Watch Track Star Masai Russell Share Her Medal-Worthy Makeup Routine

For Masai Russell, preparing for a track meet is about more than just being at her best when she crosses the finish line. “I feel like I’m stepping into my alter ego when I put on makeup,” the 24-year-old sprinter and hurdler tells SELF. “I feel like beauty and the beast.”

Russell took us along as she prepared for Athlos, the first major all-female track and field competition which took place last weekend in New York. Thirty-six elite runners, including Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and Nia Atkins, competed alongside Russell in the inaugural Athlos competition, which concluded with a performance by Megan Thee Stallion and boasted for the highest prize for a women’s athletics event. Even though she just won her first (gold!) Olympic medal, the honor of competing at this particular event was not lost on Russell, who took third place in the 100m hurdles: “I’m so excited to be part of an exclusively female competition. “, she tells SELF. “It just means the world is a part of (Athlos) and one of the best women to compete in this event. And I can still say that I was at the first!

Russell doesn’t play around when it comes to prep, on the runway, or in her makeup routine. She starts with a Caudalie moisturizer and serum, to give her other products a smooth, long-lasting base. Foundations aren’t really her thing; instead, she sticks to a more targeted concealer application. She uses the ultra-pigmented Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Cheek Tint when competing and defines her cheekbones with MAC Skinfinish Sunstruck Matte Bronzer. And for that final shimmer (which hits just mid-sprint), she gets by with a little help from Rihanna and Serena Williams: Fenty highlighter and Wyn lip serum.

“People ask me all the time, ‘How do your eyelashes stay in place when you run?’ » Russell said. Her secret: Duo Lash Glue, and a very meticulous application method (worth the effort in itself). And for a setting spray — a product we should exclusively get from professional athletes, TBH — she favors a combination of MAC Fix+ and One/Size.

A flawless makeup routine isn’t Russell’s only pregame ritual — she also planned to watch a few motivational speeches over a Chipotle bowl before lacing up her tips — but for Athlos in particular, it’s was the perfect way to get into the zone. At its core, the competition is about allowing female athletes to shine and showcasing the bold, beautiful and diverse experiences of women in elite competition. Check out Russell’s full routine below.

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