Olivia Wilde Talks 'Tranny' Makeup, '60s French New Wave Beauty And More

Olivia Wilde Talks 'Tranny' Makeup, '60s French New Wave Beauty And More


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Olivia Wilde is first to admit that she loves to play up her eyes. "I never had beautiful, luscious lips -- that was never my defining characteristic." she says. "I focus more on playing with my eye makeup, I've always enjoyed it." It makes perfect sense: Wilde was recently named Revlon's latest brand ambassador (along with Emma Stone) and the face of the brand's new ColorStay Eyeshadow Quads and PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara campaigns.

The actress, who's co-starring with Jason Bateman in the upcoming comedy "The Longest Week," was in New York this week to discuss her new Revlon partnership, as well as her personal approach to beauty. While she's definitely picked up a few things from on-set professionals and Revlon's creative director, Gucci Westman, she looks to sixties icons when it comes to her signature cat-eye liner, a look she's got down pat. "French New Wave film stars like Anna Karina -- I always really loved that aesthetic. You always gravitate toward things that naturally sort of fit your face." And Wilde clearly knows what she's doing. "I’m now confident enough with eye makeup that I can have a little mirror and throw on eyeliner in the back of a cab."

Though she's mastered shadows, liners and mascara (in a moving vehicle, no less), Wilde admits that lipstick still gives her pause. "A strong eye and a strong lip is hard for my face. I can go tranny really fast. It’s true, because I have a really strong jaw. So for me, I just have to be cognizant of the way that it transforms my face."

Though she concedes that she wasn't always so aware of what looked best. "I was experimental as a kid, I had every different color hair. I had horrible, horrible ideas of what was cool, but then you learn and you play. I thank God Facebook didn’t exist then."

Wilde got specific about a certain '90s beauty trend she luckily outgrew: "I plucked off all my eyebrows in school! For seven years, I haven’t touched my eyebrows. I mean, I don’t let anyone near them with a tweezer." The actress has definitely come into her own -- makeup and style-wise. "In your ‘20s, you’re sort of figuring [it] out, that you shouldn’t be anybody else, she says. "And once you hit that, once you realize that, ‘Oh, I have a thing that no one else has, I should celebrate that,’ then I think you hit a stride of confidence that empowers you."

Click through the gallery below for a sneak-peek at the new Revlon eyeshadows and mascara that will hit stores in January.

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