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Welcome to Shelf Life, where Olympians are breaking down the beauty routines carrying them through the 2024 Paris Games. Today, Team USA rugby center Ilona Maher reveals the secret to indestructible braids (it’s not just hair gel), the deodorant that keeps her fresh for hours on end of high-impact exercise, and the reason she’s always wearing lipstick on the pitch.
Even on a rugby pitch full of women, it’s easy to spot Ilona Maher. Her face, instantly recognizable from TikTok (where she has more than a million followers), is often accentuated with poppy red or ruddy terra cotta lips framing bright white flashes of her mouth guard—a necessity when your job involves head-on collisions and keeping possession of the ball at any cost.
Maher would rather subvert stereotypes of female rugby players than give in to them. She wears makeup on the field just like she would anywhere else, she says, and competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics is no exception.
Much like the last time Maher joined Team USA rugby at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, she plans to spend her downtime in Paris documenting the goings-on in the Olympic Village to her massive social media following—and not just for fun. “It's not just for me… It is for me, of course, but also for my sport,” Maher says. “Olympics are where sports get seen and people get made, and I want people to tune in to rugby and have their daughters be like, ‘Hey dad, I want to try that. Mom, that looks really cool.’”
And given Maher’s instant likeability on and off the pitch, it’s easy to tune in. During our chat, Maher broke down the beauty routine she uses head to toe during and after rugby tournaments, including her signature lipstick, the deodorant that keeps her feeling fresh, and the reason she actually prefers to have really, really, really dirty hair sometimes.
Hair
"The dirtier [my hair], the better at times. A lot of us don't wash our hair throughout the whole tournament schedule because [we play] six games over three days. Before games we like to get our hair braided because it's going to be in scrums [where players pack closely together with their heads down], we’re tackling, so it's going to get messed up. I get it braided with a lot of gel just so it can withstand rugby. You want your hair to stay in whatever style it's in.
“It's a weird sport we play. It's three days of going all out, and [hair is] something you don't want to worry about. The best feeling is getting a shower and washing your hair after a tournament. I use Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner.”
Skin
"I'm actually cofounding a skin-care brand called Medalist; it's me and a former D1 swimmer [Ann Ragan Kearns]. We are developing a locker room collection getting released around the Olympics [on July 1]. We know exactly what [products] female athletes need. Three things would be our anti-chafe stick—we wear tiny shorts and are not known for our thigh gaps in rugby, and we don't want to be! Usually, you are putting on sunscreen and then you're sweating and then you're in the dirt; being able to constantly feel clean with wipes [is important]. Medalist also has a rehydrating spray… to refresh [skin].
“For sun protection [on the pitch], I actually got a free sample from Cay Skin. I wish I could say I have a serious [post-tournament] skin-care routine right now. I wash my face in the shower and I use La-Roche Posay. Should I be better at moisturizing? For sure. I use the Bag Balm, which is a Vermont brand, and I love their stuff. That's the lotion that I've been using recently on my face and body. I am kind of minimalist in my skin care. I find products, and if I like them, I just keep going. I don't try out new things.”
Makeup
"I play a sport that is traditionally very masculine. You have to be, supposedly, very manly to play. I think it's putting female athletes in a box. So I wear makeup [on the pitch] to give a big ‘eff you’ to having to sacrifice my femininity. Even while I wear lipstick or have mascara on, I can still tackle hard, run hard, and be a great rugby player.
"Lipstick is my way of saying how I feel, how I want to be presented. I can wear bright colors on the field because I have a lipstick that I really trust is going to stay on my face. The lipstick I wear on the field is Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink. It stays up to the point where you’ve got to work to get it off. My favorite mascara right now is the Tarte Tubing Mascara. I'll do my eyebrows with a little [Glossier] Boy Brow or whatnot.
“We're seeing a lot of other [rugby] teams now wearing makeup and it's celebrating that we are incredible athletes who play a very tough sport, but that doesn't mean we're also not feminine and feel beautiful. A lot of [players] wear bows in their hair. It's not detracting from the athlete that they are. I think we also want to make sure that girls know that this is a space to be anything you want to be. If you want to play rugby, you can come as you are. So [makeup] is important for us.”
Body
"In my sport, you're putting on a jersey twice a day, you're not getting washed. You want to keep it fresh in some sort of way. For deodorant, I use Secret Outlast. [Deodorant] is really important because it is also about confidence; some people are very self-conscious about their smell and how they are off the pitch. I try to be cautious about that and make sure I smell good… [But] I just want to make clear that sweating is normal. Your body's keeping up with you; it's trying to regulate things. All these things come with athletics
“I like to use Sun Bum [for sun protection]. My teammate gets a big order of it, so she gives me one every time. I am using a Venus razor [for hair removal between matches]. I just love the feel of them, how they glide. I don't even need to use a cream for it. And my favorite new perfume is Gucci Flora.”
Nails
"I'm a nail biter, that's my little anxious tick, so I would love to have fake nails all the time and some of my teammates do. But I just get so afraid of my nails bending back when I'm catching a ball or tackling (you use your hands to grab jerseys). I actually should go get my nails done, honestly, just to get a color on them, but I like having short nails so that I can just get the ball and not feel scared. It hurts so badly when you push your nail back. But if I could wear fake nails all the time, I would.
“I do like to have my toes done constantly. It makes me feel very good to have my feet looking good because I’m in a sport where you're in and out of moist cleats all day. Right when I'm done practicing, I take off my socks and I'll put on a fresh pair. It's really important because [sweaty socks] can be a breeding ground for things and I just don't want to have to handle that.”
More on the Olympics:
- How 4 Black Gymnasts Style Their Hair for Competition
- This One Olympic Women's Rugby Player Braids Hair for the Entirety of Team USA
- How Synchronized Swimmers Keep Their Performance-Perfect Makeup Intact
Now, watch an Olympian's daily routine:
