Bronze medal-winning short track speed skater Allison Baver has always been a girly-girl.

But growing up in Reading, Pennsylvania, the 29-year-old said that wearing lipgloss to the rink attracted teasing from the other kids.

"It was a real struggle. I love playing with makeup, shoes and clothes -- but there was this cultural standard that you couldn't be a girl and be into makeup and fashion and be into sports, too. I would get asked, 'Why are you wearing makeup to practice?' all the time. But times are changing. I say to girls, 'have confidence in whoever you want to be - and don't care what other people say'," Baver told StyleList.

The high cheek-boned Baver wooed the prestigious Wilhelmina modeling agency a couple of years ago, and now does sports modeling on the side.

"I was so pumped to sign with Wilhelmina. I thought, 'Finally! I don't have to just be gritty and all competitive in my skating skin suit!'" said Baver.

Among her most striking features is her jet black hair, and she swears by Pantene's Ice Shine Hair Spray for a glossy finish.

"My hair gets flat from wearing a helmet. After practice, I just flip my hair over, spray the Pantene hair spray all over, and flip up - it's so fast and easy," she said.

When it comes to makeup, Baver loves full lashes - often layering CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara several times over for a dramatic, wide-eyed look. "The wand on that mascara does a great job of separating the lashes," said Baver. "I also love the lip marker that CoverGirl makes, you can line your lips and fill-in without looking overdone or like I'm wearing lipliner to the rink. Even though I am!" she said, laughing.

Throughout the Olympics, Baver was part of Proctor & Gamble's "Fearless" campaign, which celebrated athletes who took risks in order to achieve their dreams. "I hope it gave girls the power to be who they want to be - even if that means playing football and then putting on lipgloss afterwards," said Baver.

And Baver knows a thing or two about football.

"My sister played football in high school. I would always French braid her hair so that we could wrap it up into her helmet. The boys would be so shocked when she removed her helmet after a game, and they saw she was a girl!" said Baver.

In just a couple of weeks, Baver will compete in the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Bulgaria, where she broke her leg just a year ago. "I have some unfinished business to take care of there," Baver told StyleList.

And after the championships, she will get right back to a four-year Olympic training again, as she sets her eyes on more medals at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia -- where sports insiders say she has the potential to help better her team's bronze medal performance at the 3000 meter relay.

But there's one additional thing Baver is trying to improve on.

"I pack way too much makeup and shoes whenever I travel. It's unbelievable. I need to work on that!"

Click here to learn the beauty secrets behind the stunning smiles of the USA's Olympic figure skating team.