Andie MacDowell cuts a powerful figure at any age, let alone 68, and it’s all down to a shift in attitude since going through menopause. The actress shared her philosophy and exercise regime in an exclusive interview with Good Housekeeping, and it’s fair to say we were taking careful notes.
‘After menopause you have all these different components of what it means to age well,’ Andie says, talking to us from the Cannes Film Festival, where she’s been walking the red carpet for L’Oréal Paris. ‘It’s not superficial. It has much more meaning because you want to have a long and healthy and strong life.’
‘From my perspective, it’s not about being super skinny or chasing some odd concept of beauty,’ she says. ‘It’s about being strong both physically and mentally: having a strong body, taking care of your brain, your social life. Being strong is a big part of ageing for women and I think that means maintaining a sense of self-worth.’
As part of living that ‘I’m worth it’ L’Oréal philosophy, health now takes priority over aesthetics for her. ‘I think it’s so important as you age to realise it’s not about being skinny, it’s about being strong because they start doing bone density tests on you in your 60s,’ she says. ‘The best way that you can maintain your bone density is by lifting weights and also jumping.’
Or in Andie’s case, jumping for joy. ‘I have one of those little trampolines,’ she reveals. ‘I put on Paul McCartney and Wings, or Carole King. I put on music that makes me happy and I jump along to that. I also do a lot of strength-training. You do lose muscle mass as you age, so [protecting] that is really important to me’
Even if she’s away from home or a suitably private gym, she’ll find ways to make bone building a priority. ‘I didn’t have weights in my hotel room so I used some pots that I found in there to lift,’ she tells us. ‘And I have a really hard yoga routine that I do, so I did that this morning.’
Feeling good is at the heart of Andie’s fitness approach. It’s all about going for the bliss now, not the burn, she emphasises.
‘I’m really good at physical activity because I need the endorphins. It changes my mood, it makes me happy,’ she says. ‘I get up and I walk on the beach every morning. I love to get there for sunrise and I look for shells, I meditate, I listen to birds. I love to learn about birds – that’s really good for my brain. I know how to incorporate healthy living into myself and into my ageing process. And it’s been fantastic.’
Any exercise that felt like punishment has now been pushed aside, she tells us. ‘I used to be an elliptical person because I thought that was how you maintained [your figure]. To me, it was always about being smaller, but now it’s about being stronger.’
In her view, ageing well isn’t about chasing impossible beauty standards but nourishing herself inside and out. ‘For my skin, it’s all about the moisturising. I’m now using L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect because they’ve done all these studies on the different components that are important for ageing skin. I especially love the night cream,’ she tells us.
L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Retightening Night Cream
‘And I drink a lot of water, hydration drinks, algae collagen. I study foods, and I’m just making sure that I’m eating the right things. I love to cook, so I nourish myself both inside and outside.’
For her mental health, Andie tell us she likes to enjoy her own company, whether walking on on the beach or cross-legged at home. ‘I love listening to Tara Brach meditations, and I’ve been doing yoga for a long, long time. But I also think it’s important to have a great group of friends. If you don’t have a good social life, it can be worse than smoking.’
And of course, away from her native South Carolina, there’s the camaraderie of her L’Oréal worth it ladies, not least here in Cannes. ‘Meeting all these wonderful actresses from all over the world, being able to connect with each other, and having the strength and power of an international female presence in Cannes is beautiful, I think.’
Andie has been throwing her beautifully-toned might behind L’Oréal’s 2026 Lights On Women’s Worth campaign to champion young women in the film industry. ‘It’s so important – standing up for yourself as a woman and standing up for other women as well,’ she says. And who wouldn’t want Andie in their corner?
Andie’s red carpet look at Cannes
Andie tells us she loves ‘a strong, sexy, heavy eye’, adding she’s been surprised and thrilled to keep rocking the look in her 60s. ‘I thought maybe I had to transform myself into this person that restricted herself as she aged, but I don’t feel that way anymore,’ she tells us.
For her look at this year’s red carpet, L’Oréal Paris global makeup artist Harold James used L’Oréal Paris Panorama Mascara to give her bold and voluptuous lashes, followed by Infallible Grip Liner and Brow Lamination.
Andie MacDowell is a brand ambassador for L'Oréal Paris, the official makeup partner for Cannes Film Festival. Andie is a supporter of The L'Oréal Paris Lights On Women’s Worth Award
