Eva Mendes: My Beauty Rules

Eva Mendes shares her beauty philosophy and daily routine. Photo: Getty Images

Since becoming a mother, my beauty routine happens at different times of the day. Sometimes it’s at four in the morning, sometimes two in the afternoon.

I’m no longer on my own time. I don’t have a nanny and I’m a very hands-on mum. The minute my daughter falls asleep for a nap or for the night, I’m doing all my stuff.

What would I do if I had two hours to myself? It never happens, but I would take a long bath with salts, condition my hair with coconut oil, and read a book ... And I would follow that with a stretching or Pilates class.

The Estée Lauder New Dimension [skincare and make-up] range is incredibly easy to apply. I can really see the difference in the definition of my features and skin quality.

RELATED: How To Pull Off Bright Lipstick At Any Age

RELATED: Get Glowing Skin In 3 Easy Steps

After having my daughter, I took my time and didn’t pressure myself to lose weight. While I was breastfeeding, I was really careful about food and got gradually back into exercising. I tried many sports at school: handball; volleyball; dancing. Now I’ve honed my routine with weights and jogging. I run with my coach, and sprint every 100 metres.

My mother taught me her Cuban recipes. I eat as naturally as I can. No meat, lots of fish and lots of bread with gluten in it. But I’m careful with sugar. I used to smoke, but I quit five years ago.

My Japanese friend told me to drink a glass of warm water with lemon juice in the morning. So I do that, followed by American coffee, even though as a true Cuban I prefer espresso.

Women today don’t need to run out of the house with their hair set or make-up on. Sometimes my mum sees a paparazzi shot of me and says, “But you could have done something with your hair.” I’ll say, “No, Mum, I was in a hurry and I didn’t have time and that’s OK.”

“My mother grew up in the 1950s and didn’t leave the house without doing her hair or applying a little lipstick. She was just so naturally stylish, feminine and always a mum first.”