Thandie Newton turned to books when she couldn’t get attention from boys.

The 39-year-old actress insists she wasn’t popular with the opposite sex when she was growing up so spent her spare time reading romantic novels to “make sense” of the feelings she had.

She explained: “I lost myself in reading as a teen. Wasn’t the girl who boys saw themselves being involved with; I lived in a small town and you weren’t going to go out with the black girl.

“So these sweeping stories taught me about love and romance. Reading was the only way I could make sense of the hormones coursing through my body.”

Thandie also admitted she has learned a lot from the dark times in her life.

Discussing why she loves Pema Chodron’s book ‘When Things Fall Apart’, she told Britain’s Elle magazine: “I read this at a difficult time and found it incredibly comforting.

“The moment Chodron realised she had to make a change in her life was when her husband told her he’d been having an affair and was leaving her. The rage she felt was so powerful, it made her see that she needed to temper it with compassion.

“But it was that rage that led her to a huge epiphany of love and that is certainly something I’ve encountered in my life.

“The most painful and difficult times have been the key to wisdom, understanding and deep love.”

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AS a Hollywood actress and the face of Olay Total Effects, Thandie Newton knows a thing or two about beauty. But when it comes to her two young daughters, she’s prepared to let them experiment with their own styles.

“I love it if my seven-year-old wants to wear red lipstick to school. That’s fantastic, it’s her self-expression,” Newton told us. “[Make-up] is not about hiding from the world, it’s about creating a stage for yourself wherever you go.”

And whilst Newton will turn 40 next year, cosmetic surgery is far from the forefront of her mind.

“People have to make informed decisions,” she said of surgery, citing 76-year-old actress Maggie Smith as her beauty icon of 2011. “It’s dangerous. Personally it’s not something that I’ve thought about or want to do because I groove on getting older. I don’t mind the grey hair.”

Instead the actress’ beauty regime is surprisingly simple.

“I actually don’t wash my face in the morning. I splash water on my face and then whatever oils my body has produced overnight I put back into my skin… I put Olay Total Effects on, and a bit of rouge, and I’m done.”

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Thandie Newton is currently in talks to play the lead in a Stateside adaptation of a new Canadian sci-fi/crime drama TV series Out Of Time, for Graham King’s TV division.

A pilot episode script has been penned for the hour-long drama that “centers on a female cop in the year 2077 who is transporting a group of terrorists en route to their execution. Suddenly, however, the group is sent time traveling back to 2012 where they can reconstitute their violent agenda.”

A US network has yet to pick up the series, so who knows where it’ll end up… if anywhere.

I’m not familiar with the original Canadian series, which hasn’t even begun airing yet in Canada, so I can’t offer any commentary on it, or on Thandie’s potential lead role.

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Hollywood star and BAFTA award-winning actress Thandie Newton (Crash, The Pursuit of Happiness) will be attending the UK première of An African Election this Sunday (20th November 2011). The screening takes place at The Rich Mix Cinema in London, and will be followed by a Q&A with director Jarreth Merz.

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Did you know that a cup of fresh juice made from vegetables like carrots and yellow squash can actually give you the same glow as fake tanner? According to actress Thandie Newton it does. The London-born actress (and Olay Total Effects brand ambassador) has loads to say about getting luminous skin the natural way. “I’ve found with my skin, that if I just keep it simple, do less to it, it does a world of good,” says Newton. We sat down with the the mother of two to discuss her makeup bag essentials, beauty icons and the best skincare advice she’s ever received.

What does your skincare routine involve?
Very recently, I found that my skin was kind of getting red and I had these little bumps. I was like, “What is going on?” Through trial and error, I realized I was just messing around with it too much. When I’m in the ocean, my skin just is glowing. Within days, any bumps or tired lines or dryness just disappears. I think there’s something about that wonderful freshness of the ocean air, or fresh air in general. You’re out and about, it’s so good for you. We spend so much time indoors with central heating and so on, it really dries the skin out. So I try to get out as much as possible, and not to fuss around with my skin too much.

What products do you always have in your makeup bag?
My lips get dry, might be because I’ve been applying lip balm forever. It was about a few years ago that that I thought, ‘Oh my God, if I added up how much lip balm goes into my system everyday,’ because you eat it with food and it gets in your mouth, I’m practically spreading it on a piece of bread. I mean, everything we put on our skin should be edible, it really should. Because it’s an organ, it’s like a big mouth that we’re putting stuff on. The one that I always have in my bag is by Neal’s Yard Remedy, and a little rouge, I always have a pot of rouge. Julie Hewitt does great colors. Oh, and under eye concealer by Becca.

What skincare advice did you learn from your mother?
You know, ever since I was little, my mom has used Olay, and I kind of love it because it’s that affordable brand which was a little bit classy when I was a kid. Back then it was called Oil of Olay. It was the product, I look back and think, “One day, when I grow up, I’m going to have my own bottled moisturizer.” So it’s just a nostalgic thing.

Who are your personal beauty icons?
My mom.

Are there any foods you rely on for glowy skin?
I’m a revolutionary juicer now. It changes every single day, it’s partly what’s at the farmer’s market because it needs to be organic. If you want to have a slightly tanned look, you don’t need to use self-tanners or sun bathe. Literally if you eat more yellow and orange vegetables, your skin will have a slightly tanned look.

What’s the one skincare tip you would tell all women?
To think about what’s going inside your body. Your skin is this incredible map that’s telling you what’s going on. And it can look extraordinary if you feed yourself well. It’s not about not eating sugar or not eating wheat, it’s about moderation.

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