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

For Masai Russell, getting ready before a track meet is about more than looking her best when she crosses the finish line. “I feel like I’m stepping into my alter ego when I do my makeup,” the 24-year-old sprinter and hurdler tells SELF. “I feel like a beauty and the beast.”

Russell took us along as she got ready for Athlos, the first-of-its-kind all-female major track meet that took place last weekend in New York City. Thirty-six elite runners, including Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown, and Nia Atkins competed alongside Russell at the inaugural Athlos meet—which closed out with a performance by Megan Thee Stallion and boasted the highest prize payout for a women’s track event. 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 in the 100m hurdle: “I’m so excited to be a part of an all women’s meet,” she tells SELF. “It just means the world to be a part [of Athlos], and to be one of the best women to be competing at this event. And I can always say that I was at the first one!”

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

“People ask me all the time, ‘How do your lashes stay on when you’re running?” Russell says. Her secret: Duo Lash Glue, and a very meticulous application method (that’s worth the watch in and of itself). And for a setting spray—a product rec we should exclusively be taking from pro athletes, TBH—she favors a combo of MAC Fix+ and One/Size.

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