It looked like she was wearing no make-up (though I'm sure there was make-up for the camera and lights). Like Jane Elliott she was fine showing wrinkles when in distress. Nancy was all-in on the extreme grief of loosing a child.
I'm not saying that soap actresses haven't done a great job conveying grief in full make up. But the lack of it made Alexis devastation more heartbreaking. For Alexis not to give a damn about how she looked meant Nancy had to not give a damn about how she looked. Great performance enhanced by a lack of ego.
Karen L.