The female stars looking better than ever in their 50s (2024)

They dominated red carpets in their younger years, making headlines for their stunning looks.

And these female stars are still at the fashion forefront now, showcasing their ageless beauty well into their 50s.

It's apparently all down to the use of emu oil, turmeric facials and exfoliating their eyelids - among other things!

For some the odd tweakment here or there does wonders, while for others simply embracing the natural ageing process allows them to shine.

Here, MailOnline takes a look at some of Hollywood's most stunning starlets - and asks experts their secrets to ageing like fine wine.

Cate Blanchett, 55

Cate Blanchett's illustrious career has spanned over 30 years - and she has been hailed one of the best performers of her generation.

But one of the things most striking about the Australian actress, 55, is how she does not seem to age.

'There's very little change to how she looked in her 30's to now,' said London-based plastic surgeon Mr. Mark Solomos.

'Cate looks effortless and is naturally beautiful, but equally I'd say she works very hard to look as good as this. A strict healthy diet is likely followed meticulously, she looks after her skin and I'd suggest never sits in the sun and wears a high SPF year round.

Mr Solomos thinks Cate must make regular visits to the dermatologist and follow a strict skincare regime.

The star has previously revealed one of her secrets to age-defying hydrated skin, emu oil -which is extracted from the fatty tissue on the bird's back.

'I tend to use really basic creams, and I like to put an oil on, like an emu oil from Australia,' she said. 'It's from the emu and it's really nourishing. I prefer an oil to a cream.'

Liz Hurley, 58

Liz Hurley is famous for her iconic role as Vanessa Kensington in cult classic Austin Powers - but over the years she has become one of the most photographed women in showbusiness.

The actress and model, 58, was famously cheated on by her partner of 13 years, English film star Hugh Grant - much to the horror of fans as they questioned how he landed her in the first place.

And over 20 years on from their split, she still looks as stunning as she did then.

Mr Solomos said: 'Liz looks better now than she did in her 20's and knows how to make the best of her features. The mid-length wavy hair extensions give off a sophisticated and glamorous look but take years off her facially.

'As Liz is in such incredible shape, she likely works out with a trainer on a daily basis and follows a very strict diet.'

Liz said in 2018 that her glowing skin comes from a serious amount of moisturising - 10 times a day to be precise.

'The one thing I swear by is moisturiser—and lots of it,' she told Woman & Home in 2018. 'I'll moisturise my face about six times a day and my neck about 10 times a day.'

Halle Berry, 57

Always a natural beauty, Halle Berry started out her career in pageants before moving into the world of film.

The Golden Globe Award-winning actress, 57, was the first Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar in 2002 and later that year became a Bond girl.

'Halle was a bond girl over 20 years ago for a reason,' Mr Solomos said. 'She is ageing incredibly well and has fantastic skin. She was blessed with good features and largely down to having good genes in the first instance.'

Mr Solomos said that Halle looks after herself by exercising regularly, eating well and adopting a good skincare regime.

'She's also learned over the years to play around with different hairstyles which can often take a decade off you,' he added.

'Again having access to the best dermatologists in LA and regular non-invasive skin treatments.'

One of Halle's tips for staying youthful is making sure not to forget your neck when doing your skincare routine.

'Don't forget to get down here and get your neck,' she said. 'Oftentimes we do the face and we forget that our face is attached to our neck and that also needs to be cleaned and needs some love.'

Sharon Horgan, 53

Irish actress, director and writer Sharon Horgan is a jack of all trades, and you can add stepping out looking fabulous to that list.

She has stunned on red carpets in recent years, as her career in the acting world continues to flourish.

Mr Solomos said that the Catastrophe star, 53, has done a good job of protecting her fair Irish skin.

He said: 'She's looked after it well by keeping out of the sun and wearing a high SPF so has aged very well.

'As an actress her features are neat and pretty so she's able to be versatile in terms of hair colour and playing around with different make-up looks to suit her character roles. Facially she hasn't changed much over the years and clearly looks after her body to remain slim and youthful in appearance.'

But Sharon recently admitted that she actually got into skin care later in life, despite her glowing face.

'I'm a little late to it, but I just recently got into skin care about a year and a half ago and I'm 52, so that was pretty stupid. I should have started earlier.'

Since her discovery she has started getting HydraFacials and collagen fillers.

Salma Hayek, 57

Salma Hayek's career in the limelight started out in hr home country of Mexico, where she starred in telenovelas.

The Frida actress, 57, broke Hollywood in the 1990s and went on to become the first Mexican actress to be nominated for an Academy Award.

She has always been hailed for her beauty, and has been an ambassador for make-up brands such as Revlon and Avon as a result.

Of her lasting looks, Mr Solomos said: 'Again another natural beauty. Olive skin will always age better than fairer skin types as they are more resistant to developing fine lines and wrinkles.'

Mr Solomos praised Salma's curvaceous figure through the years, and said her slightly rounded face has helped her continue to look youthful.

While some turn to products to help with their skin, Salma said previously that for here meditation was actually the best form of treatment.

'Sometimes when I'm doing it, people tell me when I come out of the room, "Oh my god. You look 20 again",' she said.

'When I don't do it for a while, guess what? The face starts to drop and everything starts to drop.'

Rachel Hunter, 54

Rachel Hunter has graced the front cover of some of the most iconic magazines, including both the Italian and Australian editions of Vogue.

The actress and model, 54, who famously married Rod Stewart when she was 21 after just three months of dating, is known for her striking looks.

'Rachel remains the statuesque curvaceous 6ft blonde we remember her for when she caught the eye of top modelling agencies and also Rod Stewart,' Mr Solomos said.

'The hair style remains very similar, more of an ashy blonde rather than bright blonde to be in keeping with her age.'

Mr Solomos added: 'Rachel's make-up is subtle and minimal which suits her and again makes her look younger than she actually is.

For Rachel, dermablading facials are one of her go-to ways of looking fresh - including ones using turmeric.

'On Tour Of Beauty I had my face shaved in Japan—my skin was amazing!' she said.

'They call it dermablading over here I think. Getting a turmericfacial in India was also great.'

Gillian Anderson, 55

Gillian Anderson has gained a huge new fan base in recent thanks to her iconic role assex therapist Jean Milburn in Sex Education.

But the actress, 55, started out as the famous Dana Scully in The X Files and worked continuously right through her years, .

However it was her portrayal of Jean in the Netflix show which earned her a loyal cohort of adoring fans who hailed her their celebrity crush.

In 2023, Gillian even spoke out on a circulating meme which claimed the star had 'made an entire generation gay'. 'Always thrilled to be of service,' Gillian said of the revelation.

'Gillian is the perfect example of "How to age well",' Mr Solomos said. 'Her features are soft and pretty but again she's a fair skinned beauty who has done well to keep out of the sun, wear a good SPF and work hard to look after her skin.

'Her body shape has barely changed, and this would be the result of again following a good diet and working out with a trainer most days.'

While Gillian does use high-end lotions and potions on her skin, she feels less of an urgency to keep it looking younger - an attitude she takes from parts of Europe.

'I think in Europe, in general, there's a sense that women who age naturally can be beautiful,' she said previously. 'Whereas I'm not so sure that's the perception in America, specifically in L.A.I think that it's seen as a flaw, somehow—like wrinkles are a flaw.'

Amanda Holden, 53

Amanda Holden has been on British TVs for a huge portion of her life, and as she ages she has chosen to show more skin rather than less.

With an impressive figure, the 53-year-old pushes the boat out when it comes to fashion and has even had Ofcom complaints for her skimpy gowns on Britain's Got Talent.

Mr Solomos said that Amanda started out as 'girl next door pretty' but has fine-tuned her looks with age.

'Petite features and slim body shape,' he said. 'Amanda no doubt takes her skincare and body very seriously by following a strict diet and exercise plan and a few subtle skin tweakments along the way - possible Botox, and fillers but done naturally, alongside laser and skin tightening treatments and a good skincare regime.'

For Amanda, one of her top beauty tips is collagen - which she swears by.

'I take my Revive Collagen, which is ridiculous how much that works,' she told Heat. 'My hair is growing back from that.'

Jada Pinkett Smith, 52

Jada Pinkett Smith married one of the most famous actors of all time, but having started out in performing as a youngster she built her career entirely on her own.

After a successful film and music career, Jada, 52, moved into the world of the talk show and has carved out work for herself as a host.

she has had an array of looks over the years, from bleached dos and pixie cuts, to long flowing waves.

'Jada can literally rock any look and is a great example of experimenting with different hair styles, colours and make-up over the years,' Mr Solomos said.

'Jada again has very good genes and skin which will age very well. Petite and pretty features often mean you can carry off shorter haircuts and still look youthful.'

The star has shared her very unusual beauty tip - exfoliating her eyelids.

'I like to do a gentle exfoliation of my eyelids and my eyebrows,' she said.'Just put some warm water [on your eyelids] and use baby soap. I use baby soap because when you're using products around your eyes, first of all, you want something that's not going to sting, and you want something that's super gentle.'

Dannii Minogue, 52

The sister of a superstar, Dannii Minogue comes from a family of very good genes.

The Australian television personality, 52, was always on stage in her younger years as she pursued a career in music, starting out on variety show Young Talent Time, but in her later years she moved behind the judging panel.

Having walked many a red carpet, Dannii has donned an array of stunning looks and Mr Solomos has hailed her ageing process.

'Just like Kylie, Dannii hasn't changed much in the last twenty years,' he said. 'The Minogue genes are strong, and despite experimenting with various non-invasive procedures over the years, she's nailed how to do "Little and often" tweakments to look as good as she does in her 50's.

'As she's Australian, she's clearly learned from you a young age the damage the sun can do to the skin so wears a high SPF and doesn't sit in the sun. She exercises frequently, and has perfected her make-up look.'

Dannii sticks to the basics when it comes to maintaining her youthful looks - and she credits good genes.

She said: 'My dad has really good skin, too. It's obviously down to the boring things that we know are good for you - sleep, exercise, drinking water.'