Halle Berry’s Insights Into Rocking Short Hair, Her Favorite Lip Product and More Beauty Secrets

Halle Berry is not only one of the most gorgeous women on the planet, she’s also the brand ambassador for Revlon, a makeup company pushing the idea of connection with their Love Is On campaign. So with Valentine’s Day coming up, they thought it would be a good time for a quick chat with the stunning actress. Here’s what she revealed about her makeup routine—and what she herself finds sexy.

Lipstick: Do you remember when you started playing around with makeup?

Berry: I was around 16.

Lipstick: Were you excited to start?

Berry: Oh, yeah, I wanted to do it before I was allowed to do it. I wasn’t allowed to it until I got to a certain age. My mother wasn’t really down for that. When I got to be about 16,17 I got into a beauty pageant and I was allowed to start playing around with makeup.

Lipstick: Oh, that’s funny! Do you feel like you really learned how to do makeup from being in beauty pageants?

Berry: I think so. That’s when I first started I started to want to experiment. That’s when I started to want to experiment. If I’m going to be in a beauty pageant I have to wear makeup! So I started to figure it out then.

Lipstick: I’m sure over the years you’ve learned a lot about makeup and also how you feel about yourself. What’s one thing you know now about beauty that you wish you had know in your 20s?

Berry: That less is more. I was so made up in my 20s. I mean I was so made up. And I learned up less is more. The makeup used to wear me and now I wear the makeup.

Lipstick: I think we’ve all been throught that. I know you’ve also spoken about how important skin care is important to you. What’s the one skin product that if you forgot to pack it on a trip, you’d immediately go out and get a new tube?

Berry: I always have my Red Carpet Facial. I do it once a week. I just feel like I have to have it. If I can’t get to it, if I’ve traveled somewhere and I’ve forgotten it I’m always right away on the phone trying to get somebody to get it and send it to me.

__Lipstick: Well that must be good stuff. I’ve never tried it! __

Berry: You should try it. It’s by Kinara. It’s really good.

Lipstick: What’s your “I’ve only got two minutes” beauty routine?

Berry: If I really want to do just a quick “Ok, I’ve got to do something really fast” it always include so sort of light base, very light feeling, almost like you have nothing on but give you an even tone. And some sort of lip product—something light to give some moisture to the lips and make them look a little fuller.

Lipstick: Have you had to make and adjustments in your beauty routine as you aged? Made a difference in your skincare?�

Berry: As I’ve aged there are certain products that are geared more aging skin. Things that keep the vitality of your skin alive and things that have different components to it to help you as you’re getting older. So sure. And I’ve changed to those products. And what I do today in my 40s is very different from what I did in my 20s. With makeup I’ve gone with less is more with makeup. I realize as you age the less makeup you wear the younger you look.

Lipstick: I’d imagine it’s a confidence thing to. You realize that you don’t need it.

Berry: Yeah, and you realize you just don’t look that good as you start to age with too much makeup. If I’m too made up I just feel like “No, this isn’t working.”

Lipstick: So many women are going for short hair these days and you’ve had such a long history with shorter haircuts. Any advice for women considering going for a chop?

Berry: When you cut your hair, it’s so freeing. And I’ve had the benefit of wearing both long and short hair. Thanks to extensions I can have long hair any time I want. And I find when I have short hair, I feel like I have nothing to hide behind anymore. I feel like when I do have hair I can kind of cover up a little bit. You don’t see all of my face—I have a little distance between people. When you have short hair, there’s just a feeling of here I am. What you see is what you get. And there’s a confidence that comes with wearing short hair and I like the way that makes me feel. That’s why I always go back to short hair. Even though I’m in a long-hair phase right now for some work that I’m doing. But I always love to go back to my short hair just for that feeling.

Lipstick: Valentine’s Day is coming up. Any idea of what you think of as sexy when it comes to makeup?

Berry: Revlon—we have this new product that’s called Ultra HD Lipstick that’s wax-free. It’s a new technology and I find it particularly sexy because it’s light to go on, it’s very light to wear. But it keeps its color longer. So that means you can have a kiss and have your lip color still on. And I think that’s really sexy.