“The gag is we’re not perfect, but who wants to be perfect?” challenged Keke Palmer in her latest makeup tutorial for acne coverage. “I want to be ugly sometimes. And that’s my business.”
A talent still underrated, the 27-year-old grew up in the industry as an actor, singer, songwriter, dancer, and activist. She has starred in everything from the musical Joyful Noise and the critically acclaimed Hustlers to debuting as the first Black Cinderella on Broadway and lending her voice as a co-host on Good Morning America.
But more than anything, Palmer is a personality—and if you’re not sure what that means, watch any of her impersonations on Instagram. She doesn’t hold back. And even amid her glory, she still finds the time to use her platform to help others—notably when she took to Instagram to share a series of unfiltered selfies and her journey with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)—a post which resonated with millions.
So it’s a no-brainer that Olay Body would tap her to be the face of its latest campaign. We caught up with her to hear more about why she’s obsessed with the brand’s new retinol body line and to have her answer our Big Beauty Questions. In typical Keke fashion, she kept it real.
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What’s one beauty rule you swear by?
Less is more. And that goes across the board—less with your regimen, less with your makeup. There’s a way to get coverage with less. It’s finding that balance between doing too much and doing too little. I always try to ask myself before I leave the house: “Is this too much?”
What’s one beauty rule you think is B.S.?
That makeup causes acne! I don’t believe that, and I don’t think it’s true. It’s so damn trivial―to blame acne issues solely on makeup. Sometimes it’s diet, and sometimes it’s stress. So when people say, “It’s makeup. You’re wearing too much.” That needs to die out. And that’s not me popping up the makeup industry’s head; that’s me saying the truth. It’s actually stopping people from finding the real problem by blaming makeup all the time.
You’ve preached about how the pursuit of perfection is a fruitless endeavor. How did you get to a place where you don’t feel pressured to be perfect?
By accepting what you are and saying to yourself, “Well, shit, I’m not going to be anything else.” At the end of the day, there are certain things that we can change, but when we haven’t accepted ourselves, those things become even harder to grasp.
When you’re beating yourself up and striving for perfection, it makes it hard to improve. And really, all we can and should be focused on is improving every day. When you let go of trying to be perfect and instead love and accept yourself for who you are and where you are, and give yourself some grace, you can have a better chance at improving the things you so desperately want to improve.
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What products can you not live without right now?
I’ve been using Olay’s Nighttime Body Wash and Conditioner before bed, and they pretty much rejuvenate your body overnight. The retinol in the formulas flush out all that dead skin and create you anew. But you do have to do your own research when it comes to retinol because it’s not a one size fits all. For me, though, it’s been great, and my skin feels more moisturized.
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How do you gas yourself up on days when you’re not feeling confident?
First off, it’s the company you keep. People emanate energies, and in return, who we are, our thoughts, and our patterns mirror those around us. So I make sure good positive people surround me. Also, I dress up. I feel like makeup and clothing can sometimes take you out of a slump. But at the end of the day, nobody is perfect. We all came into this world naked—no clothes, no makeup―nothing. And that journey of going in and out of loving ourselves through the imperfections can get hard. So sometimes, it is within.
Who are the women inspiring you the most right now?
My mother and my sister are very beautiful to me for the simple reason that they are 100% themselves. They own who they are at every moment. My sister taught me that being funny and being goofy is beautiful and cool. It was my first time seeing an alternative Black girl. And as a Black girl, those things were not very every day or accepted. My mom has always been a powerhouse. She never allowed other people’s intimidation of her to stop her from being who she is. And stop her from shining.
And then, as a third person, Queen Latifah, because she shows that beauty is really, truly from within. Every time I was around Queen, she treated everybody with kindness, no matter who they were. She always acknowledged me, and she made me feel like I was important and unique. And I wanted to have that kind of beauty inside. So it enforced me to pay that forward.
When do you feel like you’re the most beautiful?
When I’m kind to someone, and when I’m sharing information. For instance, when I did my 14-minute video on Instagram, people were like, “Oh, this helped me so much.” No, it helped me so much to give to you. That’s my happiness―giving to others and sharing anything that I have. That’s when I feel my most beautiful. Even though I showed up with all this cystic acne, I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world―literally.
If you could write a letter to your younger self about beauty, what advice would you give?
To keep on living. You know, my mom used to say that to me all the time, and at the time, I was kind of like, “Mm, what do you mean?” But as I’ve gotten older, I realized all I had to do was keep on living and allow myself to get through those hard times. It makes me think about Logic’s song “1-800-273-8255”: “I’ve been on the low. / I been taking my time. / I feel like I’m out of my mind. / It’s been like my life ain’t mine.” Who can relate? It’s a song he wrote about suicide.
I remember watching the music video and crying. Everything that happens to us is not going to last forever. You’re not going to have the hardships that you have today forever. Yes, you might have them tomorrow, the next week, or the year after, but you’re not going to have them forever. So give yourself a chance to have happiness. Give yourself a chance to have peace. Don’t give up on life. Don’t give up on yourself. You will see a brighter day. You’ve just got to give yourself a chance to.
Ruhama Wolle is an associate editor at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @ru_wolle. This interview has been edited and condensed.
