Lexi Underwood's Quarantine Motivation Is Helping Her Slay All Day
Just as the world slowed to a halt due to the coronavirus, Little Fires Everywhere actor Lexi Underwood's career lit up. Playing the role of Pearl Warren in the TV adaptation of Celeste Ng's bestselling novel, Underwood flawlessly portrays her character's unassuming yet steadfast nature. IRL, Underwood flawlessly f*cking slays. One peek at her Instagram proves that; at just 16, the sense of fashion and self Underwood has in just one of her snatched eyebrows is greater than most people have in their whole bodies.
Underwood's as sure of herself on an off day stuck in quarantine as she is fiercely staring down a camera decked out in famous designers. Chalk it up to being a Virgo or the fact that she looks to Beyoncé for motivation in all things, but she did not come to play — to acting, to quarantine; even to this interview. I know this because, as I answer my phone, ready for a publicist to connect me to Underwood, I'm stunned to find she's called me herself. "I usually just call people," she tells me, a person who still gets hives thinking about having to talk on the phone.
I chatted with Underwood for Elite Daily's How I Take Care platform, which takes a deep dive into all the ways your favorite celebrities, influencers, creators, TikTokers, and more are keeping their lives afloat as the need to continue self-quarantining remains. As for Underwood? Let's just say she's got her brow routine and her post-quarantine plans all figured out.
What she's doing to stay entertained in quarantine: Card games with her mom and nana.
What she misses the most in quarantine: Hugs
The store she can't wait to go to post-quarantine: Her local crystal store.
Her favorite crystal: Rose quartz
Her WFH uniform: Any sweatshirt and sweatpants she can find. "No one's going to see me."
The most cringeworthy beauty trend she's tried: Shaving her eyebrows. "It was really, really bad. So bad."
The beauty trend she'd never be caught dead trying: Thin eyebrows.
Her celebrity style icon: Rihanna. "Because she's Rihanna. Need I say more?"
A full face of makeup is not a priority right now.
I honestly just don't wear makeup [in quarantine]. If I have an interview, the things I focus on more [now] are my brows, because I can't get them done during quarantine and I have really thick brows. I've just been trying to focus on maintaining them. I think that's the most important part of my makeup routine, whenever I'm doing my makeup.
Don't expect a surprise quarantine haircut for her — she's low-key scarred for life.
I got a really bad cut when I was 13. So, in a way, it was kind of like a big chop, but ... it was just accidental. I went to a salon, and they didn't cut my hair right, and it was completely uneven — inches and inches were cut off. It was really sad. So I would never do [a quarantine hair transformation] only because I'm just trying to get my hair back to its normal self. Even though it's been three years, my hair is still growing back because it was super long when I first got the cut. So I'm just trying to get back to my goal of that length.
That doesn't mean she hasn't ~thought~ about it, though.
I definitely don't think I have the facial features for it, but it'd be cool to do a Jada Pinkett Smith or Halle Berry type of cut. I've been watching videos on people installing wigs. Once all this is over, I have had a couple of people reach out and be like, "Hey, can I install a wig for you?" So I kind of want to try ... maybe a Halle Berry type of wig. Just to see how I would look.
Underwood stans fellow Virgo Beyoncé more than you do.
I would like to say that I own up to the name of being a Virgo. Sometimes, though, I look at Beyoncé, and I feel like I could always be doing more. But then again, she is Beyoncé. So I kind of start to feel better about myself.
One guess as to whose music she turns up when she's feeling insecure.
[Listening] to music gets my spirits up immediately. When I am trying to bounce back and I'm not feeling as confident, I'll listen to Beyoncé. I'll listen to Rihanna, or Jhené Aiko, or Megan Thee Stallion. If I want to just kind of chill and relax, I'll listen to Frank Ocean. There's this new artist called Sir. I absolutely love him. I listen to SZA. I listen to more Jhené Aiko, Summer Walker, Kehlani — it's just all over the place.
No, seriously, Beyoncé, are you reading this?
Every time I get on Beyoncé's Instagram, it always gives me motivation. Everything about her motivates me to just be 10 times better and work hard during quarantine. I watched Homecoming not too long ago, and just seeing how hard she went for Coachella, it's kind of inspired me to start exercising. Now, I'm working on getting abs like Beyoncé.
Beyoncé may be her motivation, but what Underwood's learned in quarantine is motivation for us all.
I've learned that I'm stronger than what I give myself credit for, and even though times get hard, I can continue to push myself forward and to keep going — even if in that moment, it feels like it's impossible.
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