L’Oréal Signs Up Irina Shayk
Russian model Irina Shayk has been snapped up as the newest member of the L'Oréal Paris family, joining a stellar line-up of models and actresses including Karlie Kloss, Blake Lively, Lara Stone and Natasha Poly.
"It's such an honour to be a L'Oréal Paris ambassador and to be among such a powerful, smart, hardworking and extraordinary group of diverse women," Shayk said. "My personal memories of the brand go way back to the time when I was a teenager. L'Oréal make-up felt like a real luxury for me and I remember dreaming of purchasing a L'Oréal lipstick..."
Shayk was born in Russia's Yemanzhelinsk, and got her first taste of modelling when a local scout discovered her at a beauty school that her sister Tatiana attended. She was subsequently sent to Paris at 19.
"I'd never been anywhere like that. it was a hard time - I didn't speak the language, I didn't have any money, I did not have experience and had to learn really fast," she explained. "To me being worth it means being independent and carving your own path. The L'Oréal woman is worth it because she wants to be."
Now with one of the most coveted beauty jobs in the industry, Shayk has come on leaps and bounds since her early days as a teenager in Russia.
"When I was a teenager I experimented a lot with hair colour and the result was just awful," she admitted. "Now, I always start my day with cleaning and moisturising my skin. Sometimes I use ice cubes to wake up my skin - my mother always does it and she has such beautiful skin. If I work, I always protect my skin with a primer before applying any make-up. I love the L'Oréal Paris BB Cream because I don't need to apply extra foundation; it is lightweight yet a little goes a long way."
And like any good spokesmodel, Shayk is quick to extol the benefits of a good beauty regime - from her favourite hair products (the Elvive Extraordinary Oil range) to her ultimate L'Oréal skincare pick (the Skin Perfection Serum).
"Cosmetics definitely inspire confidence and are a huge part of my life… I love that make-up helps me express my femininity," she said, citing Angelina Jolie and Elizabeth Taylor as role models. "But, overall, my main role model is my grandmother. Her life was not easy… she lost almost all her family in the beginning of the Second World War. Even after the war, things weren't easy for her: she worked really hard, lost her husband and son… But she was always caring for other people, stayed strong and was one of the most beautiful women I ever saw."
Great news & great choice 
