Sophia Loren is one of those rare beauty icons admired equally by men and women. This Italian actress captivated the globe through both her acting prowess and her striking looks, charisma, and charm. Several of her beauty tips even sparked new product ideas among cosmetics brand creators.
Like many actresses of her era, Sophia Loren nearly always applied her own makeup. She continues to wear the same signature look she created in the 1960s, a style that keeps coming back into fashion and is currently highly popular.
What are the beauty secrets of Sophia Loren? In her book 'Women and Beauty,' she shared numerous tips on maintaining beauty and youth. Below are a few highlights.
Despite being naturally stunning, Sophia Loren never viewed her looks as her primary asset. It was her self-assurance and genuineness that propelled her to fame in the 1950s and kept her relevant seven decades later. "Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than believing that she is beautiful," Lauren wrote in her autobiography. Yet she insists appearance isn't everything: "To maintain shape and preserve youth, you should not close yourself in your hole. I just try to be interested in life, to have the light of joy in my eyes. Even my wrinkles seem funny to me. I never, even when I was young, thought that beauty is the only thing that defines me. Therefore, I am not afraid of wrinkles, I am not worried about aging. Rather, I am worried about the world in which I live, its future, diseases, AIDS, too much freedom, fear for children."
Dedication to Self-Care and Banishing Laziness
Loren believes that any woman can become highly attractive through diligent self-care. Beauty isn't about facial features; it's about inner feelings and how well you maintain your appearance.
"It is difficult to become irresistible if you are lazy. No beauty in the world can compare with the beauty of self-knowledge and satisfaction that comes when you accept yourself for who you really are," Lauren writes in her book.
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Sophia Loren's Eating Habits
Ever wonder how the actress maintained her figure? She follows a pasta diet—specifically Italian pasta! Loren believes it's simpler to never let your figure go than to later punish yourself with grueling workouts and restrictive diets. Consequently, her Italian diet includes no snacking, only complete meals. She consumes only freshly cooked food, drinks freshly pressed vegetable and fruit juices, and does a monthly three-day fast. Sophie has practiced this detox for most of her life, and given her shape and excellent health at 86, it seems highly effective.
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Like any true Italian, Loren enjoys food. However, she doesn't restrict what she eats, only the portion sizes. She consumes small servings, with a diet centered on durum wheat pasta, abundant fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, fish, and healthy oils. She never shunned dairy, particularly cheese.
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Sophia Loren's Skincare Routine
In her autobiography, Loren mentions taking 'strange baths' her entire life—strange because she adds milk and olive oil to the water. In Italy, olive oil is as common as water or air, so it's no wonder she used it to keep her skin soft, moisturized, and flexible.
Olive oil is a superb moisturizer rich in antioxidants. Loren also employs it as a makeup remover, a hydrating eye treatment, and a hair mask. She advises selecting only top-quality extra virgin olive oil, ideally from Italy or Spain.
Sophia Loren's Hair Care Tips
"Healthy and well-styled hair is an important part of your image," Lauren writes in the book. To keep curls strong and glossy, she suggests a hair mask with warm olive oil, applied once a week from mid-lengths to ends, avoiding the scalp. At 86, her hair is the envy of any 20-year-old.
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Focus on the Eyes: Sophia Loren's Makeup Philosophy
Sophie has always been happy to accentuate the twinkle in her eyes with makeup. As a result, you'll rarely see a photo of her wearing bold lipstick or without her signature winged eyeliner.
For over half a century, Loren has stuck with her 1960s-inspired makeup, and it has never failed her. In every photo, the first thing you notice about her makeup is her expressive eyes. She masterfully enhances her eye shape by playing with eyeshadow—literally. She applies dark shadow to both upper and lower lids but leaves the outer corners light, blending the shadow slightly above the natural lash line. Then she brightens that area, which elongates the eyes and gives a captivating cat-eye effect. And naturally, she always wears voluminous false lashes.
Another makeup secret involves soap—plain bar soap. She uses it as an eyebrow gel. By applying a small amount on a brush and brushing upward, she lifts the hairs, making her brows appear fuller. This trick inspired the creative directors of West Barn Co to launch Soap Brows eyebrow kits a few years ago. The kit's star ingredient is, of course, soap. Since its release, 'soap brows' (also known as 'model eyebrows') have become a major makeup trend.
See celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge replicate Sophia Loren's look on Huda Kattan, the blogger and founder of Huda Beauty.
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