J.Lo Shares What We Get Wrong About Aging

When Oprah Daily got word that Jennifer Lopez, 54, was up for chatting about her beauty routine, we assumed we’d focus on what’s become as much her signature as her ability to own a stage, a red carpet, or a halftime show: the J.Lo glow. After all, the Latina legend’s head-to-toe radiance is so buzzed about that she has created a top-selling skincare collection to help us emulate it. (Her latest JLo Beauty launch is the Beso Balm, a moisturizing formula that makes your lips decidedly gleamy.) While talk of her beam routine did come up, the one-of-a-kind star also shared how she—and her skin—has evolved with age. Turns out, her radiance reaches far beyond her complexion.

What do we get wrong about aging?

You know what I think people get wrong about getting older? That they should feel bad about it. Honestly, when I think of my younger self, I laugh. Now I feel so much more confident and like I know myself more. I’ve earned the right to be comfortable in my life and in my skin. It’s years of work to get there. That’s something to look forward to, not something to dread.

Now, you can dread it if you don’t plan on taking care of yourself or if you don’t plan on growing, learning, and getting better. But if you are a person who is not afraid of hard work and learning about life, people, relationships, and love, then you’re going to have a great time as you gain more experience and wisdom. I think you should be excited about growing into who you’re going to be and how that’s going to change over your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s. That’s a beautiful thing. Some people don’t even get there, so you have to be grateful for all of those days and moments.

How has your beauty routine evolved over the decades?

I’m a skincare loyalist. I’ll use something for 15 years. But you do have to be aware of what’s happening with your skin as you start maturing and getting older because it does evolve. I started developing milia, and certain creams and moisturizers were suddenly too heavy. My skin didn’t respond the way it did 10 years ago.

What’s your list of confidence-boosting essentials?

1. My glow serum. That’s what gives my face and neck that bright and lifted look, whether I’ve gotten a lot of sleep or no sleep. Even on no-makeup days, I can’t leave home without that.
2. Sunscreen. Something that hasn’t changed since my early 20s is never going a day without sunscreen. It’s such a game changer, so I really encourage everybody to use it.
3. Gold hoops. They will transform sweatpants, and I’m in sweats a lot because I’m rehearsing and preparing for shows.
4. Oversize sunglasses. They’ll pull an outfit together.

What’s your favorite way to wear your new Beso Balm?

Back in the ’90s, the signature look was a really dark outline of the lips with a nude color in the middle. I do a modern take on that. I draw my lip liner right outside of my lips and then contour the corners with a darker neutral shade; it makes you look really pouty. Then, I put the Beso Balm in the middle of the lips for a glossy finish. I literally just finished doing it right now as I was getting ready for the day.

How has your culture and background impacted how you view yourself and beauty standards?

My parents taught me to be proud of who I am and how I look. I had these amazing examples of confident, curvy, bold, beautiful women around me growing up, and I emulated that as I got older. When I got to Hollywood, I didn’t look like everyone else, but instead of trying to fit in, it was an opportunity to be more memorable. The self-love ingrained in me from a young age about who I was, about being Puerto Rican, about being from the Bronx, about being from my family really fueled a fire in me to hold on to that and not lose that. And I think that has been one of my biggest strengths in my career.

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