Here's What Hallmark Star Alison Sweeney Really Looks Like Without Makeup

Alison Sweeney has so much on her plate that it seems like she wouldn't have time for an elaborate makeup routine. She doesn't just star in Hallmark films like "The Wedding Veil" series; she produces them as well. She's also a mother of two and an author. One of her books, "Opportunity Knocks," is told from the perspective of a makeup artist, which is a profession Sweeney became acquainted with at age 4. She was filming a holiday ad for Kodak that required her to be all decked out in winter gear, but it was summertime in Los Angeles and sweltering outside. "I remember the makeup artist was wiping sweat off our faces!" Sweeney recalled to Parade.

Her makeup education continued when she joined the "Days of Our Lives" cast at age 16. In addition to getting glammed up to play Sami Brady, the tendency of soap characters to have terrible accidents sometimes called for Sweeney to rock SFX makeup. In an Instagram post, she praised the bloody work of DOOL makeup artist Deidre Decker, who once made it look like Sweeney had been all sliced up by broken window glass.

When it comes to doing her own makeup, Sweeney told Beauty in the Bag, "Less is more. The biggest lesson I have learned is that you don't need a lot of makeup to look your best." She even shares the occasional makeup-free selfie with her fans, but one such image came with some worrisome news.

Alison Sweeney told Beauty in the Bag that her simple beauty routine includes a step that doctors would applaud: "I use a moisturizing skin cream at night and wear sunscreen every day." But although she's long been vigilant about keeping her skin protected from the sun, Sweeney took to Instagram in 2019 to share that she'd been diagnosed with skin cancer. "Kind of a bummer, but turns out I need to have a small bump removed from my nose," she wrote. Her post included a makeup-free selfie in which her freckled skin is visible. Sweeney told SurvivorNet that she often asks her dermatologist to take a look at freckles that seem irregular to her, but she didn't think anything of the spot on her nose because it resembled a pimple. However, to her dermatologist, it looked like basal cell carcinoma.

While basal cell carcinoma is rarely life-threatening, removing the cancer can cause disfigurement. "I was worried about my face and what I would look like after. I just had all these superficial, very ridiculous concerns in my mind," Sweeney revealed to the Skin Cancer Foundation. It took four rounds of surgery to ensure that all of the cancerous tissue was removed from her nose, but luckily, the wound left behind healed on its own. 

As for why her diligent use of sunscreen didn't protect Sweeney from getting cancer, she was told that basal cell carcinoma can be hereditary, and her father has had it before.

Alison Sweeney's skin cancer scare didn't diminish her love of spending time outdoors. On Instagram, she can be seen pruning her rose garden and enjoying scenic hikes. Sweeney's two children, Megan and Ben, also make regular appearances with her. During a June 2023 hike with Megan, Sweeney snapped a selfie and shared it with her followers, who were struck by how much Megan resembles her mom when Sweeney is sporting little or no makeup. "Your daughter is a mini you," one commenter wrote. "She looks like your twin! If u do any movies as a flashback when u were her age u need to have her cast lol!" another message read.

Megan hasn't yet become a Hallmark star, but Sweeney told Monsters & Critics that her daughter loves watching her movies. Megan also shares her mom's passion for horses, and she's followed in her footsteps by riding competitively. "So proud of Megan – she stayed cool under pressure to finally earn a ribbon in a competition she has been working towards for several years now," Sweeney wrote on Instagram.

For Sweeney, spending less time getting glam so that she can spend more time with Megan and the rest of her fam is her best beauty secret. "I think I feel most beautiful when I'm with my family and I'm totally casual and having a great time," she told People. "Just being a part of that is an opportunity to enjoy being natural."