Nina Dobrev’s Outlook On Beauty & Aging Is Refreshing

Nina Dobrev will forever be known for her iconic dual role as the tortured girl-next-door, Elena Gilbert, and diabolical temptress, Katherine Pierce, on The Vampire Diaries. The nine-season series first aired 15 years ago (yes, that’s correct), and thanks to streaming, the show continues to be as relevant as ever, ushering in a new generation of diehard fans. Since exiting the show in its sixth season, Dobrev has been hard at work starring in various films, like the whodunit Reunion and the Netflix rom-com Love Hard. The 35-year-old has also taken on a new important role, partnering with the Shiseido Blue Project to raise awareness for protecting our oceans. 

Refinery29 exclusively caught up with the beauty at the 4th Annual Shiseido Blue Project’s Beach Clean-Up in Huntington Beach, California. “Shiseido is really inspiring and galvanizing people to be more aware not only of the oceans but of our impact on the beach and how [debris and microplastics] eventually end up in the oceans,” Dobrev, who also hosted the event, tells R29. 

Just days prior, she was at the Paris Olympics with her snowboarder beau Shaun White. “We had such a good time; it was my first time in Paris, and it definitely did not disappoint.” In June, Dobrev suffered a fractured knee with damage to her ACL and meniscus when she inadvertently did a wheelie and lost control on a dirt bike. Attending the Olympics, she says, was the inspiration she needed to help kickstart her recovery. “Especially right now with my injury, getting to see these athletes at the peak of their performances made me want to work harder in physical therapy to get back to my mobility and walking,” she explains. 

Below, she talks about her time on The Vampire Diaries, what wellness treatments she can’t live without, and how her view on beauty has changed as she’s gotten older. 

I wake up, brush my teeth, wash my face, and put my serums on. Then I top off with face cream and sunscreen, and apply my makeup. At night, I like to use an enzyme cleaner for exfoliation. 

I change it up a lot, but the Shiseido Clear Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 is really great. It's sheer and sticks to the skin nicely, so you can easily apply makeup on top of it, which I love. You can also re-apply it on top of your makeup when you need to touch it up. The other thing that people don't realize about sunscreen is that it only lasts for like an hour to an hour and a half, so it's really important to reapply throughout the day. Plus, it's small and compact, so you can roll it onto your skin wherever you are — at the beach, in the car, getting off the plane.

I keep it super simple. I usually put on a little bit of foundation and some mascara. That's my go-to.

Everyone ages; that's part of life. Embracing that change as opposed to trying to fight it in unnatural ways is key. I think it's important to take care of your skin by using SPF during the day and then removing your makeup every single night. When I was younger, I definitely didn't. I'd sleep with my makeup on after a big night, and you could tell the difference. So, taking care of my skin to keep it as youthful as possible for as long as possible, as long as nature will allow – that’s my philosophy.

I love getting lymphatic massages. I also get facials every month or two.  And at home, I use one of those microcurrent tools. 

Yeah, tons. I've been going to hyperbaric chambers to help speed up the healing process. I have a machine, it’s a thing that you wrap around your knee, and you turn it on, and it pumps cold ice water into the area for 20 minutes. I do that two or three times a day to get the inflammation out of my knee and get the blood flowing. I go to physical therapy almost every single day, and other than that, I stay off of it (unless I have a beach cleanup to do).

Every now and then, I'll throw a face mask on him, but then he has to shave. So he doesn't really like to do it.

I can't tell you which one was my favorite because that's like picking your favorite child. You just can't do it. My favorite part about being on the show is that I got to play two different characters. Katherine wore a lot more makeup and Elena was a little bit more natural, so that helped me get into character. The different makeup really changed my whole energy.