Throughout quarantine, one hobby that I’ve picked up as a way to pass the time is learning about skincare – what ingredients are in skincare products, how they work and which ingredients work better for different skin types. My interest in skincare began by watching Vogue’s “Beauty Secrets” and Harper BAZAAR’s “Go to Bed with Me” video series on YouTube. These videos show well-known actors, models and musicians explaining how they take care of their skin through step-by-step instructions. After watching many of these videos, I noticed that some people that were featured in these videos were artists that I grew up listening to, or that I frequently listen to.
If you’re looking for artists whose skincare routine is just as good as their music, here are three artists I highly recommend.
- Halsey
Over the past five years, New Jersey based alt-pop artist Halsey has blossomed from an underground SoundCloud artist to a household-name star. This year has been particularly successful for her despite the pandemic. She has amassed over 3 billion streams on Spotify, with about two billion of them coming from the release of her highly-anticipated third album, “Manic,” in January 2020, . Since then, she has released multiple collaborations with artists like Post Malone, Machine Gun Kelly and Marshmello, along with a live concert version of her debut album “Badlands” to celebrate five years since its release.
Not only am I a fan of her music, I am also a fan of her skincare routine. One of the main products she uses is hyaluronic acid, which is a sugar naturally found in skin that helps keep it hydrated and plump. When paired with a moisturizer, this ingredient can make someone’s skin appear dewy and feel soft. However, the serum she uses is on the pricier side. A 30 milliliter bottle of the hyaluronic acid serum she uses costs upwards of $300. Yikes!
2. Alanis Morrissette
Morrissette was one of those artists that I remember constantly being exposed to throughout my childhood. Whenever I hear her song “Ironic,” I always think back to car rides with my dad – the place where I was first introduced to a lot of artists I still love today. Though she is more well-known for her 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill,” she is still active in the music industry. In addition to releasing “Such Pretty Forks in the Road” – her first studio album in almost eight years – in July 2020, she was also involved in the creation of a Broadway musical based off of “Jagged Little Pill.” Though the musical’s run on Broadway was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, the musical has since been nominated for 15 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
When I first saw this video, I was shocked by how many products were used in her routine. My current routine uses anywhere between five to eight steps, and I thought that was a lot. Clearly, I was wrong. After looking through each of the products Morrissette mentioned, one that particularly stood out to me was the Marula-Neroli Elasticity Serum Concentrate from ODACITÉ. Though I was a little thrown off by the long name, I was impressed by the ingredients in the serum. The main ingredient is marula oil, which can be found in nuts grown on the marula fruit tree. For people with oily or acne-prone skin, marula oil can provide some benefits when added to a skincare routine. These benefits include keeping the skin moisturized without clogging pores and possessing antimicrobial properties that can help fight off bacteria that contribute to the formation of pimples. My face can get extremely oily and I am prone to breakouts, so I will definitely be on the lookout for products with this ingredient when I shop for skincare in the future.
3. Rihanna
Let’s be honest here, what isn’t there to say about Rihanna? Although she hasn’t released any of her own music since “ANTI” in 2016, she has had massive success in her other business ventures. Most recently, she produced a fashion show for her lingerie brand, SAVAGE X FENTY, that premiered on Amazon on Oct. 2. Though parts of the show were criticized because of the use of a song with sampled religious Islamic scripture, many reviews of the show praised the show for its diversity of models and fun celebrity cameos.
Another company created by Rihanna is Fenty Beauty, a makeup brand that also includes skincare products. Though I am usually not a fan of celebrities advertising sponsored products in skincare videos, I was impressed to see that the fourth ingredient of her brand’s toner was niacinamide. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B-3 that, when used in skincare, can help control oil production in the skin, minimize the appearance of pores and reduce skin inflammation. The toner also includes ingredients like glycerin and fig fruit extract, which can help skin feel hydrated and moisturized. In my past experience with using toners, my skin tingled upon application, and it left my skin feeling dry and dull. I’m skeptical to incorporate toners into my routine because of this, but seeing this product made me hopeful that there are toners that could potentially benefit my skin without stripping it of any moisture.
Hannah Fitzpatrick 