"Vegas is the best place to go out. You can’t stay more than two nights, but everything is so big and grand. We did that recently, my fiancé and I—we were in Vegas, and we got sushi, and we went and listened to music. That's kind of like our version of date night. And getting ready is so much fun. I'll put on Top 40 music, which in my opinion, is the best to get ready to. I think every girl has that problem, where halfway through getting ready, they just get up and dance. So sometimes it takes a big longer than planned. [Laughs]
It probably takes me an hour—and I always start with a mask. The gold Adore Techno-Dermis Eye Masks just make me look awake, and they're especially good on undereyes. Then I'll always use moisturizer. Right now I'm using the Adore Serum, but depending on the season, if I need something more intense, I have manuka honey. It's basically a deep moisturizer, but it has a healing agent to it, so over time it heals acne and dark spots. It just gives me a more even skin tone. It's also great that it's natural... I've been making a lot of natural masks lately, with yogurt, avocado, and vitamin E. It's crazy how much that works.
From there, I go on to my makeup. My skin is so important—you want it to feel simple but look done at the same time. I use Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna, and I also have the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk. I'm sure everyone owns that, it's so nice on skin. I switch between them because my skin changes depending on the season. My concealer is Estée Lauder Perfectionist in Medium. Rae Morris, a makeup artist I work with, gave it to me and you can tell I like it because it's draining out a little. It has a matte side that I put on first, and then I go over that with the brightening serum. I don't like when my undereyes look too matte—I like a little glow. I'm trying to go for 'bronzed and dewy.'
If I want to do a contour, Tom Ford’s Shade and Illuminate is great. It also feels really nice on the skin and looks really natural. I set it with Becca Soft Light Blurring Powder on the Rae Morris Radiance Blush. As you can see, I have a lot of eye products. I think Maybelline Great Lash is one of my favorite mascaras—I even have it in blue. Eyeliner I don’t do a lot, but sometimes I’ll want to do a cat eye. I like the MAC Coffee liner. It’s more natural. Black can look a certain way, it’s a bit more sophisticated. A brown palette is good... I think everyone has the Urban Decay Naked one. I use Smog and Baked mostly, depending on what I’m wearing. The Covergirl Nudes are a bit more liquid-y, those are kind of cool. Those are my OG ones.
I like my natural lip color a lot. So everything that I do with my lips is just trying to find products that enhance it a little. I prefer stains. Nars has these pencils that you can use for the lips that are great, I love Bahama. These Total Hydration Chapsticks are wonderful as well, in Coral Blush and Rose Petal. I look for a neutral pink—right now I'm using Tom Ford Spanish Pink—and I’ll mix it up with the Bobbi Brown Rose Pot Rouge to add some dimension to it. Some nudes are a bit too grey for me, so the Bobbi Brown red brightens them a bit.
Shanina Shaik's Trick For The Perfect Nude Lip
This might sound weird, but I use MAC Face and Body on my legs to even them out and give them a bit of color. Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs is also really great, and I’ll use the Michael Kors Fabulous Body Lotion if I’m doing a shoot for lingerie or going to a casting. It gives you that shimmer. But only to lingerie or castings, I don’t really glitter myself up to go out—I do love the Nuxe oil, though. You can use it everywhere.
I do have a beach curl, so when I do my hair, I really like to work with my natural texture. I have the R and Co Dry Shampoo Paste and that helps my hair retain the wave—I just shape it with the paste, and it keeps it secure over the time. I'll also use the Balmain Texturizing Spray when I blowdry. I always condition my ends, and I love Mane and Tail. It’s so amazing. It leaves a film of moisture and just gives great texture.
I wanted to try long nails but because of my job I usually have them short... They become so brittle. I wanted to feel more feminine and have long nails, so I went to Duane Reade and got press-ons. It’s trickier to do thing but it’s fun for right now. They're from a brand called Kiss and they’re super easy to do. You can also go about it however you want. Even when I went to the nail salon, [the technician] was like, ‘How did you do that?’
The last thing I put on is fragrance. Whenever I'm in an Uber, and the driver will ask me what scent I’m wearing. [Laughs] It's Giorgio Armani Sì. People always ask! It’s smoky, but it’s slightly fruity. Not too overpowering—and very sexy."
—as told to ITG
Shanina Shaik photographed by Tom Newton in New York on January 31, 2017. Shanina wears a Jill Stuart shirt, Joes jeans, and Stuart Weitzman shoes.
