When Suni Lee competes in artistic gymnastics, you can guarantee she’s wearing a freshly done manicure and a chic lip combination. (By now, it’s basically part of her impressive uneven bars routine). Even as a multi-medaled Olympian, the star is a bonafide beauty girl who previously told us she loves “soft glam” makeup and never leaves the house without Batiste Sweat Activated Dry Shampoo in her bag. A swipe of lipgloss, a French manicure, and a slicked-back bun is a major confidence booster—Olympian or not.
If you’ve been keeping up with this year’s Paris Olympics, Lee and the rest of the USA Gymnastics team have embodied a “look good, feel good, win good” philosphy. Throughout the competition, Lee’s pinky nude lip look has gone viral for being the perfect everyday hue, and we’ve tracked down the two products included in her winning combination.
Lee actually shared her go-to lip combo with Who What Wear in early June, and over the weekend TikToker MichaelaMakeup92 created a viral video sharing the liner and gloss (both unexpectedly have Hailey Bieber’s stamp of approval).
Lee starts by lining her lips with Makeup Forever’s Artist Color Pencil Longwear Lip Liner in Wherever Walnut, a warm rose nude that went viral after Hailey Bieber used it in a GRWM TikTok. The liner has a cult-like following for its natural-looking shade, easy-to-apply formula, and staying power—proven only by the fact that it doesn’t budge during Lee’s routines.
The finishing touch? Rhode’s Peptide Lip Tint in Toast—a photo of Lee holding the matching phone case and tint was even snapped during the Olympic Trials. The nude gloss has a sheer rose taupe color that, when combined with the rosy nude liner, creates a stunning neutral glossy lip look.
A lip combo is only as good as its base though, and Lee told Byrdie how she keeps her lips hydrated under her makeup. “I’ve learned to do a good lip mask before I start my makeup routine,” she said (her current fave is Ole Henriksen’s Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment). “Then, it has time to absorb, and by the time you get to your lips, they’re ready to go.”
Before heading to Paris, Lee filled us in on all things beauty. Her usual competition makeup includes a soft glam style (a gymnast go-to), but her day-to-day beauty is much more pared-back. “I wear very limited makeup on a normal day, but I love enhancing my features,” she told Byrdie. “With my eyebrows, I love making them a little darker and using the NYX Brow Glue Laminating Setting Gel.” (She has also been into her skincare routine, specifically Korean skincare).
She’s also been on her nail game, and Lee’s Parisian French nails made it on our list of the best Olympic manicures this year. She used the Kiss Salon X-Tend Led Soft Gel System Starter Kit to achieve her classic almond-shaped French manicure that she’s been wearing throughout the competition.
Beauty aside, she says the one thing keeping her balanced (literally) is her support system. “I have very good people around me who always ensure I’m doing okay. I also focus on things I love doing because otherwise, I will just sit at home and be sad. It’s good to get out of the house, eat good food, and do things I love with the people I love.”