My Beauty Hack — Laura Ajayi’s all-day lasting off-duty supermodel makeup routine

Supermodel Laura Ajayi shares her blush-heavy, all-day off-duty glam routine and the personality behind the flawless face.

 

Billboards, adverts, runways, and fashion campaigns; the supermodel, Laura Ajayi, has dominated them all. As a fashion week fixture, the SS26 season saw Ajayi open shows and front magazine covers like the GTCO Fashion Weekend editorial. The life of a model has fascinated many, but it is predominantly being someone else’s muse. 

The true Ajayi is only seen outside the shows—at public events, guest appearances, and pleasure activities. However, Ajayi defies the stereotype that models are to be seen and not heard. She doesn’t spend her time in between fashion weeks in hibernation. Instead, she builds her social presence through content creation and connects with her “Nabi” – the name she has coined for her dedicated community. Time and time again on her social media, she proves that the person “Laura Ajayi” is as exciting and glamorous as her supermodel persona.

In this edition of  My Beauty Hack, Laura Ajayi takes us through the journey of how she looks supermodel-flawless both on and off the runway. She dares to get intimate as she shares personal stories, model secrets, and how her makeup stays firm for hours.

 

Laura Ajayi’s off-duty supermodel glam

Laura Ajayi via @lauraajayii on Instagram
Laura Ajayi via @lauraajayii on Instagram

Prime, blend and sculpt with intention

Ajayi’s routine mirrors her personality,  as is evident from the moment she begins. She is funny, expressive, and unafraid to share her “nerdy” habits. She is very aware of her likes and dislikes as she declares, “I actually don’t wear anything that I don’t like”, before she starts her makeup.

Her routine begins with a moisturiser and primer by Msmetics, and a medium-sized brush. She starts with the moisturiser, then applies the Msmetics aqua grip primer with the brush. She is very particular about protecting her skin, as she expresses, “100% skincare! If your skin is good, there is no way your makeup won’t be a 10/10”, when asked if she is a skincare or makeup girl.

She coats her skin from her face down to the base of her neck with primer before she begins applying makeup. Once her skin is ready, her M.A.C foundation follows, this time with a blending sponge — pressed carefully into the skin, especially around her T-zone. She blends with precision, ensuring the centre of her face is seamless and smooth. 

“Funny enough, I prefer heels,” she says mid-application, answering the question of whether she prefers heels or flats. “I just feel more balanced when I am on my tippy toes,” she expresses in all sincerity, “Heels just make me feel like that girl.” 

Next, under her eyes, between her brows, along her chin and above her lips, she places an Avour liquid concealer to brighten. Then comes dimension. An Avour darker liquid concealer frames the corners of her face, sculpting the perimeter before she blends it out with a brush. It gives her the defined, structured cheeks that are expected of models. Blush, however, is where the softness enters.

 

Read also: My Beauty Hack — Tiwa Savage’s no foundation makeup routine that she spices with a shot of Don Julio

 

The secret ingredient you never knew you needed: blush!

Laura Ajayi via @lauraajayii on Instagram
Laura Ajayi via @lauraajayii on Instagram

Laura applies an Avour blush generously on her cheeks and taps a little on the tip of her nose. Her face lights up. “I love blush,” she says, almost defensively. “It’s my favourite thing to do.” Then she laughs, joking that she hopes she doesn’t have “blush blindness.”

The glow intensifies when she reaches for Avour’s “Supercover,” a 3-in-1 contour, concealer and highlighter hybrid that sharpens and lifts in one sweep. Just like the supercover can act as a mask, Ajayi drops hers by discussing misconceptions about her. 

“A popular misconception people have about me is that I am going to be rude and standoffish,” she rejects this idea. “I can’t fathom being rude to somebody, because I am such an introvert.”

Then, she uses a setting spray to seal the base before she dusts on a long-lasting setting powder, concentrating under her eyes to make them pop.

As she counts to break the fourth wall on herself and the modelling industry, she reveals that her favourite type of modelling is commercial and editorial, “Runway has my heart, but it is too short for me,” she laughs, “Billboards, tv, ads… I need to be in your face,” she shares while pressing in the powder.

But Ajayi isn’t done blushing, not even close.

She sweeps a M.A.C brown powder across her face with a large brush for warmth and cohesion. But as a self-proclaimed blush girl, she reaches for two Beauty by AD blushes and layers them onto her already flushed cheeks.

More colour. More warmth. More Ajayi. For her eyes, she keeps things strategic. Three hues only: one neutral base, one stronger focal shade, and glitter for the finish. A touch more Avour powder locks everything in. The effect is polished but playful, runway meets after-hours.

Then come the lips.

She lines with Fenty’s brown lip gloss, fills with Icypop in pink, and tops it off with Classic’s translucent gloss for shine. 

Between steps, she opens up about her online fanbase community — the Nabi, a name she coined that means butterfly in Korean.

“It’s impossible to know all the names of the tens of thousands of people that support me,” she explains. “So I created a name for us.”

In many ways, it is a fitting title. Butterflies symbolise transformation, and the metaphor feels poetic. Models are often seen as distant figures suspended in perfection, but Laura’s “Nabi” grounds her.

 

Set, seal and step into character

Two setting sprays later — Nuban Beauty’s and Excel Superlock — her glam is locked in. But as she stated, she truly cannot help herself with blush; she taps on Beauty by AD blush again. Just a little more. For good measure.

With her makeup complete, she moves on to styling her hair and selecting her outfit. The final transformation is over. In the end, it’s a reflection of who she is. Beneath the primer, powders, and her signature layers of blush is a muse in control of her image and her narrative.

 

Laura’s Beauty products

 

Laura Ajayi's Beauty Products via Pinterest
Laura Ajayi’s Beauty Products via Pinterest

Msmetics moisture potion

Msmetics Aqua Grip primer

M.A.C foundation

Avour liquid concealer

A darker shade of Avour liquid concealer

Avour “supercover”

Beauty by AD long-lasting setting powder

M.A.C brown powder

Beauty by AD blush

Fenty lipgloss

ICYPOP lipgloss

Classic lipgloss

Nuban Beauty setting spray

Excel superlock setting spray

 

Read more: My Beauty Hack – Maeve Nonye’s five-minute beauty routine every minimalist will love

Author

  • lazyload

    Chinazam is the Fashion & Beauty Editor at Marie Claire Nigeria. A dedicated lover of the arts, beauty, fashion, philosophy, literature, katanas… all the good things in life. Chinazam believes everything is connected to fashion, and in five minutes, she’ll make you think so too. She gained the moniker, Fashion Shazam, for her knowledge on global fashion and its history. She loves a good laugh and insists everyone should have a Hamilton costume.

    View all posts
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