Some Olympic athletes look unrecognizable without makeup. But whether these seriously strong ladies are competing or contouring, they always look stunning. Here are Olympic athletes who look totally different without their usual eyeliner and bold lip.
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00:00While makeup and sports aren't two words that typically go together, Olympians are often
00:05flexing their skills in front of millions of fans on TV, and they're amping up their
00:10confidence with a solid beauty routine.
00:13Here's what these Olympic athletes look like when they're not wearing their game face.
00:18With a fierceness like Beyonce, Queen Harrison takes her energy to the track, and she says
00:23that running with her makeup done makes her feel the most powerful.
00:27She told Refinery29,
00:28"'You won't ever catch me at a meet without makeup.
00:32It's part of my uniform now, and it's a performance.
00:35You'd never see Beyonce at a performance with no makeup on.'"
00:37"'There's this beautiful balance of being an athlete and a performer.'"
00:43But because of her world-class glam, fans didn't exactly take Harrison seriously at
00:47first.
00:48She admitted,
00:49"'When I went to pro, I was like, I'm wearing lipstick and winged liner when I race.
00:53And I got quite a bit of flack about it.'"
00:55She doesn't have time to worry about the haters.
00:58She said,
00:59"'You look good.
01:00You feel good.
01:01You perform good.
01:02There are no limits.
01:03If you want to be a track athlete, you can also be beauty-obsessed.'"
01:07Olympic gymnasts are known for their sparkly leotards and slicked-back ponytails, but they're
01:12also famous for that powerful physique.
01:15And this balance of both strength and beauty is what gives six-time Olympic medalist Ali
01:20Raisman her confidence.
01:22She told USA Today,
01:23"'You're doing your sport, and you're really strong and powerful.
01:26But at the same time, you can feel really feminine and beautiful.
01:30I think for me, having that combination is what makes me feel confident.'"
01:34Raisman and the rest of the final five would even get ready together before competition.
01:39She noted,
01:40"'We had one bathroom for five of us to share.
01:42We borrowed each other's makeup.'"
01:43"'I want to work with brands that are encouraging people to feel comfortable and confident in
01:48their own skin.'"
01:49Born out of her love for beauty products, Raisman launched her own makeup line, Fierce,
01:55by Ali Raisman, in 2019, posting on Instagram,
01:58"'Fierce' makeup may be different for each of us.
02:01Whatever makes you feel good is fierce.'"
02:03"'Figure skaters have grit.
02:05It's one of those things where you have to dig down deeper, even deeper than you think
02:10is possible.'"
02:11Figure skater Gracie Gold was born to be a world-class athlete, and not just because
02:16of her name.
02:17She was a powerful and elegant force in the rink.
02:19She recalled to Allure,
02:20"...I started skating when I was eight years old, and my mom did my makeup for me back
02:24then."
02:25Gold began experimenting with makeup as a teenager, and has since been known for her
02:29signature red lip.
02:31During the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, she told Hollywood Life,
02:35"'It started last season as I started to get more internationally known.
02:40I had a red and blue dress, very iconic USA colors, so a red lip fit really well, so it
02:45became my thing."
02:47And it appears her bold look is a perfect fit for the figure skating world.
02:51She shared with Allure,
02:52"...The makeup is a lot like stage makeup, nice and thick to last a whole day of training
02:56and competition.
02:58Everyone can tell who the figure skaters are, because we come from practice with full makeup
03:02and hair done."
03:04Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn is usually covered by goggles and a helmet when she hits the
03:09slopes, but that doesn't mean she skimps on her beauty routine.
03:12She told the Los Angeles Times,
03:14"...I wear makeup when I'm skiing.
03:16I have to use waterproof mascara, especially in the Olympics when I was crying so much."
03:20Her tears certainly turned to waterworks when she won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Winter
03:33Olympics.
03:34She said,
03:35"...I was crying for a long time with a lot of people watching, and I wanted to try and
03:38look somewhat decent for the medal ceremony pictures.
03:41For us, we have to look good right from the beginning, because there's no opportunity
03:45for us to not look as if we've just been doing sports."
03:49Gymnastics icon and five-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles once told Fashionista,
03:55"...My personal style is very basic, just because I'm in the gym a lot.
03:58I haven't established my style yet, or what I like."
04:01"...I'm not that great at eyeshadow, so I just kind of slap it on there.
04:05People are all probably gonna watch this and make fun of me, but it's fine."
04:09For Biles, a low-key look makes her feel the most beautiful.
04:13She said,
04:14"...I don't experiment with my style, yet, because I don't want to look crazy.
04:18You have to be bold, you have to be confident in what you wear.
04:21So I feel like I go for more simple things, just because I feel confident in that."
04:26"...Going into a competition doesn't make me feel better, yes, but it's what I do out
04:33there on the floor that really, really matters."
04:35But even though she appears to have confidence for days, Biles does wish she could be a bit
04:40riskier with her style choices.
04:42She explained,
04:43"...My friend will go all out, and she doesn't care what anybody thinks.
04:46I want an attitude like her, so that I can feel more comfortable."
04:50"...I watched the Olympics when I was seven years old.
04:53I turned to my parents, like, I know what I want to do.
04:56I want to be an Olympic figure skater."
04:58For ice skaters, the glitz, the glam, and the sparkle draw many people to the elite
05:04As Olympic stunner Michelle Kwan simply told Racked,
05:07"...Skating is fashion.
05:09Though it requires power and agility like any other sport, figure skating demands that
05:13athletes give a decidedly theatrical performance, revealing that she always did all of her makeup
05:19herself."
05:20Kwan told Allure,
05:21"...I would do the wing look, and it was so fun, because I was portraying a character,
05:25and I had to get into it.
05:27My costumes, my hair, my makeup had to be that part."
05:30Though Kwan likes to keep her look light, to be gentle on her skin, her figure skating
05:35background gave her a love for all things beauty.
05:38She joked with the outlet,
05:39"...What don't I have in my bag?
05:42You're talking to a figure skater."
05:44Elite competition is fierce, and silver medalist Maria Sharapova takes a different approach
05:49to her makeup look on the tennis court.
05:52In fact, her face is the last thing she thinks about.
05:55She told Harper's Bazaar,
05:56"...I wear zero makeup on the court.
05:58I can't risk it running into my eyes."
06:01Sharapova still manages to keep her skin looking beautiful, revealing that her secret to that
06:06is sunscreen.
06:07She shared with Glamour,
06:08"...My choice of career keeps me in the sun continuously, so adhering to a routine strictly
06:13is incredibly important."
06:15"...When you wake up in the morning and you clean your face, it feels like skincare rather
06:19than something that you must put on."
06:22Even though a tennis career doesn't allow her to experiment as much with makeup at work,
06:26Sharapova still has a lot of fun with her off-duty look.
06:29She explained to Harper's Bazaar,
06:31"...When I'm not playing tennis, I like a fresh-based glow.
06:34At night, I'll wear a fun pink lip."
06:37Preparation for gymnast Alicia Sacramoni's competition look comes together weeks ahead
06:42of her ever-setting foot in the arena.
06:45She told PopSugar,
06:46"...You pick out your leotard and your warm-up suit a couple months in advance, then I base
06:51my makeup off that."
06:53Sacramoni has learned all her makeup tricks over time, and it seems she owes a lot of
06:57these lessons to someone special.
06:59She explained to Glamour,
07:00"...My mom taught me pretty much everything I know about makeup.
07:03The most important thing she taught me is that less is more.
07:07So I never overdo it, because I never want it to look too heavy or too caked on."
07:11"...Beam is a pretty stressful event, and so once you finish and you stay on, you're
07:15like, best day ever!"
07:17Sacramoni's love for all things fashion and beauty is undeniable.
07:21She was even one of the first athletes ever to be signed by CoverGirl.
07:25So what's the gymnast's go-to look?
07:28She says,
07:29"...I like keeping it light and looking natural, so just a little bit of foundation, eyeliner,
07:34and mascara."
07:36Whether chilling on the ice or chilling on the couch, bobsledding beauty Asia Evans'
07:40makeup routine is a daily ritual.
07:43She shared with Yahoo!
07:44Lifestyle,
07:45"...One of the first things I do every day to keep my confidence high is I kind of just
07:49make sure I look and feel my best.
07:52You don't always feel good, but for some reason when I start doing my grooming and daily routine,
07:56it helps me to feel better."
07:57But just because she prioritizes her look, that doesn't mean she's going easy on the
08:02competition.
08:03She told Madame Noir,
08:04"...I always take my look to the sled.
08:07You'll see me many times with lashes and a winged eyeliner, through the peephole of the
08:11helmet."
08:12"...Keep fighting.
08:13That's how you get here."
08:16Because she spends so much time in harsh elements, Evans makes sure to properly prep her skin
08:21before applying product, giving her a glow even on the snowiest days.
08:26She said,
08:27"...It's all about cleaning and moisturizing.
08:28I endure really cold temperatures with a lot of stressors on my skin, between the sweat
08:33and taking my helmet on and off my face.
08:36Staying hydrated and removing all those impurities is a must."
08:40For track and field runner Shannon Robury, her signature pink lip is more than just a
08:45look.
08:46She's proud to honor her grandmother, who used to always wear hot pink lipstick.
08:50She told USA Today,
08:51"...For me, she represents unconditional love and was someone who was extremely tough but
08:56also had a very feminine side.
08:58And I love the fact that women today are allowed to be more than just one thing or another."
09:03Though Robury admits to not wearing much makeup in her downtime, her grandmother taught her
09:07the importance of glamming up for special events in her life.
09:10She added,
09:11"...In my life, there's not much that's more important than getting to go out and represent
09:15my family and my country in these races.
09:18It's a nice way for me to kind of keep her memory alive."
09:21Robury hopes that her bold lip also inspires other women to have the confidence to express
09:26themselves.
09:27She said,
09:28"...You can be a strong, courageous woman, and you can still wear lipstick."
09:33Fans will almost always catch Olympic pair skater Alexa Knierim rocking a bold lip and
09:38eye when she skates onto the rink.
09:41This winter Olympian puts on a true theatrical performance every time she hits the ice, and
09:46her look reflects exactly that.
09:49She told InStyle,
09:50"...It's somewhat like stage actors.
09:52You want the people in the back row of the theater to be able to see that you have rouge
09:56on your cheeks and your lipstick is hot pink.
09:59We wear it heavier for performances than you might otherwise for a date on a Friday night."
10:03Her skating partner and husband, Chris Knierim, also seems to be a big fan of everything Alexa
10:08does.
10:09She said,
10:10"...It's like, I love you because we did this together and you helped me get to this point
10:13of achievement that I've been dreaming of."
10:15Gymnast Gabby Douglas admits that she doesn't wear much makeup when she's training for her
10:19next big competition, in order to avoid a breakout.
10:23But she told Cosmo,
10:24"...When I compete, though, I like to spice things up.
10:26We all use makeup as part of our whole look when we go out to compete and really have
10:31a lot of fun with it.
10:32Getting ready, I enjoy experimenting with eyeshadow and fun lipsticks that complement
10:36my leotard."
10:37But even though Douglas uses makeup to make a statement, whether it be on the bars or
10:41the beam, it's not the most important thing on her mind.
10:45She said,
10:46"...I believe we are all beautiful without it.
10:48We just use it to enhance the beauty that is already there."
10:51"...I just want to encourage women to be strong, to be powerful, and to just have so much confidence."
10:57Though a love for theatrical makeup seems to be a common theme with figure skaters,
11:02it took Ashley Wagner time to get used to going bold.
11:05She told Today,
11:06"...I am hooked on mascara.
11:08I just layer, layer, layer.
11:10I'm really, really pale, so it took me a long time to figure out how to put on bronzer without
11:15looking orange.
11:16You have to find the perfect color for you.
11:18The same bronzer doesn't work for everybody."
11:20"...There is no place that I would rather be than center ice with the audience on their
11:25feet at the end of a long program."
11:27The Olympian grew up living all over the world, which she attributes to inspiring her own
11:32look.
11:33She explained to the Los Angeles Times,
11:34"...natural beauty is recognized internationally, so that's what I center my beauty routine
11:40around."
11:42Four-time Olympic gold medalist Serena Williams knows how to work her look both on and off
11:47the court, and she does her own glam for all her matches.
11:50She told Into the Gloss,
11:52"...I'm such a beauty junkie.
11:54It's pathetic, actually.
11:55Honestly, I love going to Sephora.
11:57I could spend hours in there."
11:59"...I saw this really cool packaging, and it was like pink and gold, and I love gold
12:02and I love pink.
12:04They're like my favorite colors, and I was like, I'm definitely going to try that product
12:06out."
12:07Though this iconic tennis star is no stranger to a red carpet or two, she admits that her
12:11go-to makeup look is usually pretty low-key.
12:14The working mother explained,
12:16"...I have this whole natural vibe.
12:18Just a little concealer, just a little brow, just a little contour, just a little lip.
12:22Natural.
12:23That's it.
12:24It's hard with a baby and everything, so I really have to force myself to take time for
12:28myself."
12:29But lucky for fans, it appears Williams isn't going to be curbing her beauty obsession any
12:33time soon.
12:34According to TMZ, she even filed a trademark in 2018 for a new beauty company.
12:40If this happens to be the real deal, we can't wait to get our hands on it.