Lili Reinhart has always been open about her cystic acne, which first started developing when she was 12. Now that she's past her teen years, Lili still gets breakouts, and she's happily taken on the role of advocate for more open conversations about adult acne.
But while she might be fine with uploading pimple-cream selfies, the 21-year-old Riverdale actress has said that her breakouts still give her pretty bad anxiety. She told Refinery29 that it's especially troublesome because her character on the show - along with all the others – always look so casually flawless to fit in with the "perfect aesthetic" of the show.
Lili opened up about how having a bad acne breakout affects her pre-filming makeup routine, saying that she prefers to do her own makeup because she knows her skin "better than anyone else". But still, she admits that she can feel really down before filming because of it.
“Nothing is worse than when I have a breakout and I have to be in front of a camera; it makes my anxiety a 10 out of 10," she told the publication. "I had a bad breakout on my forehead two weeks ago while filming and I woke up that morning knowing it was going to be a hard day, which is really sad because I’m letting a breakout control my mood.”
It doesn't help that the teen drama series depicts a "perfect world" where not one of the high-school characters display any kind of skin imperfections. Pretty odd, huh?
"Riverdale is such a perfect world that my skin has to look perfect, so I cover my breakouts; it's just the aesthetic of the show, which can be hard," she went on. "A lot of the girls on the show have really beautiful, clear, smooth skin, so sometimes I feel like the odd one out."
She then pointed out how problematic that part of the show can be, saying "There’s nothing less relatable than seeing young teens with perfect skin."
"That’s why I started #breakoutbuddy on social media; I was having a bad breakout and I just didn’t want to feel alone," she asserted. Lili is referencing that hashtag she started on Instagram, which encourages other people to post makeup-free selfies during a breakout.
Even though she admires the work of Riverdale's makeup team, Lili said that she felt the need to take over during this season's pre-filming makeup routine because she knows "what works" best for her skin.
"I do my own makeup for the show this season. We have a head of makeup and she’s great, but I know my skin better than anyone else and I know what works.”
While most actors love to leave that kind of stuff to the professionals, it's good that Lili took the initiative to do it herself. Especially when she's feeling anxious about shooting with a bad breakout, being able to apply your own makeup would make things a little more comfortable.
Good on you Lili, and keep it up.
