I Put the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ Beauty Routine to Two Very Sweaty Tests

I haven’t danced since middle school, have never cheered a day in my life, certainly cannot kick my legs anywhere nearly as high as the cheerleaders do in their iconic Thunderstruck dance, and yet I am one of the millions of people who’ve become obsessed with watching America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. I love to see women win, obviously, and get quite invested in everyone who makes it through tryouts to training camp. As a beauty editor, I’m enthralled by the perfectly-done makeup and hair that all somehow stays in place through hours of games and practices. I’m also a football fan—my fantasy team is aggressively managed—and watching the DCC is a nice break from the otherwise male-centered Sunday Night Football.

So, it’s safe to say I’ve watched enough of the show to know that being a DCC is basically an Olympic sport. These women are serious athletes whose impossibly high kicks and stamina to get through hours rehearsing perfectly synchronized routines deserve extreme levels of respect. But, again, as a beauty editor, there’s another part of their performances I can’t stop thinking about: How the heck do they keep their hair and makeup looking so good through all that intense exercise?

That question became even more pressing when I recently attended my first-ever Dallas Cowboys home game (as a guest of Charlotte Tilbury, who sponsors the cheerleaders’ makeup). Seeing the DCC in action IRL (and practicing with former DCC Megan McElaney) gave me a whole new appreciation for their signature beauty look: voluminous hair, flawless makeup, bronzed skin, and perfectly polished nails.

So, how much time, money, and effort really goes into maintaining that level of glam? I decided that I needed to find out for myself. I set out to recreate the full Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders beauty routine—or at least, as much of it as I could—before putting the finished look through a long day of my own.

What I tried

DCC makeup

Naturally, the foundation of the whole DCC beauty look is wearing high-glam, long-wear, sweat-resistant makeup that can stand up to a lot of physical exertion. The DCC have partnered with Charlotte Tilbury to make that happen, so I also went with a full face of Charlotte Tilbury makeup, both to get as close to a DCC look as possible and put the same formulas to a real-life long-wear test. for my eyes, I opted for a daytime, cool-toned smoky look with lashes. On my cheeks, plenty of sculpting and bronzer paired with a peachy nude blush. But the products that really helped me channel my inner DCC were the Airbrush Flawless Concealer, Airbrush Flawless Blur Loose Setting Powder, and lip combo Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pillow Talk Medium paired with Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk.

Texas blowout

They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that goes for the hair too. Tangerine Salon is the go-to salon for the DCC, and while I didn’t get to try their services while I was in Dallas, I did get a blowout from another Aveda-affiliated salon in New York City right before the trip. I also got a blowout in Madrid ahead of my friends’ wedding. For both appointments, I asked for a big, bouncy Texas-style (read: very voluminous) ‘90s blowout, just like how many of the DCC do their hair for games.

Manicure

In all the photos and videos I’ve seen of the DCC, the women always have a fresh manicure. For this experiment, I got a gel French manicure with chrome powder on top, which felt very DCC-esque. Since it was a gel manicure, I wasn’t too concerned about it lasting. (As I write this, it’s still going strong three weeks later, with not a single chip or crack to be found.)

Skincare prep

Luckily, there’s one part of my existing personal beauty routine that aligns with at least some of the cheerleaders’: I get regular facials. Though not all the DCC are open about all of the in-office treatments they get, many of them often share pics and videos of their skin post-chemical peels, HydraFacial, and microneedling. They also all have access to neuromodulators, fillers, facials, chemical peels, microneedling, and other skincare treatments thanks to the team’s med spa partner. So, two days before I went to Dallas, I visited the Biologique Recherche New York Residence, where I got a calming facial focused on clearing up congestion, exfoliating my skin, and hydrating my face to get glass skin-like results. This helped turn my skin into a clean canvas for all that makeup to come.

What I didn’t try

Hair color or extensions

I am a very proud hair color virgin. The most I’ve ever done is a clear gloss for some extra shine and conditioning. It’s pretty common for potential and current DCCs to go through an iconic beauty transformation, and their makeovers are documented on the Netflix show. I’ve seen girls go from blonde to brunette, turn into redheads, and start wearing hair extensions. However, I’m sorry to say I wasn’t ready to fully color my hair for this experiment, even in the name of beauty journalism. I also have thick, medium-length already, so extensions just weren’t super necessary for me.

Fake tan

In the GRWMs I’ve watched from the DCC ladies, almost all of them either self-tan or get a spray tan. While I’ve done both in the past and absolutely loved the results, I am currently dealing with a lot of random skin rashes lately that derms have only been able to categorize as atopic dermatitis, so I’m trying not to expose my skin to too many extra chemicals right now.

How it went

DCC makeup

In the name of ~science~ I did full glam twice, once with help from a Charlotte Tilbury makeup artist and once on my own.

The day the Charlotte Tilbury makeup artist did my glam, it lasted through very hot, very humid Texas weather (we’re talking over 90°F at the warmest point), a little bit of rain, and quite a lot of walking and stairs in my cowboy boots. Is that the same as a full-blown DCC cheer routine? No, but I did work up a sweat throughout the day. And yet, almost all of my makeup lasted for a full 12 hours: It looked just as perfect at 12 p.m. as it did at midnight. The only thing I had to touch up throughout the day was my lip combo after meals. I attribute the long-lasting wear to the Airbrush Flawless Concealer and Airbrush Flawless Blur Loose Setting Powder especially, which kept my pores invisible all day. It probably helped that I barely had any foundation on—it was mostly concealer and powder—so there was less base product that could have potentially broken or worn off throughout the day.

The day I did my own makeup, I was attending a wedding. My full glam lasted through a very hot subway ride, climbing the subway stairs in heels, happy wedding tears, and hours upon hours of dancing, singing, and general celebrations. I used those same Charlotte Tilbury products for my complexion, which I think is why my beat stayed in place until I got back from the wedding celebrations at 3 a.m.

I also loved that, despite a lot of sweating and wearing allll the makeup, my face didn’t break out. A trusty makeup removing wipe and a solid face wash and skincare routine at the end of some very long days kept my skin in check.

Texas blowout

So here’s where I had the most trouble: As great as my makeup looked on both occasions, my hair didn’t last either time. Neither blowout stayed voluminous for very long at all. That was such a bummer for me, but it was also reminder that I already have a pretty good idea of what the best products are for my own hair.

When I’m doing my hair myself, my go-to is the T3 Curl Wrap, which I’ve found keeps my hair in a very nice bouncy DCC-like curl all day. If I were to have done my hair myself, I would’ve used that curling iron paired with the Dyson Airwrap for touch-ups (I’ve seen a lot of the DCC women do this two-step curling-iron-then-Dyson method for their hair routines). Also, I probably need to use a lot more volumizing products. I did some detective work and noticed a few products that routinely pop up in the cheerleaders’ GRWM videos: Sexy Hair Big Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray, Kenra Professional Volume Spray 25, and Hairitage Magic Dust Texturizing Powder, among others. Their technique seems to be approximately half a can of hairspray on every single curl (I’m only exaggerating a little bit), so it’s clear that their hair routines are made for performance, not real life. The next time I need big hair that really lasts, I’ll be adding a lot more styling product.

The final verdict

Beyond being top-tier dancers and cheerleaders, these women clearly have top-tier makeup and hair routines. After trying my own versions, I’m even more impressed at how well their glam lasts through an entire football game, which ends up being three-plus hours with commercial breaks and all.

In some of the DITL videos they’ve posted on TikTok, I’ve noticed they do touch up their hair and makeup during halftime. I probably could’ve benefitted from some touch-ups throughout the day, but if I’m being honest, I’m trying to have makeup and hair that lasts all day without any extra effort. Too much to ask? I kinda don’t think so, especially given the cost of all these beauty products and treatments.

And on that note, I think it’d be pretty pricey to keep up the DCC look. Makeup is low-key expensive these days! (The total cost of the products Charlotte Tilbury products I used easily surpassed $400.) As are the best hair tools and styling products. And that’s not even getting into professional treatments... A blowout easily costs $50 or more and hair color can set you back at least $150 per appointment. Then, Botox, fillers, facials, and other med spa-related things can add up to hundreds of dollars. And these are just one-time fees; most of these treatments require touch ups a few times per year, so we’re ultimately talking thousands of dollars spent annually just on glam.

That said, being in a full DCC-inspired look made me feel, well, pretty dang fabulous. I felt so confident and truly beautiful with my voluminous hair and smoky eye makeup. Why didn’t anyone tell me I’d feel so grown-up and cool wearing a French manicure? Yes, I got compliments from my friends, family, and my boyfriend about how pretty the glam looked (which was nice, don’t get me wrong!), but what I loved the most is how I felt internally. I felt like I could take on the world, and to me, that’s what beauty is all about. I will say that it took me wayyyy longer to get ready than my usual routine, which is more of a race against the clock.

So, would I do it all again? For a special occasion, absolutely. However, I don’t see myself spending hours on my hair and makeup every single morning. But this experiment taught me that the right products and techniques really can make a full face of glam last through heat, humidity, happy tears, and hours of dancing. My makeup? Ready for game day. My hair? Let’s just say I still have a few things to learn from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

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Catharine Malzahn is a contributing beauty writer at Cosmo. She’s covered and tested countless beauty products and treatments, from makeup and skincare to in-office treatments and hair tools.