6 TIPS ON HOW TO LOOK FABULOUS, ACCORDING TO CHARO…
The joyful, rapid-fire beauty recommendations of Charo – legendary Vegas performer, flamenco hero and modern-day gay icon. Cuchi cuchi!
Talking to Charo feels a bit like being on a game show, one in which you’re given a short amount of time to ask as many questions as possible, field the rapid-fire (and often tangential) responses, and then are shot out of a cannon filled with glitter. It’s simultaneously hyper-stimulating and totally exhausting, but certainly unforgettable, since there are few people in this world who are as enthusiastic about anything as Charo is about life.
Despite her pop culture reign and personal achievements – which include speaking four languages fluently (she picked up Japanese while living in Hawaii for a decade) and being voted “Best Classical Flamenco Guitarist in the World” by Guitar Player Magazine twice – Charo (who’s also performing at the Hollywood Bowl on August 27) contends that her flighty onstage persona is not an act. “I don't play the role, I think I'm an idiot,” she says with a laugh. “I don't think about consequence. I go for what my heart tells me, and sometimes it's a terrible decision, sometimes it's a good decision, but this is me. I only eat chocolate, I don't take drugs, but I always am on cloud nine.” Here, Charo divulges more of her sage life-well-lived secrets, with six original tips on how to look fabulous, according to the legendary Vegas performer, flamenco hero, and modern-day gay icon…
- 1. “Running, that is the best. I have a little gym in the house, but it's no fun running there. I run [outside] with two strong brassieres under my jogging suit. I laugh when I see those women jogging without a brassiere and you can see their maracas bouncing back and forth. I know that they are getting whiplash, but they don't care. They are so young that they are jogging without support on the breasts.”
- 2. “Never go to sleep with makeup on. I am serious! My sister and I never, ever do that. You clean the skin super well and put on a light cream.”
- 3. “Avoid the sun. We have spent a lot of years in Hawaii where we have a house, but I still avoid it. I mean you have to wear some protection. If you want to look cute and tan, I love, love, love M·A·C body makeup. I only use it when I want my body to look tan. I have different colours, one is peach-toned, the other is brown-gold. You apply it with a sponge and it comes off very easily in the shower.”
- 4. “I don’t smoke. At all. And I drink only good red wine in a good location with a good dinner, never on an empty stomach.”
- 5. “Olive oil. That is the best for your skin. I saw Sophia Loren many, many years ago in Italy. And then when she came to Spain, I welcomed her on another occasion. The first thing in the morning she would take a tablespoon of expensive olive oil. The room service was all talking about it! I take mine first thing in the morning with hot, hot water with half of a lemon squeezed and a little bit of raw honey, that's my breakfast.”
- 6. “I drink water, but I also like natural juice. Another thing, very important, is egg whites. Either in an omelet or boiled with salad. And then I forget about how healthy I want to be and if I see a pizza, I eat it. And if I see chocolate – I don't take drugs or sleeping pills, but chocolate – I have a big problem. Last night I ate chocolate until two in the morning.”
