Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has just proved that she's pretty savvy when it comes to make-up. She delivered her very own at-home beauty video tutorial via Vogue and began with a bare face before working through the latter half of her skincare routine and moving on to make-up. We're more used to seeing Alexandria fighting the good fight in Washington but speaking to the camera she proved that beauty and her life as a female politician are inextricably linked. Speaking to camera while working through her toner and moisturiser Alexandria admitted, 'just being a woman is quite politicised here in Washington,' before moving on to state 'femininity has power.'
AOC moved on to discuss her gruelling schedule and to describe the toll it takes on her skin. Her answer? Wearing a clear, hydrating face mask while on the train - noted.
Watch: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' Entire Beauty Routine
Moving on to make-up, Alexandria says 'I will start with a tinted moisturiser,' picking up NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser, £31. 'Some days I want to go in with a bare face, but other days, if I want to do glam, I do glam.' And what does glam mean in the foundation department?Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup, £34, according to AOC who explains that she uses this long-lasting, high-coverage foundation when she knows she's likely to be photographed a lot that day.
The Red Lip
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is famed for her classic red lip and she revealed to Vogue that the exact one she uses, more often than not, is Stila's Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso, £16. Alexandria recalls the first time she discovered the power of a red lip. ‘One of the first days I even started wearing a red lip was when I was running in my primary election the first time and outside of our community no one knew who I was. We were out knocking on doors making sure people were heard and one of the things I had realised was that when you’re always running around sometimes the best way to look put together is a bold lip and of course being Latina this is very much our culture where I come from. I will wear a red lip when I want a boost of confidence.’
The Eyeliner Trick
Alexandria doesn't directly reference her genius eyeliner trick in the video, she's busy slamming the patriarchy - ‘One of the things that’s pretty wild to me is that if you’re a person that needs a tampon or you’re a person that needs a pad or a menstruation product of any kind you’re often subject to what’s known as the pink tax.' Alexandria continues. 'It’s not just menstruation products it’s almost any product or service that differentiates by gender. Dry cleaning is a perfect example of this. A men’s shirt is more expensive to dry clean in many states than a woman’s shirt’. Talk about an eye-opener. And speaking of eye-openers, we spotted a pretty savvy trick Alexandria used whilst applying her Almay Eyeliner Pencil, a budget product that's famed for its kind-to-eyes formula. Sadly it's not available in the UK, but if you have sensitive eyes it's worth making a grab for one the next time you visit the US.
Alexandria swerved using her eyeliner across the length of her upper lash line, instead beginning her line towards the centre of her lid and moving outwards, finishing with a small flick upwards at the end. The look is subtle and creates the illusion of wider eyes. Absolute genius.
Whilst we were busy gawping at her stellar liner work, Alexandria rounded off her passionate discussion with a sentiment that will stick with us indefinitely. '‘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’re seeing all too often, there are studies, is that women who wear make-up or regularly wear a decent amount of make-up, show up to the office in glam, also make more money. So at that point these calculations and decisions stop being about choice and they start being about the patriarchy. Where the more we look attractive to men the more we will be complensated. And that to me is the complete antithesis of what beauty should be about. I think beauty should be about the person who is applying it.’
There's a lot to admire about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it seems we can add beauty know-how into the mix too. Shop some of her favourite products below.
Shop: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' Favourite Beauty Buys
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Beauty
1 of 4Estée Lauder Micro Essence, £70
2 of 4Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup, £34
3 of 4NARS Cosmetics Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser, £31
4 of 4Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso, £16
READ MORE: AHAs, BHAs And Beyond: A Beginner's Guide To Liquid Exfoliant