Looking bright and cheerful in a video she appeared in recently, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talks about her skincare and makeup regime, along with the signature red lip that she is known for in her public appearances.
Neatly-arranged towels lend a relatable background to the video as the New York Democrat AOC talks about “life in politics”, healthcare, keeping people safe amid the pandemic and explains why lack of sleep has caused bags under her eyes, in the video published by Vogue magazine.
Ocasio-Cortez applies her toner, vitamin C serum, moisturizer, saying she frequently receives questions on social media about her skin care routine and makeup and said that travelling between Washington, D.C., and her New York City district takes “a huge toll on your skin.”
“The reason why I think it’s so important to share these things is that, first of all, femininity has power, and, in politics, there is so much criticism and nitpicking about how women and femme people present ourselves. Just being a woman is quite politicized here in Washington,” she said.
“There’s this really false idea that if you care about makeup or if your interests are in beauty and fashion, that that’s somehow frivolous. But I actually think these are some of the most substantive decisions that we make, and we make them every morning,” she adds.
She urges her viewers not to “play games with sunscreen -- you’d always put too much than too little.”
Her work involves extensive travel which also takes a huge toll on the skin so she puts on a moisturizing mask when she’s in the train but she also ensures to carry her skincare products with her.
AOC also addressed her signature red lipstick, which rose to fame during her 2018 primary campaign.
“When you’re always kind of running around, sometimes the best way to really look put together is a bold lip, and, of course, being Latina, this is like, very much our culture, where we come from,” she said. “I will wear a red lip when I want confidence, when I need a boost of confidence.”
“Our culture is so predicated on diminishing women, and kind of preying on our self-esteem, and so it’s quite a radical act, and it’s almost like a mini protest to love yourself in a society that’s always trying to tell you you’re not the right weight, you’re not the right colour, you’re not the right whatever it is. When you stand up and you say, ‘you know what, you don’t make that decision. I make that decision,’ It’s very powerful,” the first-term lawmaker adds with a smile.
One of the most ultimate gifts you can give to yourself is the feeling of beauty and confidence that must come from within. “I just decided I’m not going to waste my time. If I’m going to spend an hour in the morning doing my glam, it’s not going to be because I’m afraid of what some Republican photo is going to look like. I’m going to do it, because I feel like it.”
She jokes about being “naturally blessed” with thick brows that’s in vogue in 2020.
Ocasio-Cortez also calls out the “pink tax,” or the higher prices that people pay for products marketed as feminine, such as pink razors in the video. “Pink tax is not just about money, but about time.”
“If waking up in the morning and doing your makeup gives you life, then that is amazing, and you should do it. But, what we are also seeing all too often is that women who wear makeup, there are studies that show that women who wear makeup or regularly wear a decent amount of makeup, kind of show up to the office in glam, also make more money, and so, at that point, these calculations and decisions stop being about choice, and they start being about patriarchy,” she continued. Beauty should be about the “person who is applying it,” also calling out the pay-gap in the society.
She talks about how being the youngest person in Congress, it’s so difficult to be taken seriously, all while explaining her choice of glitter eyeshadow and a bronzer she uses.
“One of the things I love about a liquid lipstick is because it stays all day.”
She concludes the video with a note on self-love, which she’s also shared on her Instagram account which she captions: “My key to beauty? 🔑 The inside job. But a little red lipstick can’t hurt. 😉”
“Let’s go seize the day and find the power,” AOC adds cheerfully ending the skincare video.
Incase you missed it, here’s a list of the products AOC uses in her regular skin and makeup regime every morning, in other words, the empowerment she finds in her makeup bag:
Face: Nars lightweight tinted moisturizer, Estee Lauder’s Double Wear finish, Fenty Beauty’s Contour Stick, color corrector, concealer, vitamin C serum and a sunscreen.
Eyebrows: An eyebrow pencil only
Eyes: Glitter eyeshadow, crayon liner, eyelash curler followed by mascara
Lips: Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso -- the shade sold out in the first few months of AOC’s debut year in politics.
