The Olympic Games will soon be here and with them we'll get to see a whole lot more of apline skier, Mikaela Shiffrin. The 18 year-old just qualified over the weekend to go to Sochi for Winter Games, and she was recently named a spokesperson for hair care megabrand Pantene. Can this girl's life get any busier?! Luckily, Mikaela had just enough time to chat with us about all things hair and makeup. We were dying to know more about how a professional athlete stays looking fabulous on the slopes, so read our Q&A below and find out this Olympic 'it girl' combats helmet hair like a pro!
So Mikaela, give us the scoop on what the beauty routine of an Olympic Champion is like! What's a typical get ready regimen for you?
Every night before I go to bed, I put on the Olay Night Fortifying Cream, lots of it. When I wake up, I slather on the Olay All Day Moisture Cream. Then I mix it with the COVERGIRL CC cream so I can even out my skin tone. After skiing all day, my skin tone is like 5 different shades. It gives me extra hydration, a more even tone, and pretty looking skin. Then I put on a tiny bit of light colored blush and a little bit of black eyeliner.
For my hair, I run the Pantene All-in-one Styling Balm from the middle of my hair to the ends to tame frizz and make it smooth. I spray a little bit of Pantene's Flexible Hold Hairspray, before I go out, just at the roots. It stays in my hair, pretty much all day. It's simple, but it brings out my best features. I feel so much more confident taking my helmet and goggles off. I don't look like I've been skiing all day - the products last throughout training session.
Loving all your beauty solutions! What would you say inspires your hair and makeup looks? Is it a fellow athlete? Family member? A certain decade?
The Hunger Games is a big inspiration. I saw Catching Fire the other day and Effie Trinket had a red eye shadow on that I thought looked really cool. So I tried playing with different designs - not as extravagant as what she did, but a toned down version. For most days though, I think of my look as "Beauty base zero" - make it look like I got out of bed looking flawless and didn't put a lot of thought into it. When I'm skiing I put on a little bit of foundation, little bit of blush and a little bit of eye liner. I'm sweating all day - it's not a make-up friendly environment, so I put on just enough to look healthy and so I feel confident when I take my helmet off.
So what beauty dilemmas do you have to tackle as a professional athlete? What are some tips and tricks you've learned to stay looking your best while competing or being in the public eye?
My biggest beauty dilemmas are split ends, chapped lips and helmet head, so the natural is always the best go-to choice for me. I used to straighten my hair a lot, but I have naturally curly hair. It looked pretty when I first did it, but by the end of the day, it always flattened out at the top of my head, I decided I liked it better curly. I just learned how to use a curling iron to make it less frizzy and make my curls a bit looser, but still embracing how it naturally looks. For me it's about having a natural hair style, natural hair color, and natural make-up look.
It's pretty cool! I've always admired the hair in the Pantene commercials. The partnership has helped me learn about my hair, what tools and products I can use to make it almost look like a Pantene commercial. It's been really exciting for me. I always thought my hair was hopeless and at my shoot, when I was talking with a Pantene stylist, she thought my hair was gorgeous. She taught me some tricks to make it look better, like using the All-in-one Styling Balm to tame the frizz and how to use a curling iron to accentuate my curls. And it's been amazing to share that with people.
All of the products I use need to be quick and easy. My whole life is built on getting ready and looking good really quick. I feel like I'm always rushing everywhere. Ten minutes and I'm ready to go. Some of my favorites are: Pantene Repair and Protect Collection because it is very moisturizing, the COVERGIRL CC Cream, because it evens out my skintone. Pantene's Flexible Hold Hair Spray is pretty awesome too because it helps ward off helmet head. I just run my fingers through my roots after I've take off my helmet and it pretty much goes away. Because I'm dealing with helmet hair every day, it gets really greasy. The hairspray helps me go for an extra day or 2 without washing my hair. My hair is so much healthier now that I wash it less. It helps my hair look good without washing it every single night.
What beauty advice would you give to women who want to be able to work out and still look great while doing it?
Stay natural! It doesn't mean you need to be scared of putting make-up on. It's nice to look feminine, but really working out, too. I used to feel guilty putting make-up on and going to a workout. But it's just a little bit that makes me feel good so I can get down to business. People can judge me by the turns I make on the slopes, but can also appreciate that I am feminine when I take my helmet off.