Four Weddings and a Career Milestone

Andie MacDowell's incredible staying power

Hello, Gorgeous!

In Cannes this week, L’Oréal celebrated the fact that Andie MacDowell has been a spokeswoman for nearly 40 years. Eva Longoria was celebrated for her 20 years with the brand. The gorgeous at every age and stage 79-year-old Helen Mirren is another ambassador.

It’s easy to understand why L’Oréal chose MacDowell back in 1986 when she was a tender 27 year old rising star. But for a global beauty brand to continue to cheer on the iconic 67-year-old is indeed a thing of beauty.

Let’s look back on some MacDowell and beauty highlights over the decades.

Images used in photo collage include L’Oreal Instagram and Hallmark promotional images

Andie and Beauty and Hair Trends Through the Decades

Before we all learned to love our natural hair texture, Andie MacDowell sported some of the most glorious curls ever. Note that back in the 1980s when hair was big, sprayed and teased, MacDowell retained her gorgeous effortless curls.

The ‘90s brought grunge and The Rachel haircut on Jennifer Aniston on Friends. Janet Jackson inspired many of us to pursue complicated braids. You know what Andie did? She continued to wear her curls long, loose, and gorgeous.

In the early 2000s, the Pop Princess era was in full flux. And having worked as a makeup artist and product developer with a few pop princesses during that time, I accept full responsibility for helping bring forth too much shimmer and frost.

In the 2010’s contouring took over along with highlighting and smokey eyes. You know what never changed during those decades? Andie MacDowell’s look. Come to think of it, in the last few years there’s been an emphasis on more natural beauty including the idea of no-makeup looks (which is basically makeup meant to look like no makeup). You know who embodied that look straight through? Say it with me: Andie MacDowell did.

Sure there were times the ‘80s L’Oréal ads featured Andie in maximalist makeup or too-slick hair, but aside from sometimes shorter curls, her overall look didn’t change as she aged.

Andie’s silver evolution

During the pandemic, MacDowell stopped coloring her hair when salons closed. In 2021, she appeared publicly for the first time with her silvery locks. She initially hesitated because of her contract with L’Oréal. But she didn’t have to worry, “the overall feeling was loving and accepting,” she told Katie Couric a few years ago.

Because she’s worth it

In 1973 — about two years after L’Oréal launched their Because I’m worth it slogan —L'Oréal Préférence was the most expensive boxed premium hair color at the time retailing for $2.50 (about $17). The slogan was coined during the height of the women’s liberation by a then 23-year-old American copywriter named Ilon Specht working at the McCann agency in New York. As reported in Bustle in 2017, Specht created the slogan "in a moment of anger," thinking "it's not about men, it's about ourselves.”

Despite saying this line for decades, MacDowell said she never felt entirely comfortable with the slogan and she worried people would think she was vain. That changed after seeing a documentary* about Specht. "It sparked something new in me,” she said when the documentary launched a few years ago. “Just realising that she was the first spokesperson for L'Oreal. The power of her truth as a woman made her brave... Because of her, we women can all feel this way, and see their true value."

Andie then and now

A lot has changed in 40 years.

Back in 1986, Madonna was in her True Blue era and still married to Sean Penn. Top Gun graced movies screens, and in this pivotal year of pop culture moments, Andie MacDowell quietly began a partnership with L'Oréal that would span four decades and redefine what it means to age gracefully in the spotlight.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, Andie MacDowell was best known for sex, lies, & videotape and Four Weddings and a Funeral. She then led Hallmark's first original primetime series, Cedar Cove, and currently stars in The Way Home. How absolutely incredible to have a global beauty brand celebrate the evolution of Andie MacDowell while honoring her beauty and relevance then, now, and through every stage in between

What’s your favorite Andie MacDowell moment? Let’s meet in the comment section to discuss!

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋

**There’s a 16-minute documentery The Final Copy of Ilon Specht (2024) that’s definitely worth watching and is available to stream on multiple platforms.