Yara Shahidi is known to look stunning on the red carpet, on both Black-ish and Grown-ish and on everything she posts on Instagram — she’s just an overall win.
With all of her amazing outfits, hairstyles and makeup looks, we must admit that we hadn’t thought twice about looking at her hands to check out her manicures, but once we did, we became absolutely obsessed. Shahidi partnered with Essie for National Nail Polish Day and she sat down with E! News to discuss some of her favorite nail colors and mani ideas (we also dug up some dirt on Yara’s nail maintenance from when her manicurist chatted with Pop Sugar). She also talked about her unique and impeccable style and shared her key to keeping her skin looking flawless.
Due to National Nail Polish Day, starting with Yara’s nail care seems only right. Yara’s nail artist, Emi Kudo, shared with PopSugar that Yara doesn’t necessarily obsess over any particular nail care. However, she does ensure to give her nails a little extra love if she’s noticing something is different. Kudo also mentioned that when she first met Yara, her nails were very weak due to getting gels, but "she's since given them enough of a break and doesn't get gels as often now, so her nails are growing back healthy."
Yara also loves bright yellows, metallic blues and skin-tone colors for her manicures and rarely goes for pinks and magentas. Yara’s favorite is Essie Mint Candy Apple ($9) and, when she’s opting for something a little less green, her go-to is yellow.
"It’s her happy color," said Kudo.
Yara also mentioned to E! News that she talks with her hands so manicures are important to her, saying:
"My nails are really one of the things people see first. I really gravitate towards big, bold colors. Essie's Geranium is a go-to — it's this really vibrant red. Depending on my mood, I'll either do nail art, like a yellow with stars or a matte black with a stripe, or I'll stick to one vibrant color."
As for her skin, Yara told E! News that finding the right cleanser is the trick.
"I switch them out quite often just to figure out what works. I like any oil-based cleanser because it helps dry skin. I use anything from foam cleansers to Burt's Bees Oil Cleanser. Sometimes I use pure cut Aloe Vera or vitamin E oil. Outside of skin care, my one makeup routine that I consistently follow is my making sure my eyebrows are on point. I'm currently growing them out so it takes work," said the Grown-ish star.
Self-care is important to Yara as well. She learned from her mother that it’s important to take care of yourself, first and foremost. Along with self-care, Mama Shahidi also taught Yara the importance of properly washing your face.
"Also, I've learned to look at beauty as a creative outlet. Use makeup to express yourself rather than to cover yourself. This is why I gravitate towards louder colors — there's that feeling of taking up creative space when you go bold," the actress said to E! News.
When it comes to style, Yara shared with E! that her everyday uniform consists of tracksuits.
"I look for comfort and bright colors. Anything from bright purple to blue to pastels are within my closet — my favorite is actually my yellow tracksuit. I go with the classics from Nike to Tory Burch, who offer a wide variety. Our friend, designer Melody Ehsani, has really cool monochrome tracksuits. I actually wore one to the wrap party for Black-ish — while everyone else had dresses on, I was in my tracksuit."
For riskier trends, Yara makes sure that she’s partaking in the trend only because she genuinely wants to and wants to have fun doing so.
"I still have to feel comfortable," she said. "A lot of it has to do with 'Why am I doing this?' Is it about being fun, vibrant and enjoyable or because everyone else is doing it? That ultimately decides it. You still want to feel like yourself and in your environment."
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