Yara Shahidi: The next-gen beauty icon we don’t deserve

Too pure for this world

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / September 21 2021

Yara Shahidi may be young, but at just 21-years-old the Grownish star has accumulated a cult of fans who’re just as obsessed with her daring makeup and hair styling choices as they are in her acting ability and intellectual insights on the world at large.

The full-time groover can regularly be seen cutting shapes on Instagram as she shows off the handiwork of celebrity makeup artist Emily Cheng and her many hair-centric collaborations with the likes of Lacy Redway, Fesa Nu, Latisha Chong and SherriAnn Cole.

From on-trend makeup moments to drool-worthy red carpet glam and a wardrobe of some of the most bold hair looks we’ve ever seen grace our social feeds, Yara Shahidi is shaping up to be one of the most interesting and influential beauty icons of her time. 

Feast your eyes on the ripe beauty fodder she’s treated us with so far...

Red carpet glam

Shahidi and makeup artist Emily Cheng have collaborated on some of the actress’s most iconic red carpet beauty moments over the last few years. Remember when the Grownish star stunned with a denim-hued cat eye for the 2021 Critics Choice Awards? How about the monochromatic burgundy moment Cheng created for Shahidi’s 2021 Met Gala getup? We’re still reeling from the emerald green eye makeup Shahidi wore to the 2021 Daytime Emmys this week TBH.

@emilychengmakeup

@emilychengmakeup

@emilychengmakeup

A hairstylist’s dream

Shahidi’s head for all intents and purposes is simply a canvas for some of Hollywood’s most innovative hairstylists. The 21-year-old regularly collaborates with industry greats like Lacy Redway, Fesa Nu and Latisha Chong for editorial and red carpet commitments, but SherriAnn Cole is Shahidi’s go-to gal on-set when she’s channeling her character Zoey Johnson on Grownish. Shahidi’s not afraid to switch things up either, regularly rotating through a carousel of eclectic hairstyles. We’re talking every kind of braid, twist and ‘fro-heavy updo you can imagine.

@yarashahidi

@emilychengmakeup

@yarashahidi

On-trend makeup moments

Cheng and Shahidi have such a collaborative relationship that often we’ll see the pair come up with on-trend makeup looks regardless of whether the actress has a red carpet event scheduled or not. Case and point? Shahidi’s dalliance with the green eye makeup trend, negative space eyeliner looks and the #peachmakeupchallenge.

@emilychengmakeup

@yarashahidi

@yarashahidi

The best pout in the game

We can’t talk about important beauty moments in Yara Shahidi’s life without talking about a constant in all of her looks – her impressively pouty lips. Seriously, the woman has been blessed with the kind of puffy face pillows most people would charge thousands to achieve. Unlike those of us with lacklustre lip-game, Shahidi’s rocking natural beauty 24/7 – we guess some babes are just built different. Our fave lip looks from the Grownish star? Her perfectly polished pout painted in Rouge Dior 999 ($59 at dior.com.au), her glazed donut lip gloss look wearing Bite Beauty Yaysayer Plumping Lip Gloss ($35 at Sephora) and her monochromatic metallic shimmer makeup look for the 2020 Golden Globes.

@yarashahidi

@emilychengmakeup

@emilychengmakeup

Yara’s not the only celeb delivering droolworthy beauty moments. Lizzo is a beauty icon and these outstanding looks prove it. 

Main image credit: @emilychengmakeup

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).