Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez isn't running for president — at 30, she's got another five years before she's even allowed to — but she has been spending some time on the campaign trail lately as a high-profile endorser of Bernie Sanders. The congresswoman went to Los Angeles with the campaign on Saturday, December 21, where she spoke at a rally, but before greeting the crowd, she greeted her Instagram followers with a little look into her makeup routine and why, though she's great at doing her makeup, she wishes it wasn't considered a necessity for women in politics.
"So, first and foremost, I do not have a glam team. I don't have a hairstylist, I don't have a makeup artist that I take on the road with me. I do my own makeup," Ocasio-Cortez says in a makeup-free video taken with her phone's front-facing camera, explaining that the only time a professional does her makeup is when TV station makeup artists do it so it shows up correctly on-camera. "So it's all very DIY, especially if you're a woman running for office. You just have to learn how to do your own makeup. And I did it with lots of YouTube tutorials."
She then shares a photo of the makeup she brought with her to L.A., and while she didn't list the specific products, it appears she's using Huda Beauty's Easy Bake Powder and Matte & Metal Melted Shadow, the Allure Best of Beauty and Readers' Choice award-winning L'Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara, Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and what appears to be a Nars blush, a Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour palette, Fenty Beauty Match Stix, a Glossier Haloscope highlighter, as well as few other items, including her go-to Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso — the red she famously wore throughout her own Congressional campaign in 2018.
Along with the photo, she wrote, "This is what I used today. It's more than usual (for me) but campaign stops have a zillion lights, lots of cameras, etc and it needs to stay on for a very long day." She also noted, "Most of these products have excellent dupes! I also use dupes/drugstore bb cream for everyday makeup too."
As comfortable as Ocasio-Cortez is with beauty products — she has previously shared her skin-care routine and favorite press-on nails — she's also keenly aware of the double standard it sometimes embodies. "This is kind of one of those small rituals that happens every day," she says after revealing her completed look. "Well, not every day if you're me, but, I think if you're a woman running for office or just kind of in the workplace in general, this is one of those slight elevated expectations of women, to put 30 minutes to an hour into their appearance every day to look just as 'presentable' as a man who puts 10 minutes into their appearance."
Before her Instagram Stories move on to behind-the-scenes looks at other aspects of the campaign, she urges people to talk about how this can make a major impact on a woman's life. "On a day to day level, it may not seem that big of a difference, but when you added up over years, women spending an hour in the morning — that's one more hour in the day that adds to what women have to do that a lot of other people don't have to do. And I think it's an important conversation for us to have."
More on AOC:
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Paid $300 for a Haircut and Highlights Because That’s What a Haircut and Highlights Fucking Cost
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Getting a Makeover From Drag Race Star Shuga Cain
- Why it Matters That Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wore Hoops to Her Swearing-In Ceremony
Now watch a WWE star's entire beauty routine:
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