Beauty Detail
The singer shares her must-have beauty products, including the facial tool she uses as a “party trick.”
In Bustle’s Beauty Detail, we dive into the beauty bags of our favorite talents for intel on the rituals that keep them glowing. Here, Kelsea Ballerini tells Bustle about her collab with CoverGirl, her go-to skin care tools, and how she always paints her makeup for the back row.
When country singer Kelsea Ballerini isn’t on tour, she can be found at home in Nashville going on walks, hanging with friends — and doing lots and lots of skin care.
“I just pivoted into being pretty religious about my skin care, and the biggest game changer has been washing my face every night,” the 30-year-old tells Bustle. “That sounds like duh, but I used to just take a makeup wipe and let that be it — even though I’m on stage performing and sweating and wearing a lot of makeup.”
When Ballerini isn’t on stage, she prefers to keep her look on the minimalist side. That said, the singer will always be a big fan of glam, which is why she signed on to create a line of glittery liquid eyeshadows with CoverGirl, called Exhibitionist — a collab she calls a major creative outlet (and one that had her playing with glitter to come up with the five colors in the lineup). “I’m a glitter girl — it’s my love language,” she says.
That’s not to say she doesn’t have days where she just throws on a tinted moisturizer — she definitely does. “But I also like having days where I commit to the bit, and I really do up the glitter and have fun with it,” she says. “Beauty, overall, is such an extension of yourself and your self-expression, and I like being able to play with it.”
Ballerini’s onstage persona definitely likes to lay it on thick. “I want people to see my makeup in the next state over — a full send-up to the makeup gods,” she says, laughing. “How I approach my routine, whether I decide to go either more heavy-handed or just more natural, depends on the day.”
Below, Ballerini shares more of her beauty essentials, including the one skin care tool she needs to have on a plane.
The Travel Must-Have
“I travel a lot, which can cause my face to get puffy, so I’m that woman on the plane pulling out her ice roller during flights. I have no shame. It’s like a nice, refreshing massage, but for your face.”
The MVP Blush
“Less is more on my days off. More is more on days on. If I’m just in Nashville hanging out with the girls or running errands, I like to keep it simple. I’ll use a lip gloss, mascara, and maybe a little blush, like CoverGirl’s TruBlend.”
The Eye Makeup Hack
“I also really love using eye patches in my everyday routine. They make my eyes feel hydrated and look more awake despite my busy schedule. I really enjoy using them as a stencil, too. Some of the makeup artists I’ve worked with put an eye patch on and use it as a guide to outline my eye, to kind of give a more dramatic look. Two birds, one stone.”
The Face Sculpter
“I love Face Gym, and their electric massagers make my face twitch, but I swear I come out looking snatched to the gods every time. I had to splurge on their at-home device to give myself massages whenever there isn’t a Face Gym around. It’s become my party trick. When I’m getting ready for something and my friends are around, I’ll be doing it, and they’re like, ‘Kelsea, what are you doing?’ And then I’ll make them try it. You notice a difference right away.”
The Essential Face Mist
“I like to explore different skin care and makeup items. Right now I’m using the CoverGirl Mist — it’s my go-to.”
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