You know Ashley Greene for her red carpet looks, her turns as Alice Cullen in the Twilight movie series, and—admit it, tabloid junkies—as Joe Jonas’s ex. This month, she gets her Farah Fawcett on in the indie drama Skateland set in the early 1980s, playing Michelle, a college-bound teenage mall employee with a crush on her longtime friend Ritchie, a slacker genius who works at a dying roller skating rink. We asked the actress about all things ’80s, high school beauty, and for her favorite products and tips.
Your character, Michelle, is a real music buff. Do you have a favorite ’80s song? “I don’t! I wasn’t very well-versed in ’80s music [until the movie], so it was a good thing that they gave us all a full iPod and introduced us to The Cure and Joy Division.”
Who do you think had the best retro look? “Farah Fawcett. Best ’80s hair. Definitely.”
You kind of have that feathered hair in the movie. “That’s who we were inspired by.”
You also rocked blue eye shadow. Would you do that in real life? “Probably not. But it was really fun to do stuff like that on film. You know what? Maybe I’d wear a different shade, a very sheer blue, one that’s not as intense.”
Are there any ’80s trends that you do love? “I like very bright, bright neon colors. I have a really amazing neon green clutch that adds a pop of color to an outfit. I’ll do some retro-inspired pieces, but never an ’80s ensemble.”
What’s a current trend that you wouldn’t wear? “Boyfriend jeans don’t look good on me, as much as I try to do it. They look good on Halle Berry, but everything looks good on Halle Berry. I’m also not a huge platforms girl.”
Any particular reason? “I like stilettos with platforms but the full-on platforms that are kind of coming back just remind me of when I was in 6th grade.”
What was your high school beauty look? “I don’t think I really had one. I know I wanted really thin, flat, straight hair. That was the big thing. Even though I didn’t know how to do it yet, I actually flattened my hair once with an iron. It was really bad. Not cute. And I went through a stage with dark lip liner.”
Brown? “Yeah, that was maybe 7th grade. I didn’t have a sense of my own personal style and self until I was much older.”
Have you picked up any makeup or hair tricks while working with the pros on movie sets? “Definitely. I mean, you’re sitting there for an hour watching them do your hair and makeup every day. And it’s so funny—when I started in this industry, everyone would always say, ‘Do you have any particular thing you like or don’t like?’ And I would always be like, ‘No, you can do whatever.’ But now I say, ‘Can I wear my brows like this? I don’t like my lashes this way.’ You learn what works for you. I think the best beauty tip I’ve learned is that eyebrows shape your face and thinner is not always better. That’s one thing I’d always do in high school—I’d try to have super-thin eyebrows. Now I’m always filling them in to make them a bit fuller.”
What beauty products are in your purse right now? “Mark Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain—it’s not sticky and it’s not super-glossy. It leaves a bit of a stain, so you don’t have to worry about reapplying. Anything that’s low maintenance, I tend to like. I also have the Mark Light Bright Lighten & Depuff Eye Gel; I usually fly in on red eye flights, which I did last night. That stuff is magical.
Are you good at falling asleep on planes? “Oh yes, it’s like a talent. I should put that on my resume. The second we take off, I’m generally out.”
What’s your airplane beauty routine? Do you go bare-faced? “Yes, especially if it’s an all nighter or a long flight. For a shorter flight, maybe concealer and some mascara, if I want to look decent. Evian has a water spritzer I really like— that’s one of my biggest things, to stay hydrated, because traveling from place to place really messes up your skin.