Class is in session!
After years of caking on high-coverage HD makeup for her life on-camera, Yara Shahidi, 17-year-old star of Freeform’s “Grown-ish” and face of Clean & Clear has learned a thing or two about the importance of keeping your skin healthy and happy.
Yara recently spilled her secrets to seriously goalworthy skin and all the self-love that goes along with maintaining it. Keep scrolling to find out her tips and tricks to staying confident, her daily skincare routine and more!
How do you feel about people looking up to you as a beauty icon?
Yara: It’s surreal because I am still trying to figure out who I am and what I want to be. I am someone who is ever-changing and am still getting used to this idea that people are watching me change.
Do you remember your first-ever breakout?
Yara: Seventh grade was my first major breakout, and it was also the first time I was going to hang out at my friend’s house. I remember how intimidating that was because I was so used to entering the world with no care, and I was like, What are these bumps on my face?!
Do you have any tips for girls going through their first breakout?
Yara: There’s no need to be embarrassed because, what I’ve realized is, everybody goes through it and it’s not something specific to who you are. It’s not like the universe is targeting you, even though it may seem like it.
What’s your day-off makeup routine like?
Yara: For me, it’s skincare, skincare! Days off are usually skin-routine days. I have the longest night routine, and It really does just involve making sure I’m exfoliated, my pores are clean, and washing my face three times because you want to make sure everything comes out.
Do you have advice for being more confident in your skin?
Yara: Feel good in your skin. Just get used to it; get to know it! I think that’s it. Getting to know how my skin behaves has helped me a lot in feeling confident. If there is an issue, I know it’s temporary and this is how to treat it.
What are your goals as a role model?
Yara: I am looking forward to being one of a trillion other faces here that people look up to. It’s cool that I’m one of them. But I think it’s slowly pushing toward being a more inclusive media, so I am not the face of all the black girls, but one of 10 hundred million other faces that people can choose to look up to.
How have you learned to love your insecurities?
Yara: I remember the first time I was straightening my hair. I was in seventh grade, and I came to school, and everyone was like, “Oh my gosh, I love it. It’s so pretty like this.” It felt a little weird to see these people projecting whatever standards of beauty they had onto me. It didn’t take me long to realize that I loved my curls anyway, so you’re not going to tell me any different.
Taking care of her skin isn’t the only thing Yara’s passionate about! She recently gushed about attending Harvard University next year in the humblest way possible.