Jane Fonda Is The Ultimate Beauty Inspo For Rocking Red Lipstick Over 80

Jane Fonda has been a Hollywood icon since the '60s, and she's just as glam in her 80s as she was decades ago. The aerobics queen frequently proves why red lipstick is always a good idea, and she shared some application tips for mature women with Elle in 2021. "As you get older, the line of your lips gets less distinct, so I have to use a lip pencil, and then I put lipstick on. Sometimes I use a bright red lipstick, sometimes I use a pale pink lipstick. That's my activism face," she quipped. Fonda is completely right that older women need to invest in a good lip pencil, and as a makeup artist with over a decade of experience, I never skip out on lining lips, especially with a bright lipstick.

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Before any color application, however, prepping the lips is key. Use a mattifying primer to fill in any fine lines around the mouth, and then lightly set it with some powder. Using a lipliner close to your lipstick shade, follow your lips' natural shape with the pencil, while feathering it inward. Next, fill in your lips with your red lipstick with a small brush so that you can get into the corners of your mouth easily. Many forget to connect the top and bottom, and if you're using red lipstick, the skipped area will be noticeable. Finally, blot once or twice with tissue and reapply if needed. And, if you're using lip gloss, use a super light hand, as you'll want to prevent bleeding.

As someone in her 80s, Jane Fonda knows what works for her, and she's got it right when it comes to her red lip. "Your lip definition goes out the window when you're my age, so the one product I won't leave the house without is lipstick and lip liner. But drawing a lip line is like driving down a washboard dirt road. Bumpity bump. All those wrinkles! I never use glossy lipstick anymore. I keep it matte. Shine isn't good on older skin," she told Allure in 2021. While Fonda is reframing how she thinks of beauty as she ages, a little shine can actually make lips look plumper. I like dabbing a bit of gloss on the center of the mouth, being sure not to touch the edges. That adds some dimension, especially as lips get thinner as folks age.

I also love using bright shades on older women, and if you're not into red, pops of pink and fuchsia work great. "I never used to wear lipstick, but as I've gotten older, and especially with gray hair, you need some color, or you'll just fade away," Fonda shared with Oprah Daily in 2020. We can't imagine the "Grace and Frankie" star ever fading into the background, and she'll always be front and center stage in our books, with or without her impeccably applied red lip.