Yara Shahidi Says She Has a 'Sisterhood Vibe' with Fellow Dior Ambassador Anya Taylor-Joy (Exclusive)

Yara Shahidi speaks exclusively to PEOPLE about her new campaign, foundation and creating a healthy relationship with makeup

When she's not starring in the hit show Grown-ish or delighting fans with her version of Tinker Bell in Peter Pan & Wendy, Yara Shahidi can be found holding hands with Anya Taylor-Joy and running around in a Dior gown.

For the 23-year-old, it's just another day as Dior Beauty Ambassador.

"Campaign days are truly an adventure," she says of the brand's new "Forever Foundation" commercial, which was shot at the South Institute in San Diego alongside The Menu actress and fellow ambassador. "I grew up watching beauty commercials and they're what I have running in my head when I'm trying to get into the energy of it."

And while she and Taylor-Joy (who both wore Dior dresses) look like longtime friends, Shahidi reveals they actually met for the first time right before stepping in front of the cameras.

"You go from meeting each other to two seconds later being cheek to cheek so it really does require a sisterhood vibe to get into the groove of things," Shahidi says. "Luckily, she's just such a warm, welcoming presence that it was surprisingly comfortable being hugged all day.

Shahidi also connected to the overall message of the campaign. "Rather than focusing on the narrative that I think we often hear with foundation, which is that it covers up so much that you don't even look like yourself, this approach is about looking like yourself, and being part of a community," she says, adding that the foundation comes in a shade range that's "emblematic of all of the people in said community."

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And having 43 shades to choose from, that makes all the difference, she says. "I own three foundations that I use depending on how warm my skin looks that day," she explains. "I'm Black and Iranian and if I get sun for two seconds, I'm a different combination of foundations."

Related:Yara Shahidi on Becoming Tinker Bell, Ending 'Grown-ish' and Beginning to Adult

Similarly, she's amassed a wardrobe of go-to lip colors for every mood: Dior Rouge Lip Balm in 810 ("my perfect nude") topped with Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil ("oh my goodness, I'm obsessed") and Dior Rouge in 999 when she wants the perfect bold red.

Shahidi wasn't always such a makeup lover. At 13, she landed the part of Zoey Johnson, the daughter of Anthony Anderson's character on the ABC sitcom Black-ish, which required that she wear a full face of makeup while shooting every day. As a result she felt like she needed faux lashes, foundation and lipstick even when she was off duty, she recalls.

She credits her mom and her role on Grown-ish with helping her "reset" her relationship with makeup so that it "felt more positive," she says. "It's fun to have a character where we can truly do all of the looks all of the time." Now, she says she has a "love-love relationship" with it and enjoys using glam as "a creative expression that's a reflection of where I'm at at the moment."

Related:Yara Shahidi Says There's 'Something Really Powerful About Having a Black Tinker Bell' (Exclusive)

That experimentation extends to her fashion choices (case in point: the Jean-Paul Gaultier ensemble she just wore to the Met Gala) and Shahidi says that each look starts with a conversation with her stylist Jason Bolden about what the event is and what it means to them.

"My team is super collaborative and it's never hair competing with makeup, competing with outfit to get the most press," she says. And it's no surprise that the Harvard grad does her homework, creating mood boards with historical references as inspiration.

"I truly enjoy the creative process of landing on a certain look, of telling a certain story," she says. "That's the fun thing about being 23 and trying to lean in. There's going to be plenty of moments to do plenty of things. So why not have as much fun as possible?"

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