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“There’s nothing that’s precluding you from thoroughly enjoying makeup and really loving a James Baldwin speech!” insists Yara Shahidi. Today, the 19-year-old actress and activist is showing Vogue her daily beauty routine—and how she amps it up to capture the carefree mood of summer. “Skin care is what I do on a more daily basis, whereas makeup is really more spontaneous and dependent on how I feel that day and what colors I want to see on my face,” she explains.
The Grown-ish star kicks things off by prepping her canvas with SK-II’s Facial Treatment Mask, leaving it on for 15 minutes before adding a thick layer of moisturizer. “I rub it into my hands because they age faster than I do!” she says. Moving on to makeup, Shahidi prefers sheer, natural coverage and always shade-matches her skin to her Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation according to the season. “My shade changes throughout the year because my melanin changes,” she explains. Another reason she applies foundation with a lighter hand? She’s not shy about her acne breakouts. “Just being a teenager and all that, sometimes my forehead likes to rebel and it’s really been about how do I embrace that,” she explains while blending on an imperceptible veil with a damp Beautyblender sponge.
Starting in on her eyes, she curls her lashes and carefully adds a few coats of mascara. “It’s all about doing this little wiggle,” she says. “It definitely does stop clumps from happening!” After brushing up her brows with Brown’s Brow Shaper Hair Touch-Up, she whips out a tube of coral liquid lipstick and dabs it on her cheeks and lids to sun-kissed effect. “If I’m generally going out and I want to put makeup on, this is usually where I land,” she explains. “But then when you see me on Instagram, I usually have the addition of a colorful pencil.” Wielding a hot pink–tangerine shade, she draws razor-sharp lines across the upper lash lines. And it doesn’t end there. Shahidi then moves to the inner eyes and brow bones, sketching sculptural, high-impact lines. “I am losing control of this, but never fear, Q-tip is here!” she beams while finessing her graphic gaze. “I end up with looks like this because I just like to have fun!”
Filmed at Loews Regency New York
