Olympic Gymnast Suni Lee Looks So Different Makeup-Free

There's no denying that Suni Lee's athletic skills are gold-medal worthy, but so are her makeup looks. Ever since she was little, Lee has been fascinated by cosmetic products. In 2024, she told Byrdie, "My earliest beauty memory would have to be playing with my mom's makeup and using literally everything. I would secretly take a couple of things and put them in my bag — she would always wonder where her makeup went."

As she grew up, Lee perfected the soft glam look that everyone is obsessed with. The gymnast even confessed this look is her go-to, as she feels it compliments her well. She told Byrdie, "I love soft glam, elegant looks. I think it just suits me," she continued, "That was probably a gymnast-y answer since we focus so much on elegance and precision in gymnastics. But I love a very simple look and soft glam." Lee is a girlboss and not one to gatekeep about how she achieves her stunning makeup look.

In a TikTok post from January 2023, Lee posted a little get ready with me, showing her followers her makeup routine. Step by step, the gymnast let people in on her little-known cosmetic secrets. Lee's love for makeup has had her sporting it on the mat and off; it's not often that she goes without it. So, when she does go makeup-free, it's a bit of a shock because she looks so different!

You may not be able to tell from her social media or competitions, but Suni Lee does like to rock a bare face every now and then. Before she was in her soft-glam era, Lee would often go makeup-free for gymnastics. In an Instagram post from 2020, the gymnast shared a carousel of photos without any products on her face. Lee looked a lot different as she wasn't sporting her usual heavy blush or foundation. The athlete captioned the most, "natty team camp 2020," and funny enough, the series of photos featured another makeup-free Olympian. A bare faced Simone Biles posed alongside Lee in the gymnastics practice area, serving a natural look.

It's seemed for a while; Lee was more in favor of wearing no makeup than having any glam. In a gymnastics photoshoot posted to Instagram in 2021, the Olympian sported a natural look. It was her sparkly red, white, and blue leotard that shined, not her highlight. She shared in the caption, "pressure makes diamonds." Lee chose to go without foundation, blush, bronzer, etc. for the shoot, and instead, let her natural beauty shine. Over the years, she has switched over to using more cosmetic products but is still adjusting to the learning curve that comes with makeup.

Suni Lee is an incredibly talented Olympic gold-medalist, which makes it hard to believe that there is something out there that she cannot do. But makeup is tougher for Lee than gymnastics seems to be. Putting on cosmetic products is one thing, but putting them on correctly to have a glamorous look is another. It's no easy feat. In March 2024, the athlete confessed to Daily Motion that she is still trying to grasp how to work with different products that best suit her. She said, "I'm still learning how to do my makeup. But I've been loving a lot of makeup products recently."

Lucky for Lee, she has had some help to feel better about her makeup skills. She told Who What Wear in July 2024, "I've taken tips and tricks from so many incredible makeup artists that I've been lucky enough to work with, and it's honestly become a form of therapy for me." The gymnast is getting comfortable with creating new looks, and it's a good thing she is because what most people don't know about Suni Lee is that wearing makeup has become part of her gymnastics routine. She explained, "I'm big on routines and superstitious, one of which is doing my own makeup." It's no wonder fans rarely see her hit the mat bare-faced, but with or without makeup, Lee still looks stunning.