IN MY SKIN

Four celebrities tell-all about embracing what makes them uniquely beautiful

Priyanka Chopra Jonas...ON OWNING GLAMOUR

For the impeccably dressed actor, embracing elegance and putting effort into her appearance helps her feel powerful

Confidence is not something I was born with. Growing up, I was quite the tomboy, but my mum was impossibly glamorous. She always smelled amazing and used to walk around in a cloud of Dior Poison perfume. I envied her incredible grace and how she was so well turned out. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more like my mum and I love being well put-together. But when I started doing beauty pageants at 17 years old, I had such low self-esteem. I didn’t know about hair styling or make-up—I didn’t even know how to use foundation. The first time I had my make-up professionally done [for a pageant], I was completely mesmerised because my face looked so flawless. Granted, I probably had on kilos of cosmetics, which makes me laugh because at the time I didn’t realise that was too much, but I remember the feeling viscerally. That’s when I started to discover my feminine side. I realised how fascinating it is being a woman and having so many choices in how we style ourselves. Over time, I began enjoying how I felt when I walked out the door, knowing that I represented the mood I was in that day and that I was put together the way I wanted to be. This became so empowering to me. Eventually, I learnt that if I focus on my strengths, then the weaknesses don’t show, and I became more and more confident.