Tennis champion Venus Williams shares an exclusive look inside her beauty bag
With seven Grand Slam singles titles, two US Open wins and five Wimbledon trophies under her belt, the legendary tennis champion Venus Williams understands better than most that self-belief is key to both performing and feeling your best.
"My personal approach to beauty is really about confidence," Williams tells us in the latest episode of our Inside My Beauty Bag franchise. "It doesn't matter what that looks like, as long as it makes you feel good."
The athlete always starts the day with a helping of plant protein and superfood powder from her brand Happy Viking, a formula she developed after being diagnosed with a career-ending autoimmune disease, and which she credits for helping fuel her recovery. The rest of the morning sees Williams leaning into her spiritual side with "prayer, meditation and reading my bible" along with visualisation exercises. "Some mornings I don't get to that because I'm in a rush," she admits, but having "that intention" is part of the process.
When it comes to her beauty routine, Williams is all about nourishing her skin and hair with plenty of moisture and cult classic products such as the Estée Lauder Advance Night Repair serum, which she counts as a firm favourite that's widely available to buy (excellent for jet-setters like herself). She's also a big fan of a face spritz. "I'm that crazy person that you'll see with rosewater, spraying 90 times a day," she says, laughing. "If there's a rosewater shortage, it will be because of me."
To seal in the hydration, she relies on Tata Harper's Waterlock Moisturiser, which contains orange peptides to bolster the skin barrier, and that all-essential hyaluronic acid. The 44-year-old is an advocate for facial massage too, incorporating the practice into her routine both with tools and hands.
Williams' make-up regime is simple yet effective, including products by Pat McGrath ("I love her, she's so fun – no one is more talented or a better time," she says of the beauty maestro) and Wyn Beauty, founded by her sister Serena.
When it comes to specifics, she name-checks Wyn Beauty's Big Vision Tubing Mascara and the Say Everything Max Intensity Featherweight Lipstick as make-up bag mainstays. Williams also rates the multi-tasking qualities of Pat McGrath Labs' Divine Blush stick. "If you're in a pinch and you've got nothing else, you can throw this on the eyes, lips and cheeks."
As a sportswoman, Williams is an advocate for mentorship. "You can learn from someone else's not only wins, but losses, and it can help you to catapult forward. My older sister used to say, 'I made this mistake so you don't have to'."
For young athletes, Williams has this advice: "There's nothing better than leaving it all out there even if you don't win, that's something that you can be proud of." She applies the same wise – and practical – attitude to the rest of her lifestyle, too. "Wear your sunscreen, moisturise your skin, eat right. It pays off."
Spoken like a real winner.
Watch the full video interview above. The October issue of Harper's Bazaar, starring Venus Williams, is out now.
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