn’t have to be an indulgence.”
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