WNBA star Cameron Brink talks makeup, basketball and more

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As you may have noticed, the WNBA looks very different this year – and not just in the sense of record-breaking viewership. Between high-fashion ‘tunnel fits’, countless sponsorships from beauty brands and women who actively resist the idea that you have to choose between a fashion and makeup-loving girl and a competitor, the competition is quite literal. do look different.

Then in comes Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink. As the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, it’s clear she’s a powerhouse on the court, but her groundbreaking performances off the court are just as remarkable. She has posed for high-fashion campaigns, attended Paris Fashion Week and regularly appears at games that serve looks. She unashamedly wears makeup to play (occasionally even putting on some individual lashes), routinely shows off her routine on social media, and is now the newest face of Urban Decay’s iconic All Nighter Setting Spray ($36).

“Already in primary school I felt like a tall, athletic girl. It felt like I couldn’t be two things at the same time,” Brink tells PS, echoing the feelings of countless athletes we spoke to this year. “But at heart I’m a girly girl who also loves sports and things that are ‘manly’.”

Like many women, Brink first fell in love with beauty by watching her mother get ready. “I was watching her do her makeup and thought she was the most beautiful woman ever, and she was just using makeup to enhance that,” she says. “She was such a confident figure in my life, and that motivated me to learn more about beauty.”

As she got older and—with the help of countless YouTube tutorials—found her own regimen (which All Nighter has been a part of since high school), she began to enjoy the escape that came with applying makeup. “Taking the time to have a routine (is so important to me), and it’s become almost meditative for me to prepare and feel like the best version of myself,” she says.

Now that Brink is a full-fledged superstar, ‘meditative makeup’ has become even more important – especially on game day. “Before games, there’s a whole routine that starts with waking up for a beauty nap, putting on a podcast or good music and getting ready,” she says. “I sit at my beautiful dressing table in front of my mirror and become very calm (put on my make-up). Instead of foundation she applies longwear concealer (her favorite is Urban Decay’s Quickie 24-hour waterproof concealer ($33)). “At the end of my routine, I feel ready to walk out the door with confidence.” It’s no wonder that shortly after undergoing surgery to repair her ACL injury this spring, she “supported her leg and took time to prepare.”

Seasonal injuries pose physical and mental challenges for athletes – but Brink is doing “great” in rehabilitation and resists self-pity. “I haven’t let my injury stop me from living my life as a 22-year-old living in LA and wanting to travel the world. I’m proud of myself for the way I’ve continued to work with brands and for making this something empowering instead of depressing.”

As a basketball star, fashion icon and beauty ambassador, Brink consciously shows the world that she is more than just one thing. This certainly applies to her beauty routine (“I don’t have any aesthetic—some days I’m high glam; other days I’m just a California girl who likes to be laid back and casual,” she says), but it actually goes beyond that: “I’ve always had several dreams – of course to join the WNBA, but also to be a model and be feminine,” she says. “The ultimate goal is to inspire girls who love to compete and be aggressive on the field, but also embrace their femininity.”

For Brink, self-expression is crucial to this mission – and often that comes in the form of her #looks. ‘What’s so nice about it’tunnel fits’ in the competition is that they show how many different types of people and players we have and that they can be many things at the same time,” she says. “I can show up at every match and feel like a beautiful version of myself in an outfit and make-up up that expresses how I feel. I can express myself however I want, and it’s very nice to know that it is accepted.”

Zoe Weiner is a freelance beauty and wellness writer. Her work has appeared in Bustle, Byrdie, Cosmopolitan, PS, GQ, Glamour, Marie Claire, Allure, Self, Brides, and Teen Vogue, and she was senior beauty editor at Well+Good.