To see Chappell Roan and her fantastically created beauty looks (such as her periwinkle and yellow Grammys makeup) is to wonder what’s piling up in her Sephora cart. Now, in a new Hulu docuseries, Faces of Music, created in collaboration with the beauty retailer, Roan takes viewers behind the scenes of her pop-star transformation (other series subjects include Becky G and Victoria Monét). Filmed in the style of an elaborate “Get Ready With Me” video, Roan re-creates the star-bedecked look from her album cover, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
It’s clear from her commentary that she has a firsthand understanding of how beauty can alter perceptions, affect confidence, and help shape identity, particularly in a year where she has spoken publicly about her struggles with fame and mental health (as she puts it, I’ve been “glam onstage, but losing my mind offstage.”) She says in the documentary, “I am in love with makeup, and I’ve done it for myself for my whole life and career, until this year…I’ve been addicted to doing fun makeup and feeling pretty and sparkly.” Below, she reveals more about her favorite products, how she views beauty as self-care, and what she doesn’t have in common with Dolly Parton.
To you, what is the difference between using makeup to express yourself vs. using it to hide something?
I do not believe makeup hides anything about someone. It’s kind of like someone making art and then saying, “Just kidding, I’m actually hiding.” I don’t think you can hide yourself with makeup. I think the only way makeup is used is to express yourself, whether that is full coverage, extreme contour, or wearing nothing. I think it’s all an expression of yourself, even if it is to alter how you look to the world.
As someone who loves makeup, how do you feel in no-makeup makeup?
When I wear makeup, I feel prettier sometimes. Other times, I don’t feel as pretty. Sometimes I like not looking like myself. I like looking weird. I like looking jarring.
There is RuPual’s famous quote: “We are born naked, and the rest is drag.” How do you feel about that?
I love [it]. I agree.
What are your current five favorite makeup products?
I’ve used Benefit Roller Lash since I was a teenager. It’s my favorite mascara. I use it on tour every night. But for day-to-day, I like the Glossier Lash Slick. I’ve been using the Jelly MILK cheek tint and lip tint. I really love that. I use the MILK brow gel, Pat McGrath highlighter stick, and the Too Faced lip injection lip gloss.
You’ve been open about the struggles of becoming suddenly very famous, including how it’s affected your mental health. People often call beauty a form of self-care. Do you find that it has been helpful to you?
I definitely find that a beauty routine such as skin care or hair care has really been helpful to me. Sometimes I feel emotionally dirty from the amount [that] I talk about myself and am in the spotlight, [the] center of attention. It makes me feel like I need to actually cleanse my body, because I need a reset. It soothes me, I suppose.
Some famous makeup icons like yourself, such as Dolly Parton and Charlotte Tilbury, go to sleep in makeup. Is that something you share?
I absolutely do not sleep in my makeup, but peace and blessings to those girls!
What is the least amount of time that it has taken you to do your makeup vs. the most amount of time you’ve taken?
The most amount of time it’s taken to do my makeup has been probably four and a half hours to do the “My Kink Is Karma” makeup. I was just learning to lay down my brows and fully paint. The least amount of time is my day-to-day, if I even wear makeup, which most of the time, I don’t. I wear just mascara, brow gel, cheek tint, lip tint, and maybe some highlighter. And if I’m really feeling it, I’ll put on some Glossier concealer. It’s like five minutes.
Is fragrance a part of your performance ritual?
I have just recently really gotten into perfume. I wear this one that I actually got in a gift bag from [Stephen] Colbert last year. It’s called Father Figure by Phlur. I also really love AKRO Glow, La Danza, and Jasmine Satin.
What draws you to blue eyeshadow?
I just think it is the prettiest, and I read in so many magazines that you are not supposed to wear blue eyeshadow if you have blue eyes. I am a rebel at heart so that is a teeny rebellion that I do quite a lot.