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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 gymnast Suni Lee reveals how she fends off blisters from the uneven bars, how a neutral manicure is the key to success on the beam, and why she eschews eyeliner and mascara while competing.
Gymnast Suni Lee is upping her beauty game for the 2024 Olympics. “I feel like I’ve elevated my look in the past few years,” the gold medalist, who won first place in the women’s all-around at the 2020 Tokyo Games, tells Allure. “I’m doing more glam when I’m competing. I’m a true believer in look good, feel good.”
To that end, she has her go-to products on hand at all times in Paris. “I keep my makeup bag with me on the floor. If you look closely, you’ll see it; I’m always checking [that] everything’s in place.”
Two things she won’t have in there: eyeliner and mascara. “I’m an emotional person, so anything makes me cry.” Even if it's happy tears, “I don’t want it streaming down my face.” That’s why she got a lash extension fill before she departed. For on-the-ground touch ups, she brought big sister Shyenne. “She’s a lash technician,” Lee explains. “She does my whole family.”
Shyenne is also assisting with hairstyling and impromptu manicure needs. “Sometimes she’ll get annoyed with me and be like, ‘All you care about is gymnastics.’” I told her, “Well, that’s true… but now you’re going to Paris, so what’s the problem?”
Before she landed abroad, Lee broke down the beauty regimen she (and her sister) planned for the Games.
Hair
I’ve been loving slicked-back rows of braids. They look so much more mature than what I used to do, which was a side braid. That was the younger Suni. This is cleaner, plus it’ll showcase my face with the high-collared leos.
I make my hair super, super tight because in the back of my head I’m like, “What are the chances that I rotate and I fall on my back and my hair gets all crazy?” The Göt2B Styling Glue is amazing for slicking my hair back and keeping my baby hairs down. It is really hard to get off, which sucks, but it's worth it because my hair doesn’t move. At night, I'll double wash it with Kérastase shampoo to make sure it’s all out.
Jordan [Chiles] did my hair at the last Olympics and at the classics, so she’ll probably help do it again along with my sister. She does her own. It’s like a team thing. I’m probably going to help Hezly [Rivera] with her makeup. We all love each other so much and have an amazing bond.
Skin
I’m going to bring a couple of face masks. I love the Biodance Bio-Collagen face mask. It’s the one all over TikTok. It starts out white, then after a couple of hours it goes clear once it's done soaking into your face. When I take it off in the morning my skin is super firm and shiny. It’s so good.
Lately, my skin has been breaking out from all the stress, so I’ve been using SkinMedica’s exfoliating cleanser. It exfoliates really well but isn’t too harsh [on my] sensitive skin. Their Rejuvenating Hydrator is really good, too. Since it's summer, I also wear Innisfree sunscreen because it's super lightweight and doesn’t leave a white cast.
Makeup
When it comes to our makeup, everyone [on the team] really decides for themselves what they want to do. I’m going to go for it. I’ll pull out a red lip for Paris.
Setting mist is really important for me. I don’t sweat that much, so it’s not about sweating, but if I miss a turn and hit my face on the mat, I don’t want to worry if my makeup is still on or if it transferred anywhere. I use the L’Oréal setting spray because it keeps it in place for a really long time.
Since I’ll be there for a while and won’t be able to have my lashes filled, I’m bringing Kiss Falscara wisps for touch-ups because they’re really easy to use and for my sister to help me with.
Body
I love the leotards! My favorite has to be the white pro one; I love a white leo. With a tan it looks so good, so I’m going to self-tan before I go. I like the St. Tropez line.
Rough skin from all the chalk is definitely an issue, so I use Sol De Janeiro body oil to moisturize. I’ll use it the night before [a meet] instead of in the morning because I get scared of being too slippery if I have to grab my legs during competition.
For blisters, there’s this stuff called Bag Balm. I carry it around with me and put it on when I get a rip. It helps numb and heal it. Before every turn on the bars, I’ll put a little bit on. If my hands are really hurting, I’ll use it as a hand treatment: put it on at night, put gloves on, and go to sleep.
I’m a perfume person and will probably wear some when I compete. Right now, I’ve been loving Jo Malone Scarlett Poppy. It's refreshing and not overly sweet; I’m not a super floral girl.
We’ll have our physical therapists there to help us out because our bodies are going to be going through it. Getting [dry] needling done is my favorite because I react to it right away, and it helps my body the most. It’s when they use needles to go into the sore spots to help release the pain. I’ll do it on a lighter day, like after evening practice before we go to bed, and then wake up feeling fresh.
Nails
My [manicure] go-to is usually French—I’m definitely going to do one for the Olympics because we’ll be in Paris. It’s a clean, simple look. Our leotards have so much going on. I don’t want to take away from that. I use Kiss Salon X-tend nails. They’re fun, and you can do so much with them. Lately, I’ve been adding a design or an accent color. I put the nails on myself, but my sister comes up with the design.
I used to do all-white toes, but then my coach was like, “If they’re white, it’s easier for the judges to tell when your toes are off the beam.” Since then, I’ve kept them really, really neutral. I need all the points I can get!
More from the Olympics:
- How Fighters' Hairstyles Can Make the Difference Between Winning and Losing
- How 4 Black Gymnasts Style Their Hair for Competition
- How Synchronized Swimmers Keep Their Performance-Perfect Makeup Intact
Now watch an Olympian's daily routine:
