The Beauty Routine Of World Champion Fencer, Ysaora Thibus

Growing up in Guadeloupe, surrounded by strong women and a culture where expression is a way of being, Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus always carried those roots of confidence with her into her own life, no matter where it led. Understanding that beauty isn’t about performance or perfection has been a guiding message in Ysaora’s path and her purpose in the sports world. She has learnt and lived that despite it all, it’s about choosing yourself, listening to your body, and letting life teach you.

Her journey from burnout to balance, following an accident that took her out before the Olympic Games, was a turning point in her life – leading to the realisation that it isn’t about recognition at all, but about truly backing herself. Throughout her career, Ysaora, as a woman in sports, has become a passionate advocate for honouring and respecting her own female cycles. She shared that it was the moments she went through with her body that allowed her, and forced her, to return to herself. These learnings are the magic and beauty of life, and as Ysaora shares, it always comes back to the courage to evolve again and again.

I think it means really taking care of myself. I know that may sound very basic, but I was not always taking care of myself, especially as an athlete, because our body is our work tool. When I was younger, I was so focused on performance and productivity, and in a way, success. I thought I could do everything and that I didn’t need to take care of my body. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised I need to take time to be with myself. Beauty is not about performance or being the most beautiful, it’s about loving yourself and having a moment with yourself. 

I don’t have a cleanser for my face in the morning, but more at night. I always use the Avene spray, and I really like the Barbara Sturm mist. I also love their hyaluronic serum; it’s great. I sometimes use Laneige Hyaluronic Serum – it’s very simple and has no fragrance, which I prefer.

At the moment, I’m using the Ordinary moisturiser and SPF. I have been using The Ordinary a lot recently. I really like it. Sometimes I use the Barbara Sturm sundrops – it’s basically the two of them. 

I love French pharmacy products like Avene or La Roche-Posay. I used to have acne, and they have helped to balance my skin very well.  Also, it depends on the season of the year. My skin gets really dry in winter, and I can’t overdo the products, as it suffocates the skin more. I change between La Roche-Posay and Avene often because I feel like sometimes my skin gets used to certain products, but they are both very simple. Toleriane from La Roche Posay is great for combination and sensitive skin, and the same with Cicaplaste from La Roche-Posay. Effaclar is great and really simple.

In the shower, I use only Aesop products.

I use mostly Fenty Beauty, to be honest. Sometimes when I’m training, I won’t do any makeup. I usually do things lightly, so I use the concealer a little bit everywhere so it’s not too thick. 

I love Fenty eaze drop, it’s very light. I like it when I don’t have too much on my face. I love the Hermès blush in rose cuivre – it’s the one I use most of the time, a pinky orange. Then everything else I use is basically all Fenty, like the mascara. And for the lips, I like Chantecaille and Fenty. When I’m out, I really like the Fara Homidi lip colour in Nude 2, it’s fantastic. I love it, I use it all the time. I also put it on my cheeks and even my eyes, and I love it. 

I grew up in Guadeloupe. We didn’t have luxury fashion stores, but style is a statement there. My grandparents dressed very properly; my grandmother was always elegant. My mum always expressed herself – big afro, colourful clothes, expressing her femininity.
So for me, it’s about being authentic to myself. I don’t try hard. I didn’t know much about the fashion world until I dated someone from New York who worked in it. We did Fashion Week together, and I realised fashion is like sports — passionate, ambitious, creative.
Now I like to disconnect from it sometimes and just wear what I want. Other times I step in and experience the intensity, it’s beautiful.

As a teenager, I cared more about others’ opinions. I’m mixed and grew up in the Caribbean, where I fit certain beauty standards. But in France, I was seen as a person of colour – sometimes more exoticised.
I’m in a masculine world, but I love both feminine and masculine codes. I’m never just one thing. These days, I feel more beautiful, and I notice it when I feel good. I do it for me, not for anyone else.

I never wanted to be only in the sports world. Fashion is one way I express my multifaceted nature. I didn’t want to do my studies inside the Olympic Centre. People said it was impossible to do business school and become a sports champion, but I did it.
When I went to Fashion Week, people said, “She’s crazy. She can’t do both.” But it helped me find balance. I don’t follow trends. I don’t need to be relevant. I just enjoy it when I want to, and I live. I was never just an athlete. And I don’t need to fit only one world. I want to create my own path and do what I want, even if people don’t believe in it.

People love to put you in a box. And my whole career, my whole life, I have been questioning those boxes. And asking why are we are doing that? Why does it exist? And when the answer is, because we’ve always done that, I know that it is wrong. I know that I have to do something else.

I definitely burned out when I pushed my body too much. I grew up in a place where everyone believed you had to do more to be the best. You have to never stop. And I did it, you know, I wanted to be the best. I could not even say no or admit I was tired because I thought that was a weakness. But at some point, my therapist helped me realise that even champions have to say no. They have to say when they’re tired. And I learned to be like, okay, I’m allowed to actually listen to my body.

I know when I can push it, but also when I have to take a break and not wait until I’m in burnout. Taking care of yourself a little bit all the time helps avoid having these big breakdowns.

I’ve always been competitive. I started fencing when I was seven. In my first competition, I won a bronze medal, and I was crying because I didn’t win. I’m naturally driven. I used to think this is why people loved you, because you succeed. And your parents love you because you’re good. So you chase recognition. But at some point, I realised I was winning but not happy. Winning became normal. And losing devastated me. I was mentally attacking myself if I lost, but I realised people would still love me anyway. I had to love myself outside of the medals.

I forced myself to celebrate the victories, even the small ones. I used to be so focused on what’s next that I didn’t enjoy anything. I had to find value in myself outside of sports, spend time with friends and family, and take time for myself.
Last year, I was really depressed after getting injured before the Games. I wrote a list of things I liked doing that weren’t physical, even just doing a skincare routine or a mask. It’s simple, but it’s choosing yourself. I also wanted to learn more about myself. What I liked 10 years ago isn’t the same now. I try to pay attention to how I feel and give space for those feelings.

When I tore my ACL one month before the Games, it was very difficult, but it was a beautiful experience too. Usually, as athletes, we optimise – we’re already good, so we work on small things. This time, I couldn’t even walk, so I learned to walk again, to jump, to run. I realised how incredible the body is, and how connected it is to the mind. You can’t fake it – if your mind isn’t okay, your body won’t heal. One of the hardest things for me was to let go. I always tried to control everything – if I do it all right, it should work, right? But even in rehab, I had to learn to give only 60% some days if that’s what my body asked for, and be proud of that.
That was part of loving myself. I had to learn to be good alone, to be okay when life isn’t perfect. That’s when hope comes in, trusting something will come.

Yes, I listen to it more. As athletes, we’re trained to always push. But knowing when to stop is just as important.

When I was younger, you could never say you were on your period. It was seen as negative. I started birth control very young and took it for a long time. But I went to a camp run by Joanne Defay, who gathered women from different industries to talk about periods. I learned a lot, even how your diet should change during your cycle. That experience was a turning point for me.

I stopped birth control and started tracking my cycle. I work with a female physical trainer now, and we adapt. Before my period, I know I get tired, irritable, or have back pain. So we change the training accordingly.

One thing that hasn’t changed is that I’ve never found beauty standards attractive. Beauty is more than appearance. You can tell if someone loves themselves by looking at them. If you work on your soul, it shows. Beauty is energy.
It’s not just about how you look. For me, beauty is in the story. I love my injury scar, it is something I went through or learnt. The surgeon said, “You’re a girl, you don’t want a big one.” And I said, “Of course I want it to look nice, but I want my story.” We wear our lives on our skin. It’s not about looking tired, but about carrying your learnings.