Sofia Richie Grainge Already Has A Nail Color Picked Out For The Birth Of Her Baby

If you want to get technical about it, Sofia Richie Grainge has only been a TikTok beauty and fashion phenomenon for about a year (really). She joined the platform just ahead of her April 2023 wedding to Elliot Grainge in the south of France, and the rest is quietly luxurious, clean-girl-beauty history.

Looking back, Richie Grainge says she finds the excitement around her online presence somewhat ironic. “When I realized that people were interested, it was so refreshing for me. I was thrilled people cared,” the model and mother-to-be tells NYLON. “But I was always the friend in my friend group who everyone was like, ‘Oh, she does too little. Don’t follow her lead.’” In actuality, her understated aesthetic comes from experience — the 25-year-old says she’s gone through lots of trial and error to land on what she knows works for her.

Ahead, Richie Grainge chats with NYLON about entering her sunscreen era, her strangest beauty habit, and the manicure appointment she’s scheduled ahead of the birth of her baby girl.

What’s your first beauty memory?

As a little girl, I would always sit on the counter in my mom’s bathroom and watch her do her makeup. I would be kind of experimenting and playing with her makeup as well. But also, my dad was always very pro skin health, moisturizing, oils. So I’ve done that my entire life. I’ve never gotten out of the shower and just thrown on clothes. I have a whole moisturizing routine, and that’s thanks to my dad.

What are you most excited about in your beauty routine right now?

What excites me right now is focusing on the health of my skin, whether it’s the skin on my body or my face. So that’s finding moisturizers that work for me or light treatments that help my skin. And working on health from the inside out because I am a strong believer that you can’t shine the most on the outside if the inside isn’t healthy.

What does your daily skin care routine look like?

I start my day off with a shower, and my first step when I get out of the shower is using a full-body moisturizer that will last me throughout the entire day. I use different moisturizers depending on the day or weather, the season, but why I’m so excited to be partnering with Sol de Janeiro is because I’m a huge fan of their Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. It’s really thick, nourishing, and moisturizing — I really love the smell and how it wears throughout the day. Then I will use SPF on my face. Sometimes it’s the very clean, simple EltaMD sunscreen, and then I use an all-over sunscreen. When I first tried the Sol de Janeiro Rio Radiance SPF for the campaign, I really fell in love with the smell. The normal sunscreen smell makes me feel like I need to throw a perfume over it or something, but the smell is really beautiful. I think it’s really important to protect yourself with SPF. I’m pregnant, so hyperpigmentation is definitely a concern — I’m really in my sunscreen era right now.

Who are you going to for pregnancy tips right now?

Two of my closest girlfriends actually just had babies last year, so they have been a huge sounding board for me. But thinking back to the beginning of my pregnancy, I went to TikTok a lot. Not even for advice, but just seeing what’s happening with other girls right now who are 12 weeks pregnant and relating to a community of women who were going through it at the same time.

Do you wear makeup day to day?

It depends on what my day looks like. Today, I’m staying home and organizing house, so today’s a no-makeup day. But if I’m hanging out with girlfriends going to lunch, I’ll put a little bit of makeup on. I’m not going to heat-style my hair, maybe I’ll put it in a bun or let it air dry, and then I will use a light concealer. Maybe a bit of bronzer powder and mascara, nothing too crazy. I don’t like to go too heavy on the skin. I’ve noticed that to keep the health of my skin, the less-is-more approach to makeup really works in my favor.

I feel like your hair has been on everyone’s mood boards lately. How do you take care of it?

I’ve worked with two people religiously for a very long time. I’ve worked with Kathleen Riley, who has styled my hair and always has the health of my hair at the forefront of her mind, which is really important when you’re working with someone who’s using heat on your hair constantly. I also work with Tauni Dawson, who’s my colorist. I went to her about six years ago when I would say my hair was probably at its worst — it was fried, short, terrible, and she’s another person who really keeps the health of my hair in mind. Having someone you can trust, who you know is being mindful of the damage that can be done to your hair, is really important when you’re working with people who are using such heavy ingredients like bleach.

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Thinking back on my hair, I hit rock bottom and then had to turn it all the way around. I think the worst advice was “If your hair starts to fall out, we can put extensions in.” I did that right before COVID. I was coloring my hair so much. I wasn’t losing hair, but it was definitely getting the brunt of the bleach, so I threw hair extensions in, and it was probably the worst thing I could have done for my hair and ended up making it break more. When COVID hit, I took it all out and gave my hair an actual rest — that’s when I noticed it actually turning around for the best. Hair is all very personal preference, but that wasn’t the answer for me.

What’s been the biggest game changer for you, wellnesswise?

I would say I started drinking a lot more water. I know that sounds so basic, but I drink so much water, and it has definitely helped. I also have tried my best to improve my sleep. I was stuck getting five or six hours, and now I really focus on getting my rest. I think losing sleep can even age you. And then I try my best, even now being eight months pregnant, finding some sort of physical activity to do, whether it’s going on a walk or doing Pilates.

At eight months pregnant, sleeping must be hard. What’s working for you right now?

A magnesium supplement, my pregnancy pillow, and praying. I’ve gotten to a stage in my pregnancy where if it’s not me being uncomfortable, it’s her constantly moving. I’m OK with it, but it’s definitely rough.

What’s the weirdest or quirkiest part of your beauty routine?

I have this Simple Human mirror, and you can double-click it and it switches back and forth from magnifying to not magnifying. If you walked into my closet while I’m getting ready, you’d think, “Something’s wrong with this girl.” I’m constantly clicking it back and forth. I have to look at both sides; it’s like my brain working in overdrive. It may not be a healthy thing, but you’ll hear me clicking away in the corner for like 30 minutes. My friends talk about it all the time.

What’s your getting-ready process like?

We’re a big music family over here, so we constantly have music play in my house to set the vibes. For me, music is all about the time of year. As we go into summer, I’m listening to more Peggy Gou and Dua Lipa. There’s this new artist named Artemas that I love — more upbeat summer tunes. I love getting ready with my girlfriends. Even my husband’s fun to get ready with. He’s my sounding board to bounce ideas off. We keep things lighthearted and fun.

And what are we doing for nails these days?

I’m a natural-nail girlie. I used to have long acrylics, and I love rocking natural nails. I feel like I bounce back and forth seasonally with colors, as well. Right now I have a Bordeaux. I think for the arrival of baby girl, I’m going to do a baby pink and then back to my fun summer colors after that — the baby blues, the lilacs.

Do you have a whole baby-arrival look picked out already?

You know what I have done? I’ve packed my hospital bag, and I didn’t even realize that, subconsciously, I had a palette going on — everything is pink. I have a very pastel pink hospital bag that I am building right now, and I’m loving it. Even for Elliot, I bought him pink fuzzy socks for the hospital. We’re keeping the girl spirit alive throughout. It’s very me to be like “The theme for this hospital is pink.”

Has having a daughter made you reflect on beauty differently?

Definitely, I think that internal health is something I’ll pass down to her. But not only that, I’ll encourage her to do what makes her feel like the best version of herself when it comes to her beauty routine and what makes her feel confident and most herself. I think just inspiring her to follow how she feels and maybe follow the trends less.