For Ariana Debose, a clear vision and a belief in oneself is the path forward.
The Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actor has built her career on the stage, subject to the perceptions of Broadway- and movie-goers alike. Performing is a passion, and she understands that it takes a certain amount of self-awareness to not crumble under the weight of others’ expectations.
“Anybody who works in the entertainment industry, especially as an actor or performer, there comes a moment when you have to accept that you will be misunderstood at times,” DeBose tells Refinery29 Somos. “Things you say can be taken out of context at any given moment. Not everyone is going to like your work, and you have to accept that in order to be able to move forward.”
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In 2022, DeBose made Oscars history as the first Afro-Latina and first openly queer woman of color to win an Academy Award for acting for her portrayal of Anita in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story. Rita Moreno won in the same category for the same character in 1962. DeBose thanked Moreno in her acceptance speech.
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"There comes a moment when you have to accept that you will be misunderstood at times."
Ariana DeBose
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Since then, the 33-year-old has been embodying the role of award-winning multihyphenate, from voicing Asha in Disney’s Wish to hosting the Tony Awards to sitting in makeup chair after makeup chair prepping for performances and appearances.
“I’ve worked on Broadway for 10 years and there’s a lot of stage makeup, which is a pitfall,” DeBose says. “I’ve started making movies, and I’m on set in the glam [chair] for quite a long time. With red carpets, there’s a lot of glam time involved getting ready for those events as well.”
Complicating matters is the fact that she’s a longtime contact lens wearer. Anyone who’s had to incorporate contacts into their lives and regimens can attest to how challenging and stressful it can be. (As someone who’s worn and struggled with contact lenses for two decades, there's nothing more frustrating than dropping one when you’re in a hurry to leave home.)
“I have worn contacts since I was 12 years old,” DeBose says. “It’s been a journey finding products that actually remove my eye makeup and all the beautiful armor I have put on without irritating my skin and making my eyes feel more tired. Sometimes it can just feel like there’s an extra film on your eyes.”
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"To walk out into the world today is an act of bravery in my mind. Because we live in a world where everyone has an opinion and everyone’s opinion is valid, and because of the Internet, opinions are loud."
ARIANA DEBOSE
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The Kraven the Hunter star shares that prioritizing her eye health requires a significant amount of, well, foresight (pun intended). “It’s a lot of extra preparation, to be frank,” she says. “It’s something I have to think about.”
She started building these habits in childhood. When DeBose first started wearing contacts, she was on monthlies, which typically need to last for about four weeks. That meant she learned to clean her contacts properly and handled them with care to ensure they remained intact. Part of her routine included having a small contact kit on hand at all times.
“[Contacts] were very expensive and they’re still quite expensive, but we couldn’t afford for me to just take an extra with me if I was in school and a contact fell out,” DeBose says. “There was a moment where I literally had to stop and tell everyone, ‘Nobody knows where my contact lens is?’”
She’s since switched to dailies, so while she no longer scrounges on the floor searching for a rogue lens because it must last her a whole month, she has maintained certain eye health habits.
“When I finally discovered dailies, that changed so much for me, but I still carry eye drops, specifically made for sensitive eyes or people with dry eye because of the makeup and you never know what’s in the air,” she says. “All of that can really take a toll and your eyes start to feel tired, so I still carry my little kit with me everywhere I go.”
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One part of that kit is the new sensitive eye makeup remover from Optase Life, a dry eye relief brand. As a performer frequently turning various beauty looks and someone who’s intensely focused on her eye health, it’s an unexpectedly ideal partnership for DeBose.
“I’ve always had my eye on products that actually work for sensitive skin,” she says. “Using it, my eyes felt, it sounds odd, but moisturized. It felt like they were hydrated.”
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"If I can go out feeling my best, then I have a better chance of letting some of the negativity or any of those types of things roll off my back."
ARIANA DEBOSE
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When her eyes feel healthy, her sightline has no limits, she explains. And channeling that inner confidence is all the more critical when the outside noise tries to infiltrate her space.
“To walk out into the world today is an act of bravery in my mind,” DeBose says. “Because we live in a world where everyone has an opinion and everyone’s opinion is valid, and because of the Internet, opinions are loud.”
It makes sense, then, that she’s turned to beauty and style to help navigate not how others see her, but how she sees herself.
“That’s also why for me, some of my greatest tools have become my hair, my styling, and my makeup,” she says. “Because if I can go out feeling my best, then I have a better chance of letting some of the negativity or any of those types of things roll off my back.”