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Beauty Secrets of Age-Defying Celebs

How are these stars aging so well? Genetics play a part of course, but they also have an arsenal of potent beauty products and look-good tricks at their fingertips. Here, they dish on the ones that work best.

by Deanna Pai • Beauty/Fashion Assistant

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Glenn Close, 64

The star of Oscar-nominated film Albert Nobbs keeps herself feeling (and incidentally, looking) young with a newfound passion for triathlons. "My whole goal, because I had never done [one] before, was just to finish," she tells Good Housekeeping.

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Michelle Pfeiffer, 53

Pfeiffer doesn't look a day over 50. Her trick? "I never pluck my eyebrows," Pfeiffer spills to The Times. "The make-up artists shape them only when I am doing publicity." A lush, well-groomed set of arches adds instant youthfulness to the face.

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Demi Moore, 49

Moore's personal life may have had recent complications, but her skincare regimen is pure and simple: She moisturizes—a lot. "I'm a big believer in that if you focus on good skin care, you really won't need a lot of makeup," she tells Marie Claire.

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Jane Fonda, 74

Fonda never tried to keep her nipping-and-tucking under wraps, but she doesn't let it take all the credit. She attributes her youthful glow to a diet of colorful fruits, cruciferous vegetables and daily exercise.

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Courteney Cox, 47

It's not exactly a secret that Cox has had work done (she dished about her love for Botox last year in Instyle). Fillers can always do so much, though, so she also keeps her skin even and bright with the help of Laura Mercer Tinted Moisturizer ($42; Click to Buy).

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Reese Witherspoon, 36

Elle Woods may have studied her way into Harvard over a decade ago, but Witherspoon's youthful glow hasn't changed much since then. Witherspoon swears by a subtle ring of eyeshadow (in place of liner) to keep her look soft and ethereal. Try NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil ($28; Click to Buy) for a similar effect.

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Andie Macdowell, 53

The Jane By Design star and L'Oréal Paris spokeswoman swears by moisturizing lipstick. "[My] lips are not as plump as they used to be," she tells Prevention. Bobbi Brown Treatment Lip Shine SPF 15 ($23; Click to Buy) does the trick; it's part lipstick, part hydrating balm.

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Gwyneth Paltrow, 39

Good genes may be behind Paltrow's smooth skin (Blythe Danner is 69 going on 50), but in a recent GOOP newsletter, she declared herself hooked on Perricone MD's No Foundation Foundation ($55; Click to Buy).

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Jaclyn Smith, 66

Smith looks as though she hit the big 5-0 and just stopped aging. Her beauty cabinet staple? Retinol. It's a star ingredient in her eponymous skincare line ($18 and up; Click to Buy).

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Jennifer Aniston, 43

America's Golden Girl has been using Neutrogena Original Facial Cleansing Bar ($3; Click to Buy) since high school. "My philosophy is, the simpler the better," she says in an interview with InStyle.

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Meryl Streep, 62

In true Meryl Streep fashion, she insists that she doesn't even have a beauty regimen. Her youthful look is just nature's work—that, and the result of swimming 55 laps a few times a week.

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Lucy Liu, 43

Liu's skincare is extremely low-maintenance—no facials, no peels, no (uh-oh) sunscreen. Her one splurge? "Acupuncture," she shares with Instyle, "It can help you lose weight, it can help your skin stay young."

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Diane Keaton, 66

Keaton's beauty regimen is the definition of low-key. She tells People, "I wash my face, put on some cream." Her moisturizer of choice? L'Oréal Age Perfect Hyrda-Nutrition Golden Bam ($20; Click to Buy).

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Debra Messing, 43

The star of NBC's Smash stays bright-eyed on set with Kate Somerville Line Release Under Eye Repair Cream ($125; Click to Buy).

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Madonna, 53

Madonna has proven that she can hold her own against today's fresh-faced pop stars, and she looks the part. According to Gina Brooke (Madonna's personal makeup artist and the artistic director at Shu Uemura), Madge slathers on Shu Uemura's Phyto-Black Lift Lifting Mask ($68; Click to Buy) immediately after she gets out of the shower.

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Sharon Stone, 53

Stone has better skin than most twenty-something girls. How? "I use M.A.C. Wipes ($28 for 100; Click to Buy) or a Shiseido cleansing water ($22; Click to Buy) to cleanse my face, and then I use all my Dior Capture Totale products," she spills in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. "That's it, very quick and simple."

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Halle Berry, 45

Wrinkles? What wrinkles? Berry stays virtually line-free with the help of Ole Henricksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster ($48; Click to Buy), which is packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

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Julianne Moore, 51

More's own covergirl Julianne Moore has one simple secret for her smooth, porcelain skin: Stay out of the sun. Sun exposure leads to free radicals, and free radicals break down collagen...you see where we're going with this.

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Kyra Sedgwick, 46

The Closer actress's key to great skin? Water. "I know people say water, water, water, but it's true," she says in an interview with Style Goes Strong, "Hydration is key."

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Sandra Bullock, 47

How to look positively immune to the aging process: Preparation H. Really. Bullock says, "Putting butt cream under my eyes is one of my best beauty secrets, and stops me from getting lines." We'll leave this one to your own discretion.

Celebrate the beauty of aging gracefully with ten women who show us what 50+ looks like.

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First Published March 6, 2012

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