If you have ever watched one of Team USA’s artistic swimming routines—which include flips, dives, handstands, and dramatic splashing through the water all with a full face of glam and hair—you have likely wondered how the red lipstick and cat eyeliner stay in place. “Competition makeup isn’t a big secret like people may think!” swimmer and two-time Olympian Anita Alvarez jokes. “We just look for waterproof makeup.”
Weeks before they departed for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Vogue caught up with teammates Keana Hunter, Daniella Ramirez, and Alvarez to talk beauty… which did come with a big secret after all.
While the makeup may be the question on everybody’s lips, it’s the artistic swimmer hair routine that is much more specialized to the sport. Unlike speed swimmers, polo players, or divers who all wear swim caps, artistic swimmers leave their hair exposed to the water as part of the aesthetic. What comes along with this sacrifice is a “big secret”: Hunter reveals that Knox Gelatine (yes, you may recognize the packaging from your grocery store) is the final product that gives that ultra-shiny, helmet-like finish to their hair.
“Our signature hairstylist is a tight braided bun, which needs a lot of hair ties, bobby pins, and hairnets,” Hunter says. Once styled into place, it’s time for the gelatin finish. “It’s usually combed into our hair hot when it’s the consistency of honey. Put a few layers to help it stay as long as possible.” From there, wait for it to dry.
“It hardens like a helmet and we bobby pin a ‘headpiece’ on top to match our swimsuit,” Alvarez adds. “There are more detailed steps and special techniques that each person has, but that is the gist!” Hunter adds that their coach, Andrea Fuentes, has made a special version for the team that’s both stronger and smells better than the grocery store variety.
To get it out, a very hot shower is needed. That, combined with on average 6 hours in an outdoor, chlorinated pool, also really dries out the team’s skin and hair. “My skin is always dry and sensitive when I leave the pool,” Ramirez says, adding that post-shower Cerave is key to keeping her skin calm.
Overall, Alvarez says, beauty is a huge part of artistic swimming and it needs to make an impact. “Since the judges and audience are so far away, we like to do a bold black eyeliner with a nice red lipstick,” she says, adding that Makeup Forever is her go-to. “We’re looking for something that will hold up in the water, through happy tears when celebrating on the podium, and everything in between.”