Exclusive: Olivia Munn Shares Her Anti-Aging Secret With Us & so Much More

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Updated on 06/05/20 03:05PM EDT

“I read a study that says that every time you sleep with your makeup on, your skin ages an extra day,” Olivia Munn told us. “It’s so true, because your skin gets really dry if you don’t wash your makeup off. And you can’t go back a day once you do it!”
You may know Olivia Munn from HBO’s The Newsroom, where she plays financial genius Sloan Sabbith, or from her role in Magic Mike as Joanna, the grad student two-timing Channing Tatum’s character, but it’s her passion for skincare that’s led to her newest project: she’s the latest face of Proactiv.
“I used Proactiv as a teenage and now I do again,” she says about their Complete Acne Solutions System ($50). To celebrate her new contract, we chatted with the actress about all things beauty, from her go-to mascara, to the face wipes that solve the sleeping-with-makeup-on temptation.
Click through our slideshow for Munn’s favorite makeup, the skincare products she can’t live without, and all her beauty secrets.

“I’m more particular with my hair than my makeup on the red carpet,” Munn told us. “I’d never want it to be overdone, I’d rather have my makeup stand out.”

“I prefer cream blush over powder because it looks so much more natural,” Munn says. “Stila is my go-to, and Revlon makes a new formula that I love.” The actress dabs the product directly on the apples of her cheeks and blends with her fingers. “It doesn’t sit on top of your pores like powder can,” she says. Try Stila’s Convertible Color ($25) and Revlon’s Cream Blush ($15).

“My favorite lip balm is Clarks Botanicals’ Ultra Rich Lip Tint ($19). The color is called Moore Nude,” Munn says. “It has a slight shimmer, but it still looks like your real lips. I think it’s named after Julianne Moore.”

“The red carpet is very intimidating,” Munn told us. “I’m evolving every day and still learning what works on me, but when you get a good team [of artists] you can really lean on them.”

When asked about her favorite mascara, Munn was quick to reply. “CoverGirl’s LashBlast ($8) in the orange tube!” she says. “It’s been my go-to for years.”

Munn puts all her trust in her makeup artists for red carpet events, but how does she step it up for a night out? “I do my own false eyelashes,” she says. “I just get the individual Ardell ones from the drugstore and apply them directly to my outside lashes.”
Try Ardell’s DuraLash Flair Individual Lash Set ($6).

“I switch around my hair products a lot, but the one thing that I always do is a cold rinse to seal my hair after I wash it,” Munn says. “It makes your hair super shiny. I even do it on my skin after I wash my face; it closes your pores.”

The one product Munn can’t leave home without may surprise you: Dior’s Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil ($29) in Universal Brown. “Eyebrows are the most important thing in my routine,” she says. “This one has a comb, a brow styler on one end, and it’s the perfect brown.”

“You can’t go back a day!” This mantra means Munn has become an expert on face wipes. “Proactiv’s are a little soapy and remove everything when I don’t feel like washing my face.”
Try the Proactiv Makeup Cleansing Wipes ($40)

“I’d like my skin to look a little shiny and dewy,” Munn says. On her days off she applies L’Oreal Paris’ Magic Lumi Concealer ($13) anywhere she needs coverage, then dabs RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up ($36) over it for added brightness. “I layer them so it reflects even more light.”

Munn keeps the luminosity going by skipping powder. “My makeup artists have taught me not to apply powder to my skin,” Munn says. “Plus I don’t like anything that covers my freckles. “

“My go-to is a red lip right now,” Munn told us. “I’d much rather wear a bright lip and a nude eye than a smoky eye.” Her favorite color? Nars Satin Lip Pencil ($27) in Majella.

Munn calls Kerry Washington, Lupita Nyong’o, and Michelle Williams her modern beauty icons, but Sophia Loren took the lead after she met the actress recently. “I was backstage at the Costume Guild Awards and I saw who I thought was Sophia Loren,” she says. “I was like, ‘no way, that can’t be her,’ but it was. A lot of Hollywood is smoke and mirrors, but not with her, she looks so good. The texture of her skin was unbelievable!”
Loren is 79 years old.

“I gravitate towards nude hues on my nails, but I just got this metallic gold manicure for a photo shoot with this Chanel polish that I really like,” Munn says. “It’s a fun way to do a more interesting basic. I need to track down the shade.”

Munn also swears by Proactiv+ Eye Brightening Serum ($46). “It’s the one thing I have to have when I travel,” she told us. “I put it on at night and wake up looking refreshed. You can use it during the day as well because it reflects light.”