Movie makeup is notorious for being heavy, dramatic, and taking forever to put on (and take off). But in Lex Scott Davis' case, her daily glam for The First Purge took under 30 minutes — because she totally skipped actual makeup. Her character, Nya, is an activist whose mission is to protect her family and her community. "Because of the type of character Nya is, we didn't feel like the first thing on her mind was to get up and put makeup on," Davis tells Refinery29. "She gets up and goes to work and provides for her brother. I gathered that from the script, and in the audition room, I didn't wear makeup at all." Davis' fresh face added so much depth to her initial characterisation that the producers and directors wanted her to go bare on-camera. So naturally, we had to ask Davis to drop the skin-care routine — and let us say, most of the products she uses are probably sitting in your pantry as we speak. Get the details on how Davis keeps her complexion camera ready, ahead.
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Her Routine
"The more natural the product, the better it is for my skin. Honestly, I'm surprised we're even having this interview about what I use [because my skin isn't perfect]. I have hormonal things that I go through, and have been working to embrace my flaws on a day-to-day basis while finding what works for me. I use Andalou Naturals, which can be found at any health food store. They've got a few ranges, but I'll combine their clear skin and sensitive skin products. From those two lines, I choose the cleanser, serum, scrubs, day and night moisturisers, and eye cream. Their sheet masks are also really awesome, especially if you're traveling a lot.
"The more natural the product, the better it is for my skin. Honestly, I'm surprised we're even having this interview about what I use [because my skin isn't perfect]. I have hormonal things that I go through, and have been working to embrace my flaws on a day-to-day basis while finding what works for me. I use Andalou Naturals, which can be found at any health food store. They've got a few ranges, but I'll combine their clear skin and sensitive skin products. From those two lines, I choose the cleanser, serum, scrubs, day and night moisturisers, and eye cream. Their sheet masks are also really awesome, especially if you're traveling a lot.
"Aside from over-the-counter products, I'm really fascinated with making my own things. A lot of people recommended the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay to me, which I am now obsessed with. It's a powder form of clay that you mix with apple cider vinegar, and it's really penetrating. Your face feels like cement after it dries, and you will have redness afterwards, but I've watched my blemishes disappear after a few days when I use it. Yes, it is strong, but it's natural, and I love it.
"I also use apple cider vinegar everywhere, especially as a toner. It always gives me fast results when I do it at night. For a scrub, I mix raw honey and activated charcoal powder, brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon sometimes. I exfoliate my skin at least two or three times a week to keep the top layer shedding, which offs dead skin cells. And of course, using SPF also helps with my dark spots."
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When She Does Wear Makeup...
"It's a full-out beat! As I've been experimenting with my skin, I learned that Urban Decay Naked is a foundation line that's really nice for acne-prone skin. It's sheer and has light coverage. If I were to need full coverage, I'd go over the top of that with a little bit of Ben Nye. It's theatre makeup, and some makeup artists would say it's strong. I've found that you don't need a lot of it at all to get the effect that you want. Nars' foundations are also sheer, but when you pack it up a bit, you get a full coverage look. And of course, we're going on top and contouring, highlighting, and playing around with looks.
"It's a full-out beat! As I've been experimenting with my skin, I learned that Urban Decay Naked is a foundation line that's really nice for acne-prone skin. It's sheer and has light coverage. If I were to need full coverage, I'd go over the top of that with a little bit of Ben Nye. It's theatre makeup, and some makeup artists would say it's strong. I've found that you don't need a lot of it at all to get the effect that you want. Nars' foundations are also sheer, but when you pack it up a bit, you get a full coverage look. And of course, we're going on top and contouring, highlighting, and playing around with looks.
"When I'm filming, the amount of hours in hair and makeup on set, as opposed to men, are crazy. But with The First Purge, I could finally show up at a reasonable time, and was done in like 30 minutes. Of course, makeup artists wouldn't allow anyone to go completely bare: they still did blotting and powder to get rid of shine. But I didn't get more than what male actors get, which is just powder."
Hopes For Hollywood
"I was so excited when my producers told me not to wear makeup, because it's something that I've embraced in my day-to-day life. We finally get to have true skin on screen instead of seeing actors all glamorous.
"I was so excited when my producers told me not to wear makeup, because it's something that I've embraced in my day-to-day life. We finally get to have true skin on screen instead of seeing actors all glamorous.
"I'm excited to take on responsibility — even this moment, I don't have makeup on right now. In a way, I want to follow in footsteps of Alicia Keys. It was a bold choice for her to go without makeup while performing, and it helped me embrace my skin. I want young girls to see that you don't have to have a full beat and contour to be beautiful."
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