“Starting out on the professional circuit meant growing up in front of a camera,” remarks Serena Williams, whose tennis career commenced at the age of 14. As she began incorporating liquid liner and lip stain into her match-day routine, she faced scrutiny. “People would always give me side-eye: ‘Why are you doing that? You’re an athlete,’” she recalls.
Over time, however, the tennis icon advocated for incorporating aesthetic touches into her appearance. Now, with the launch of Wyn Beauty, she promotes performance-grade makeup for life off the court.
The 10-piece line is both clean and comprehensive, offering a range of products from a long-lasting tubing mascara to a versatile lip-and-cheek pigment to an SPF 30 skin tint available in 36 shades. Every aspect is carefully crafted, right down to the W embossed into the matte lipstick bullet—a personal touch taken from a font Williams designed years ago. For her, the brand’s chartreuse packaging symbolizes ongoing growth. “I didn’t like the word retirement,” she reflects on her departure from the game in 2022. Instead, her tennis ball has simply landed on the shelves of Ulta.
In the following discussion, Williams reflects on her early beauty influences, shares her post-match reset routine, and highlights the standout product from her line—although she insists she cannot play favorites.
”I remember early on when I wore makeup—not even on the court but just around in the tennis arena—people would look twice. They’d be like, “Why is she wearing makeup?” And I was like, “Well, this is me and this is what I like to do.” When I started wearing makeup on the court, whether it was eyeliner or lip stains that would last a really long time, it was definitely not normal. No one did that up until that time. I definitely saw it changing as the years went on. You would see players walking out with lots of mascara on or, eventually, wearing eyelash extensions if they could. One tournament, I did wear lashes the whole time. That was a fun experience. I won that tournament too, so I don’t know why I stopped! Each tournament I was just changing things up, trying to find a different way to beautify my sport.”
You look at all these other women in such cool sports, whether it’s track and field or basketball, where you have more of an opportunity to present yourself differently. But in tennis, you’re solo. You’re on the court by yourself for two hours, three hours. You never know how long your match is going to be. And you’re pouring sweat the whole time—we follow the sun. So it was definitely an interesting journey to find my own way.