The actress, singer and finalist of the "Voice" show on Channel One told BeautyHack about her favorite beauty rituals, home beauty secrets and why it is important to trust your intuition.
This year for Elmira began with many new projects and creative plans. While the make-up artists are doing her makeup, she talks about her new role in the Golden Horde TV series, which will be released in the spring on Channel One: “I play the role of Zeineb - a girl who lives in the Horde since birth and becomes the best friend of the beloved wife of the Khan, and later turns out involved in a love triangle with the main character, who came from Russia. This is a very interesting role, I liked the way Zeyneb's image changes throughout the series: she turns from an ordinary sentimental girl into a strong woman who is tested by love and friendship. In the storyline, she falls ill with the plague, but survives. Survives for the love that saves her from death."
D: How close is your character's image to you? How did the shooting go? How did you audition for the role?
E: Since childhood, I wanted to act in films, which seemed to me a magical world. In 2016, my director (Anna Borisova - ed.) Received a call from the Mars Media film company, and I was invited to audition, although before that I had no experience filming in films and had no GITIS behind me. Arriving in Moscow after a solo concert in Kazan, I passed the casting and double auditions. A few months later, I was approved for the role.
Behind my shoulders is a large project with Konstantin Yuryevich Khabensky - "Generation Mowgli". This is a musical performance that we have staged in Kazan, Moscow and other cities of Russia. I was lucky to play the role of Bagheera in it. She had the experience of participating in musicals and musical performances at the conservatory, there were musicals in Kazan, where she also played the main roles. And on February 18, I will perform in the musical theatrical production “Conversation with the Soul. Beyond the Boundary”at Crocus City Hall.
But all this was connected with music, and such an immersion in the film industry was the first time. The director's faith in me is a great honor and joy.
At the audition, I was offered to play the role of the Khan's second wife, an insidious woman who is ready to do anything for the love of her husband. But after the tests, Timur Alpatov (project director - editor's note) suggested that I try the role of Zeineb. The image of a kind, romantic and vulnerable girl who always stands for justice is very close to me. According to the plot, for the sake of the love of two close people, a friend and a beloved man, Zeineb refuses his love. Here I did not agree with my heroine - I am the one who will go to the end! Of course, I will not knock on a closed door: if I understand that this is not mine, I will stop and go the other way. I'm a purposeful girl. But let's wait for the second season!
D: Would you like to continue your filming experience?
E: Accidents are not accidental, and all our thoughts are material. It was not a one-off project for me, because other proposals followed. I starred in the movie "Obstinate", in which I play the opposite role of the chief auditor: she checks everyone not only at work, but also in life. Then there were several tests for the main role in a war movie - the process was launched. I am sure that after the release of the series "Golden Horde" I will have many more truly interesting roles.
D: You have not told another very important news - this year you became the ambassador of the World Cup. What does this mean for you?
E: It is a great honor and responsibility to be the ambassador of the FIFA World Cup. Because an ambassador is a person who represents his city, becomes an example of a healthy lifestyle. I have to be an example and motivate people to believe in themselves. Our whole life is one big championship: there are difficulties, but the main thing is not to stop and believe in victory. Even if you fell, you have to get up and move on.
D: If you were to associate yourself with any kind of sport, which one would you choose?
E: Rhythmic gymnastics. At first glance, it seems that she is very light, beautiful and feminine. But behind the air elements there is incredible work, willpower, physical fitness and not only close people who support, but also rivals.
It is very similar to vocals: it seems that you went on stage in a beautiful outfit, with hair, make-up, in a good mood, that everything is very easy and simple. But in fact, this is a huge work and years of study at the conservatory. I am still learning and improving my skills, because I cannot work without improvement, without striving to make myself better, to know myself and bring something useful into this world.
D: You said that being an ambassador for the World Championship is a great responsibility, including being a personal example and leading a healthy lifestyle. Tell us what a healthy lifestyle is for you and do you adhere to it?
E: Even if you don't have a gym membership, you always have a mat! I work out at home with special elastic bands for training, the main thing is to get ready and start training in a good mood. I am a creative person: I do it at home, then in the gym. Now I go to the Golden Dance studio for dance lessons. I have an excellent coach - Ekaterina Strukkova, who worked in street jazz in America and has now arrived with her baggage of knowledge in Moscow. I really like: music, movement, dancing. I begin to know my body in a new way. I study in a group: there is always a different atmosphere. Almost all are girls, and we are on the same wavelength.
I like to communicate, meet and compete. I watch how girls are engaged for years, how much they are liberated and know how to enjoy the fact that they come to classes and completely surrender to the dance. When I just started practicing, there was a slight embarrassment, although it would seem: I perform at such large venues, but I am embarrassed to go out alone to the center of the hall and show the dance bunch that I learned. But I liked to overcome myself. I set myself a new goal, I perceive it as an element of self-development.
D: What other healthy habits are in your daily routine?
E: Every morning after getting up, I drink water. I also follow the proper nutrition. But I grew up in a Tatar family, where belyashi, dumplings, triangles are the usual diet. I really love these dishes and I often cook myself. The main thing is not to abuse it.
D: It is difficult to tell by your figure that you are abusing. I thought you were on a diet.
E: Oh, what are you? Me and diet are two completely opposite things. My rule: if you ate a triangle, you have to go and work out hard. I don’t want to put limits in my head, because my inner voice begins to tempt me: “Maybe you can still eat it?”. There is an internal struggle.
My mom taught me to do a fasting day once a week. It is good for your health and concentration, and you also have the opportunity to devote time to yourself. You can eat one product, you can broth, you can drink only water - all individually. I eat buckwheat porridge on such days.
In the hustle and bustle of our life, we are not aware of what we are doing, what we are eating. You had lunch, went out and thought: "So, what did I eat?" On a fasting day, you pay attention to your food and to yourself, this is very important.
D: You said you love to cook. But how often do you manage to do everything?
E: I love to eat homemade food, but I rarely succeed. Restaurants come to the rescue. My favorites - "Soup-cafe", "Coffeemania", "Bread Shop" - there are amazing breakfasts!
D: How do you manage to build a career and find time for yourself?
E: The most important thing is a good mood, desire, and the right people are around. And also - do not ignore your desires. Late last night I decided to make puff croissants with banana and honey. But I ate them this morning. I satisfied my desire, but the diet did not suffer either!
In general, I like to have breakfast. I wake up every morning with a wild feeling of hunger. I definitely drink fresh coffee with milk, I like cheese cakes, oatmeal and fried eggs.
D: Despite your busy schedule, you manage to look very good. Share your beauty secret?
E: It's love and good genes (laughs). True, as a child I had a sin - I ate sweets everywhere, wherever I went. At some point, my mother began to hide candy from me, because rashes began to appear on my cheeks. Childhood has passed, but the love for sweets remained. But I drink at least two liters of water a day, resort to fasting days and go to the beautician. I love doing peels and facial massages. I have not had any experience with injections yet - I maintain the condition of the skin that is now. I am not against injections, but everything is very individual. My skin is normal, not prone to dryness and oily, and doctors do not yet advise resorting to "beauty injections". But I have a friend who is 24 years old, she has very thin skin. And to prolong her freshness, she does mesotherapy. This is not critical, but everyone has their own.
You need to trust yourself and find a good beautician who will not be solely focused on making money and will recommend exactly what you need. I was lucky with my beautician. I specifically asked incriminating questions, came and said: "Probably, I should pin my forehead, maybe make my cheekbones." They said to me: “What are you doing? In no case. You, of course, can do it, but not with me. " And I deal with the natural aging of the skin with light peels: fruit, almond and face massage with jojoba oil. The skin is toned, and the oval of the face becomes clearer.
I love going to the LPG massage at the Sharmi beauty salon to the master Valentina Lavrentieva. She knows how to very subtly feel my mood: we can chat and laugh when I am in high spirits. But sometimes I need silence, and the procedure takes place in silence, but it does not bother me. I think this is a very important aspect of professionalism. Each master should also be a psychologist - to feel the mood of the person with whom he works.
D: Often your intuition doesn't let you down?
E: In fact, there are a lot of such moments, and one of the brightest is the audition for the Voice show. Before that, I had a dream in which I saw how I pass the corridor that leads to the stage, how the spotlights shine on me, how I go up on the stage, how I begin to sing. And one chair turns to me. Before auditioning for an interview, I was asked who I want to go to. I answered - to Pelageya, but everyone knows that the number of votes is limited, and I was asked to name another mentor. I refused. And if all 4 chairs turned to me at the audition, I would still choose Pelageya - she is an incredible professional. Even before the project, I felt that she should be my mentor, and my intuition did not let me down.
I remember another case - two years ago I was offered to work in the Alexandrov ensemble. I refused, but I could not explain to myself or others why. It would seem that such a prestigious world-class team that represents our country in the international arena. And after some time, this terrible tragedy happened. I understood that I could also be in this team. My intuition saved my life.
It seems to me that all important decisions must be made at rest: only then can we hear our inner voice and make the right decision.
D: What helps you come to rest?
E: Sometimes you need to listen to music, sometimes - just sit in silence and not be distracted by anything. And the answers to all the questions will come by themselves after some time.
D: And which of the home beauty routine helps to calm down and tone up?
E: I love making my own coffee body scrub, it has a very simple recipe. I mix ground coffee and honey, add coconut or olive oil. After a shower and bath, be sure to smear the whole body with coconut oil or The Body Creme La Mer.
Foot baths are very helpful in relaxing. I add essential oils to the water: orange, lavender and ordinary sea salt.
After the concert make-up, my indispensable helpers are face masks. They help soothe and revitalize the skin. And if in the morning you need to quickly wake up and relieve puffiness, put two spoons in the refrigerator overnight, and in the morning go over them all over your face, doing a light massage. The skin will immediately become toned, and no one will guess that yesterday at night you ate your favorite salted mushrooms.
As for skin care products, Holly Land brand products work well for me. I apply the Phytomide Eye Refreshing Mask to the eyes and lips because they are very dry. In the morning I use the Bio Repair Day Care protective day cream of the same brand, and in the evening I use the Bio Repair Night Care night cream.
I also really love Treatment Lotion La Mer. I apply it on the face with the pads of my fingers, and after use, the skin becomes velvety and very soft. And then I apply Crème de la Mer La Mer face cream.
My universal beauty product is a cream from the L'Occitane Shea series. I use it for my arms and neck. I always have it in my purse, and if I forget the face cream, I will use it - it perfectly moisturizes any skin.
D: Tell us about your favorite decorative products? Do you use the services of a make-up artist, how do you paint on the day when you do not have performances and filming?
E: I have a make-up artist Inna Planetnaya - she always prepares me for performances on stage. Always there and feels me very well. On normal days, I don't often use makeup, but I have my own tricks to make the look fresh and rested.
In my beauty arsenal there is always a stable cream-powder Double Wear Estee Lauder, mascara Le Volume de Mascara Chanel. I use lipstick Be Legendary Screen Queen, matte C022, Smashbox urgently if I urgently need to be at a party. Bright lipstick always saves. And on a typical day, I apply it on my lips.
In my everyday life I have Dior Addict Lip Maximizer and Soft Matte Lip Cream, 02 Stockholm, Nyx. Recently, I like the lipsticks of this brand, I have purchased almost the entire line of the Soft Matt Lip Cream series.
When I want a moisturizing and glossy effect on my lips, I apply Dior Addict Milky Tinit, 376, Dior nourishing fluid and Rouge Pur Couture, Le Rouge, Yves Saint Laurent lipstick.
Chanel mascara alternates with Estee Lauder Double Wear mascara. If I need to do eye makeup, I will apply on the lids with a palette of Pure Color Envy, Ivory Power, Estee Lauder and make arrows with Double Wear Estee Lauder liquid eyeliner.
In emergencies, I always resort to Limitless Liquid Liner Pen, Smashbox: for example, when I arrive at the site, soon my exit, and the makeup artist did not have time to arrive. I have a very rich experience in makeup, since childhood I loved to draw arrows for myself. I always watched my mother and aunt make up. I experimented myself - I often got it for going to school with painted eyelashes.
The first experiments were at 5 years old. My aunt traveled a lot around the country and brought a lot of interesting cosmetics. Once I found her green shadows, which seemed to me the most beautiful in the world. And I, as a child, did not really understand that all this would be visible on me. I applied them to myself and wiped them off so that I smeared them all over my face and walked almost all day green with a pearlescent tint. It was terribly beautiful. But you know, I was not scolded! They explained to me that it was not worth doing this yet, and all my experiments took place only at home. In the 5th grade, my mother gave me a gel mascara, with which I combed my eyebrows and dyed my eyelashes - a very fashionable now "makeup without makeup" effect was obtained. I am very grateful to my mother and aunt for the correct beauty education.
D: Are you also careful about the choice of fragrances?
E: The choice of scent depends on my mood. Today I had a lot of excitement and excitement from the upcoming shoot and interview and applied the Armani Mania Giorgio Armani. Among favorites, Accento Sospiro takes pride of place, but it is very rich, belongs to the group of oriental and woody scents, I rarely wear it, but in such cases it perfectly complements my mood and my character.
I choose Chance Chanel for every day, and L'Imperatrice Dolce & Gabbana in summer.
L'instant Magic Guerlain and Fluer de Portofino Tom Ford are also my favorites.
D: You often fly to concerts and on tour. What tools help you cope with flights?
E: I always take eye patches and face masks with me. I love the products of Korean brands, after application the skin is saturated with nutrients and vitamins, it is well moisturized. I apply them after the flight, and when I wake up in the morning, I see the result - the skin is nourished and smooth, I can not even apply a tone.
D: And what are the brightest beauty moments in your life connected with? Also with flights?
E: I remember the first time I went to a beautician in Nizhnekamsk, it was a gift from my mother on March 8th. I was 15 years old, I first came to a beauty salon, where they gave me a facial massage. I remember my impressions after the procedure very vividly. I approached the mirror and it seemed to me that my face was glossy: I saw a healthy shine and glare of the sun on my cheekbones, as if I had used a highlighter.
The second bright moment is the change of image in 2014, I dyed my hair and became almost a blonde. It was a moment of change, and the image of the blonde gave me lightness, it helped a lot in my life.
D: What about hair care experience?
E: In my arsenal there is always a shampoo, conditioner and conditioner for colored hair from the Brilliance Wella line. Once a week I make a mask of the same line. I always get my hair cut and take care of my hair at one hairdresser, Yuri Kosolapov. We do nourishing treatments and "happiness for hair" - I really like the effect if this procedure is done fully. Hair is strengthened and curls become more elastic.
But hair needs to be looked after from the inside, I take Spirulina Solgar vitamins.
D: Do you have curly hair, are there any styling products that make it more manageable?
E: I love the Luxe Oil Wella revitalizing elixir. It is very light, perfectly keeps the shape of the hairstyle and does not weigh down the hair.
In everyday life, my styling is clean hair and natural curls. I apply Eimi Wella Professional styling lotion with my hands, take out the curls, and the hair is ready!
D: What does it mean to you to be beautiful?
E: Each of us is exclusive, and there are no others like that. We see how rapidly developing fashion and how many impose their own standards of beauty, but the most important thing is to love yourself with your advantages and disadvantages. You need to enjoy life and what you bring to it. Each of us is beautiful. The main thing is not to be lazy to maintain this beauty. Even if you don't have millions in your wallet, the main thing is to find the opportunity and desire to devote time to yourself. Open the refrigerator, find sour cream there and make yourself a face mask. Acceptance of oneself makes a person truly beautiful, makes it possible to know oneself, to do better and sincerely enjoy life.
Text and interview: Daria Sizova
Photo: Eugene Sorbo
Elmira's makeup and styling: Evgeniya Art and Elena Sharaeva, Get Glam salon
We would like to thank La Prima restaurant for helping to organize and conduct the interview.
