Shayk was born in Yemanzhelinsk, Russia to Volga Bulgar Valery Shaykhlislamov, a coal miner, and his Russian wife Olga, a kindergarten music teacher. She has said that she inherited her looks from her father and that people often think she is South American: "My father was dark skinned, because he was Tatar, sometimes Tatars can look Brazilian... I get my light eyes from my mother." She has one sibling, a sister named Tatiana.
Shayk started playing piano at age six. At age nine she enrolled in a music school and studied there for seven years, both playing the piano and singing in the choir, since her mother wanted her to study music.[6] Her father died of complications of pneumonia when she was 14, leaving her family with little money and forcing her mother to work two jobs to provide for the family.
After high school, Shayk studied marketing[6] but failed it and entered a beauty school with her older sister. While there, she was noticed by a person from a local modeling agency who was struck by her beauty. She was urged to participate in the "Miss Chelyabinsk 2004" beauty contest and she won.
In 2012 she covered Esquire UK, Harper's Bazaar Arabia and Ukraine, Marie Claire Ukraine,Spain and Russia, GQ Germany, Glamour Russia and appeared on 14 Cosmopolitan spring covers worldwide. She also covered S Moda Spain and The Sunday Time Style UK. She also did an editorial for Vanity fair Italy The same year, she has appeared in campaigns for Morellato, Agua Bendita and Blanco. Shayk is also the new face of the brand La Clover and of Avon super drama mascara. In September 2012 she covered L'express Styles magazine, and worked with Mariano Vivanco. In November, Shayk covered Twelv Magazine, Second Issue with supermodel Anne V.In the same month she appeared in an editorial for Vogue Spain December issue working with Mario Testino. Later that year, on 27 November Irina Shayk was leading a Russian TV show Russia's Next Top Model
In February 2013 she covered Vs. magazine with Anne V and the same month she did an editorial for CR Fashion book issue 2 photographed by Bruce Weber and styled by Carine Roitfeld. The same month she did the runway of Jeremy Scott during the New York fashion week. In March 2013 she did the runway of Givenchy during the Paris fashion week. Also in 2013, Shayk featured several times in Harper's Bazaar US. She featured for the second time in CR fashion book issue 3. In September, she covered Allure Russia. She was also the cover model of Vogue Spain, landing her first Vogue cover photographed by Giampaolo Sgura. In 2014, she was the placard bearer for the Russian team during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics. After that appearance she was a part of famous Russian TV show Evening Urgant where she talked about her successful career in modeling.
In October 2015 she became the new L'Oréal Paris International Spokesperson
