Nicole Richie thought she "needed" to wear make-up during her younger years.
Nicole Richie has opened up about her beauty journey
The 42-year-old TV star has admitted that she "wanted to look like something else" during her 20s.
Nicole told PEOPLE: "When I look at my photos of myself in my 20s, the first thing that comes to mind is just how much I thought I needed between extensions and make-up.
"I would say, 'I can never let anyone see me without extensions, not even my animals' [because] my hair is so thin. Back then it would take about six hours to put in a full head of extensions, so sometimes I would take out my extensions the night before and then get them put back in the next morning.
"While I loved all that, and I think it's so much fun. I didn't need it, and I do think that I was still in a stage where I wanted to look like something else."
Now, Nicole has a completely different attitude towards health and beauty.
She shared: "I really focus on the health of my skin and the health of my hair and leaning into who I am and what I naturally look like.
"In my 40s, I just want to look like myself. I want to be myself. It's fun and exciting and it's real life, which is no joke."
Nicole still loves to "put on a look" - but she's also determined to "feel like [herself]".
The 'Simple Life' star said: "Especially if I have to go out and speak to people, I can't be in a look where I have completely exited who I am on the inside.
"For example, if I were doing a talk show or something where I had to do a lot of interviews, I wouldn't wear a red lip because I'm self-conscious and I don't do a lot of red lip looks. I don't want to be thinking about anything like, 'Do I have lipstick on my teeth?' Or making sure that I have it on right!"
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