Olympian Jen Kessy on Volleyball Feet

Real Beauty: Firstly, how important is sunscreen to you? You're baring your body like nobody's business since you wear a bikini for work.

Jen Kessy: I grew up in California and have been in the sun my entire life, so I'm not super fair to begin with. I've gradually started shying away from too much exposure, though. I'm an umbrella person, a huge hat person, and I wear sunscreen all the time. Even today, it was really cloudy but I put SPF 50 on my face and the back of my hands…anything that's going to be showing. I wear a hat and sunglasses every time I practice and anytime I'm outside.

RB: What's your stance on makeup for games, practice, the gym, etc.?

JK: It just depends. Sometimes we go straight to practice from an event, and you're not going to wash off whatever makeup you had on from before. Likewise, if I have somewhere to go after, I'll wear a little bit. If I was getting up and going straight to an early morning practice, I'd just do some mascara and tinted moisturized with sunscreen to even out my skintone.

RB: Let's talk about that bathing suit. Do you shave daily since you expose so much skin?

JK: I'm lucky because I have light hair that's not too thick, so I don't get irritated by frequent shaving. I'll do it every other day and definitely if we're competing. A lot of people wax, but I haven't found that's best for me. You have to let everything grow out to do it, and I couldn't go out there after two weeks and wear that bikini.

RB: Any fit tips when swimsuit shopping?

JK: I think there's this myth that makes women wear bigger bathing suit bottoms to cover everything, but I think that actually makes your butt look bigger. You don't need to wear a tiny, Brazilian-cut bikini or anything, but if you show a little bit of cheek it's so much more flattering. Just make sure it fits, and isn't baggy like you have a load in your pants.

RB: How do you like to glam up for events?

JK: My hair is huge—it's naturally a little bit frizzy and really long, and I like to go natural and work with the wave in my hair. I'll put a little bit of curl cream in it when it's wet and a shining product to help make the frizz go down. Then I scrunch it and let it air-dry. It's very lioness-ish, but i like it. Makeup-wise, I'll use a little foundation, barely any eyeliner, and a lot of mascara. I use CoverGirl LashBlast all the time, but for practices I just do a tiny bit on the top, outer lashes, just to separate them and give them some darkness. When I'm going out, I'll curl them first and do top and bottom.

RB: Since you're playing barefoot in the sand so often, do you have to do anything special to your feet?

JK: You should talk to my nail lady! If you get them done, they'll be ruined in a day and a half. It's really hard to keep polish on, but the underneath of the foot and everything stays pretty exfoliated. I don't really get calluses, and my feet are actually super soft. I pay attention to it since we're in bare feet all the time. I'd love my nails to be pretty!

RB: As you've competed and played abroad, have you noticed any differences in the way women from other countries regard beauty?

JK: A lot of the Europeans are pretty similar, but the Russians are very different. They're very tall, and, slender, and not as muscular as the other teams. I really think it's how their society likes women to look. The Chinese girls are very, very tall and toned, and they have the cutest short haircuts! They always look like they have the best skin, and I want to ask them about it but our communication barrier is pretty strong. It's really more beautiful than anyone else's on tour. I don't know what they're doing, but I wish I had that skin. The Brazilians are very lean, and muscular, and tan. Their skin is so pretty, too, and they all have really nice hair.

In general, I envy anyone that takes care of their skin. When they don't you can really see it. There's a huge difference between the girls who wear a hat and those that don't. If they don't, their foreheads are discolored from the sun. I bug everyone about it and encourage them to wear one. I still remember when we did an indoor tournament a few years back, and I had to wear one. I felt naked without it!