Zaya Wade is no stranger to the spotlight, but she’s not here to live in anyone’s shadow. The 16-year-old style maven, trans advocate, and founder of the nonprofit Translatable is blazing her own trail—and now, she’s adding beauty muse to her growing résumé.
In her latest partnership with MAC Cosmetics, Zaya stars in a new campaign for Lipglass Air, a featherlight, high-shine remix of the cult-classic Lipglass. Dropping May 7—just in time for Mother’s Day—the campaign reimagines what it means to be born into fame, putting Zaya front and center as a modern-day heiress in both beauty and culture.
For Zaya, the collaboration with MAC is more than just a glam moment—it’s personal. “MAC. Psychotic. Specifically, lip gloss,” she laughs, instantly name-checking the product as a staple among her circle. “That’s always been a thing between the girls. We’ve been knew about that. So to be a part of something iconic? It’s girly, it’s pretty—it’s me.”
Photographed by Sharna Osborne in her signature lo-fi, digital aesthetic, the campaign is as fresh and fluid as its star. Much like Lipglass Air itself—lighter, smoother, and cheekier than its predecessor—Zaya’s presence represents the next wave of beauty: bold, unbothered, and unapologetically free.
“I think it really mirrors my journey,” Zaya shares. “I started exploring fashion a few years ago, and while it was exciting, it was still so new. There were limitations to what I knew. Now, I just feel airy and free.”
That feeling of freedom is echoed in her everyday glam routine, too. “As all my friends know, I’m chronically obsessed with gloss,” she says. “It’s the only thing I need in the morning to feel cute. Just a little liner and some gloss? That’s the difference between bedhead and ‘I woke up like this’ culture. That’s it.”
Of course, Zaya’s beauty ethos is shaped not only by her personal growth, but also by the powerful women in her life—including her mother, actress Gabrielle Union, and stepmother, Kaavia James’s other favorite human, Dwyane Wade. “They’ve helped me define womanhood on my own terms—fashion-wise, beauty-wise, and just life-wise,” she says. “I don’t let those old societal standards box me in.”
At the heart of this campaign, though, is a message much bigger than gloss. MAC has long championed individuality and inclusion, and Zaya feels perfectly aligned with that mission. “Inclusion is capital-I important,” she says firmly. “That’s the word we need. That’s what we need to live.”
And if there’s one message she hopes young people take away from seeing her shine in this moment? “Light, smooth, and chic,” she says, effortlessly naming the three words that describe both Lipglass Air and the energy she wants to embody. “Those are things the youth deserve to feel and see. I felt that during this campaign—and I want that feeling for others, too.”
In her hands, beauty is more than lip service—it’s legacy in motion.