Julianne Moore has a troubled relationship with beauty.
As a little girl, she hated the first thing most people noticed about her gorgeous face.
"The other kids called me freckle faced strawberry," says Moore. "I had freckles all over my face and the red hair. You can only imagine."
I can imagine. My own troubles were rooted in a fairy tale. When your name is Cindy, the kids will call you….Cinderella.
Ugh.
"That freckle face strawberry nickname stuck at age seven and it lasted for my entire childhood," says Moore. "I hated my freckles. I hated the red hair."
She says getting older put it all into perspective. Now, it's the movie star with the gorgeous red hair and flawless complexion with headlines that read: Julianne Moore's Beauty Secrets.
Not bad for a freckle puss.
"I still don't like everything about myself, but with age you don't obsess. Who has the time? It's actually a relief. You forget about it. There are other things to focus on now that are far more important than I have another freckle," she says.
CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE AND A NEW BOOK
Moore turned her own trauma into a successful children's book series called "Frecklefaced Strawberry." Her third in the series is due out this September. And before she hits the page, Moore will be seen opposite Steve Carell in the new film "Crazy, Stupid, Love."
She plays a woman who decides to end her marriage after confessing that she's having an affair with a guy (Kevin Bacon) at work.
"It was so easy working with Steve," Moore says of the appeal of the film. "He's so humble about his talents. And we had a lot in common. We spent the time talking about our families."
"He's really a good guy," she says.
Her wife-mom in the movie says that she's having a mid-life crisis.
"She loves her husband, but she has this affair. She's really confused, which is a feeling many women experience in their 40s and 50s," she says.
"I loved that the movie wasn't about superhuman. It's very real to question your life," she says.
"It was nice to see someone say, 'I don't want to live my life this way. I'm not satisfied. I want things to be different,'" she says.
LIFE AT 50
Moore says that her kids growing up have been the real life adjustment at 50.
"You go from someone who is really dependant on you to someone who has an independent life," she marvels. "Within reason, my son makes his own plans. He texts his friends to plan sleepovers.
"I think you parent forever," she says. "But time does pass and suddenly my daughter doesn't need to hold hands during a scary movie.
"It's just life," she muses.
JULIANNE MOORE'S BEAUTY SECRETS
Moore says her number one beauty secret is to cover up when you're in the sun …or just go indoors. It's not only good for your health, but the perk is that you stay wrinkle free.
"I have very fair skin and it would be a mess if I didn't wear sunscreen. I've been slathering it on since I was in my '20s," says Moore who says she makes it a goal to simply stay in the shade whenever possible."
Moore has been a spokesperson and model for Revlon and Bulgari and prefers UV blocking moisturizer whenever possible to give herself a little bit of extra protection.
When it comes to makeup, she doesn't shy away from going bold.
Moore is known to put on va-va-voom red lipstick for nights out in Manhattan with her hubby/director Bart Freudlich. (Together, they're parents of Caleb, 13, and Liv, 9.)
Then there is all that great, long red hair. Moore says it comes with a warning.
"All my life, I've heard, 'Hey red, come over here.' Or, 'Here comes the stoplight. Can't miss you.'
"I still hear, 'You look like so-and-so just because we both have red hair although we looking NOTHING alike.
"If I wear a hat, I will hear, 'Oh hi. Where is Julie?'" she says with a warm laugh.
Remind her that her hair is gor-ge-ous!
"That's what all blondes say," she says with a whoop.
CHECK OUT MORE STYLE GOES STRONG EXCLUSIVE CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS
Hollywood Beauty Secrets That Are Worth the Cost
Jeremy Piven's Style and Substance on "Entourage"
Lesley Ann Warren's Natural Beauty Secrets
Do You Hide Clothes From Your Mate?
Joan Rivers on "Fashion Police," Plastic Surgery and Lady Gaga
