Yasmin Finney Makes History as the Stunning New Face of YSL

Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney has made history as the first-ever UK ambassador for the YSL Beauty brand.

Posting the first promotional video and images on Instagram, Finney wrote, “I am so excited to finally share that I am joining the YSL Beauty family…Becoming the first ever UK Ambassador.” 

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Fans immediately cheered on the openly trans star. “SHE ATE AND LEFT NO CRUMBS,” commented one fan.

Another said, “OH SHE GETTING THE COIN.”

“Queen shit,” said Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard, while Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa praised his future Doctor Who co-star as “unstoppable.”

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“All the people that doubted me, they’ve got nothing on me anymore, you know? Not that I did it for them.”

At only 19, Finney has experienced a whirlwind rise to fame, getting her start journaling her transition on TikTok. After scoring her big break as trans teen Elle on Netflix’s Heartstopper, she has become a highly sought after talent, gracing the cover of British Vogue last year. Now that filming Heartstopper’s second season has wrapped, Finney will appear in Doctor Who as Rose, the companion to the titular timelord, played by Gatwa.

In a new interview with British Vogue, Finney shared how makeup played a role in affirming her identity. “I found my feet with beauty when I first went to Superdrug, aged about 15, and I got the cheapest foundation,” she recalled. “At that point I was pre-transition, so I think I always knew I had this feminine energy in me.”

In fact, she got almost too good at makeup right away. “I started going into school with a little bit of make-up on. I’d have to tone it down,” she said. “But, over time, when it got to prom I was ready to kill it.

“I remember the amount of compliments I got on my smoky eye, which I did for the first time for prom. I just loved playing around with it and seeing what worked. I learned that make-up was a way to escape but also a way to really feel myself. People started to look at me differently at school as it really boosted my confidence.”

While her new collaboration with YSL beauty is history in the making, she points out that being a “first” was not her sole motivation. YSL’s history of inclusion was what really drew her to the brand. “Yves Saint Laurent comes from a place of making change, and for me, as a Black trans girl from Manchester, that’s all I want to do. To make spaces for people that are like me,” she said. “Yves Saint Laurent was the first designer to make suits for women, which just goes to show the impact he has made on the fashion industry.

“YSL Beauty is all about being your authentic self which is something I believe in. Shooting the campaign I was able to really be my authentic self. They’re an amazing brand to work with, I’m so happy to be a part of this family.”