Serena Williams has the most extreme masking routine we’ve ever seen

Tennis superstar Serena Williams may be known for cutting it up on the court, but it seems tennis is not the only thing Serena takes very seriously: she’s nuts about all things skin care. Like, next-level addicted.

In an Instagram story, Serena gave us a sneak peek at her massive stash of Korean face masks. “These are my Korean face masks! I’m obsessed,” she said, adding, “some of my hardest decisions is what mask am I gonna wear before I go to bed,” she added.

We can see why. Serena flipped the camera to reveal her bathroom counter overflowing with skin care gems. “I have masks everywhere,” she explains, revealing some from Dr. Jart and Knesko, as well as a cheeky bottle of Prosecco (because #relatable), before panning to her organisational system that would make Marie Kondo weep with joy – “I’m a beauty freak.”

Next, Serena dished on her nightly masking routine, which is extreme, to say the least. She doesn’t use just one mask – she starts with a sheet mask, then finishes with a light mask, and uses about a dozen products before, after and in-between.

Before she applies her first mask, she removes her makeup using a reusable microfibre cleansing towel that her mum got her (cute!) and cleanser – she’s a big fan of La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar Deep Cleansing Foaming Cream.

Opening a drawer in her extensive skin care collection, she reveals one of her ride-or-die products – MZ Skin Radiance & Renewal Instant Clarity Refining Mask. “This is one of my favourites, everyone should know that.” ‘Kay, yup, noted.

But for tonight’s routine, she decided to go with a manuka honey offering from Innisfree. “My friend got it for me from Korea… I was in cold weather and manuka honey moisturises your skin so, I wanted something that would bring a lot of moisture to it. 

“So, this is where I don’t move my mouth much,” she mumbles after the sheet mask is applied. “I let this sit for 20 minutes and then, voila!” 

“I’m not done yet though,” she professes. And boy is she right.

“Now that I’m done with my sheet mask, I massage [anything left over] into my skin. I put it on my neck, I put it on my hands, and then serum time.”

She picks up a bottle from Dr. Barbara Sturm, “I’m trying this Super Anti-Aging Serum because maybe it’ll make me move faster on the court.” Tips, ladies, tips.

Next up she layers on another serum: BIOSSANCE Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum. “I was told if you want to use [a] light mask that you should use serum first.”

“Now, for eyes I take special care and do just a special one under the eye. I tend to get dark circles under my eye – I love my Vine Vera for that – especially for my skin, it works really well.”

“We are close to the end. DON’T give up on me now,” she reassures her audience.

“Now’s the time to apply your mask,” she explains as she slides on what looks like a very intense, full-face version of those sunglasses they make you wear at the dentist. It’s the Light Shield mask from DMH Aesthetics.

Her voice now muffled by the face shield adorning her face, she reminds us, “you apply it only after you have a serum.”

She explains that the mask comes in three versions: “I like the red light because it’s anti-ageing; there’s also different colours – there’s a blue light for acne, I don’t get acne! There’s an amber light for discolouration, which sometimes I do need to do.”

“I always talk about how much I love this mask because I can move my hands, I don’t have to lay flat, but I still get all the benefits – boop!”

“It’s important for me, before you apply the mask, I missed one major step… a glass of Prosecco,” she explains before lifting her light shield to take a sip and asks Alexa to start a timer for 15 minutes. 

“My timer’s done… boom!” she exclaims, revealing plump, glowy skin.

She finishes her routine with a Placenta & Stem Cell Cream from MZ Skin and Tatcha’s Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Eye Serum and completes her tutorial with a beauty vlogger outro: “Alright, goodnight! Serena Beauty is done for the day.”

Check out the full vanity tour and tutorial for yourself below:

Want stunning skin like the tennis star but on a bit of a budget? This $14 face clearing solution is going viral on TikTok.

Main image credit: Getty