What Would Shiv Roy Wear?

The Q that got me through the wait for 'Succession' season 4

Love her or hate her (or don’t know who she is because you don’t have HBO or don’t care to watch Succession), we can all agree that Siobhan Roy (played by Sarah Snook) is stunning. Her perfect skin and hypnotizingly-dimensional copper hair are the definition of generational-billionaire status, the hallmarks of someone who eats well always, sees the highest-end dermatologist, and invested in a $15,000+ water system for her apartment’s shower. 

Every time I re-watch Succession—and particularly while waiting for season 4’s premier this weekend—I found myself browsing boutique makeup sites like Violet Grey and CosBar, thinking about what products Shiv might use to get that signature effortless-understated polish. In all honesty she would probably use products I’ve never even heard of, because they’re so expensive and under the radar that even with expert Googling you would never find out about them while living in New Mexico.* Here’s my best speculation about her makeup kit. 

The Lip

Everything the Roy siblings do is calculated with optics in mind, and a tube of lipstick is the most outward-facing of all cosmetics. This allows us to reject most lippies for looking and feeling cheap, or for having a highly visible logo—a big Roy no.

In the high-end category, I think Tom Ford’s beautifully simple Ultra-Shine Lip Color packaging is very much in line with Shiv’s style, and nicely echoes her favorite pearl necklace; however, browsing on line I don’t see a perfect match for the glossy toasty-peach nudes she favors. Maybe L’Amant or La Notte, but they might skew too pink.

Shiv generally fancies herself a liberal, and so I could very much see her gravitating toward the clean-luxe offerings of Westman Atelier, particularly the glossy Squeaky Clean Lip Balm. But: the shades aren’t right for Shiv, everything is too pink except for maybe Nana, a “soft beige”—but that one does look like a potential match for the lip she wore to family therapy in Santa Fe. I could, however, definitely see her on-call makeup artist using the Lip Suede: Les Nudes palette to custom mix the perfect shade for galas like the Recny Ball. I think she’s too busy to use it daily, though. 

Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Posh Lipstick checks all the boxes in terms of sleek packaging, clean formula, color palette (see Spice and Twist in particular), and glossy formula. But I just don’t see Shiv wearing a lipstick by Victoria Beckham, a fellow über-rich person. I think she would see it as gauche—unless they were friends, but Shiv doesn’t have any. 

If Shiv were going to wear a lipstick created by a diva, it would be a Pat McGrath because Pat doesn’t orbit the same social-professional circles. The new SatinAllure lipstick in Nude Fantasia is exactly spot on right up until the packaging, which is way too twee for Shiv to pull out in the Waystar Royco powder room. 

I think we have a real winner with Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm in Trace, which looks like Shiv’s deeper toned everyday-in-the-board-room toasty ginger brown. The slim gold tube is perfectly on brand, as is the $36 price point. If Hourglass had more brown and beige options, I think she would collect them all. 

A close second—and one that comes in lighter brown and beige hues—is Chantecaille’s Lip Chic, a gunmetal-slim-tube glossy balm that retails for $42. The brand also touts itself as “Beauty That Gives Back To Conservation,” which is good optics.

The Skin

Shiv’s elder brother Kendall was spotted using Augustinus Bader, this generation’s La Mer in terms of prestige, purported quality and innovation, and price. I could also see Shiv using that brand, but my gut says she’s an SK-II girl like Cate Blanchett.

Sun care is a high priority for anyone with Shiv’s coloring, and I think she would pick Chantecaille’s Ultra Sun Protection for face and SeaScreen for body, since she’s likely already sending an assistant there for lipstick. The packaging is luxe and the formulas contain some nice botanicals. They’re also pricy—$102 and $72, respectively. 

And, while she’s at it, why not also grab Chantecaille’s Future Skin Gel Foundation. It was used on Euphoria for its gorgeous skinlike finish, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the show makeup artist uses it on Snook. But I also think Shiv would find its light texture, traceless coverage, and simple packaging very appealing. 

Circling back to Westman Atelier, Shiv’s supremely subtly warmed and carved cheeks look like they came courtesy of a Nike swoosh of Face Trace contour stick in Biscuit, a pale caramel latte shade. I could also see her using the Vital Skincare Complexion Drops as well, applied with the Liquid Blender Brush, which looks extremely soft and elegant. 

Eyes

Shiv probably mastered pitch black mascara and precise inky liner while she was at prep school. Here, smudge- and flakeproofness is more important than the prestige of the products—never let them see your sweat and tears. I could see Shiv being a longtime devotee of Blinc Kiss Me, the original tubing mascara and beloved by a few redheads I’ve known, paired with Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner, one of the first gel pots to hit the market in the early aughts. The rest of the lid always looks clean to me, perfected with a little skin tint and maybe set with a soft milky shade like Jones Road The Best Eyeshadow in Cream or subtly smoked with Ash.

As for Shiv’s perfectly arched brows, I have no doubt that those are professionally tinted, shaped, and set. At most she’s doing a soft little brush-through with something like Hourglass Arch Brow gel, which comes in a nice auburn shade. 

What’s Not There

The Roy family simply doesn’t do prominent logos, and for Shiv I firmly believe that would extend to her makeup bag and vanity. Chanel makes some great cosmetics—the Les Beiges collection would be right up Shiv’s alley except I can’t see her being ok with that big interlocking C logo. Same with Dior. Armani Beauty might get a pass for its Luminous Silk Foundation, especially if she found a flawless color match, but I can’t see her being ok with the black and red lipstick tube. Guerlain strikes me as something stepmom Marcia would wear (it’s always struck me as upgraded Lancôme), so Shiv wouldn’t touch it, even though the Kiss Kiss Shine Bloom balmy lipstick looks right up her alley. Same with YSL, plus the logo is too much. 

The Perfume

This review of By Kilian’s Beyond Love gives me major Shiv vibes. I’ve smelled it and, truly, I find it to be absolutely gorgeous, very straightforward and without nuance, and ridiculously expensive. I would absolutely buy it if I had the coin.

For the Rest of Us

Apart from the flawless skin, nothing about Shiv’s makeup is particularly hard to achieve on an Ulta-Sephora budget. 

If you like the idea of SK-II, try Tatcha or Peach and Lily. Both use fermented ingredients in their super gentle formulas. 

Excellent lightweight sunscreens abound, but Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen is probably the most popular. I would put Black Girl Sunscreen up there, too. 

And for makeup, you can get 95% of the way there with Merit’s Five Minute Morning kit (just add that Bobbi Brown liner with a superfine angle brush). Shiv shades are Flush Balm in Terracotta, and Shade Slick lip oil in Taupe. The Day Glow highlighter in Bounce helps fake her luminous skin and stunning bone structure. 

*A deep note for superfans: Connor’s ranch is only about 20 minutes from a Starbucks according to my spouse, who sleuthed the property online. We hope Willa would drive the extra ten minutes and take her laptop to Iconik instead.