I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Katy Perry can seriously hang. Although until yesterday, this was nothing more than a theory. But last night, I got to spend time with the singer and witness her animated personality in the flesh. And guess what? I was totally right.
Perry invited me and a handful of other editors to celebrate the launch of her first collection of makeup with CoverGirl — a brand she has been the face of for years. The line, out this month, includes 11 demi-matte lipsticks and a blue mascara that the pop star helped formulate, name, and design.
During our round table-style discussion, Perry (aptly sporting a dramatic blue cat-eye) shared her thoughts on growing up as a born-again Christian, Coachella beauty, and the makeup trick she learned from Madonna, all while proving to be incredibly — for lack of a better word — chill.
What was your first memory of lipstick?
"I think it's about what [my] mom had in her purse. My mom was very strange. I grew up in a very sheltered household — born-again Christians, speaking tongues, part of that cult. No offense if anyone's still in it! I wasn't allowed to wear thongs, but I was allowed to wear lipstick. [My mom] called it rouge; she still does. It was nice-smelling, perfumed lipstick. Smells are important."
Which shade do you wear the most from the collection?
"That would be the one I called Kitty Purry, after my cat. They're all kind of cat-related — sorry if you're allergic. Kitty Purry is something I'd wear all the time, from day to night... But I love all of them. I love that there's a black lipstick on the market, or there's a powdery purple, or a blue mascara that's $6.99. You can experiment, and you don't have to buy the blue mascara that's $25, $35, or $45 — we all know which ones they are."
What was the product-creation process like?
"I always keep my eyes close to what's going on in youth culture, especially through Tumblr. It's my main source, because all the other social networks are a little narcissistic and Tumblr is just about sharing art with no negativity. I'm highly involved with anything I do. We worked on this for over a year. I begged them for this soft-touch [finish], I knew I wanted this Tumblr font, and the cat ears and names. As for the formula, I didn't want it to be just matte. Sometimes you wear [matte lipstick] that makes you look like you've been to both weekends of Coachella and you haven't had any water. I didn't want that, so that's why it's demi-matte. So this is the launch, but there will be more in the future. We're already working on spring 2017!"
Have you learned any cool makeup hacks or tricks?
"One of the cool things I've seen [is when] makeup artists put a piece of tissue on top [of the lips] and then they put powder on the lips [to make the lipstick stay] on forever. And also, Marilyn Monroe would put a little highlighter [on the tip of her nose and Cupid's bow]. It makes you look kind of nymph-y and glowy. Who doesn't want to look nymph-y?!"
Is there anything in your beauty routine that always stays the same?
"Prepping of skin! Proactiv doesn't pay me anymore — I have no relationship with them besides the fact that they've helped me so much. When I was 23, I had really bad skin — I think it was stress, and just all of the attention and stuff like that. I had spent thousands and thousands of dollars on dermatologists and lasers, and then I started using [Proactiv] and I still use it to this day. I don't use the trio, just the exfoliant and the toner. I use a grape-seed oil [as my moisturizer]. One of my favorite things that I've implemented into my regimen is Shu Uemura oil, because it gets all my makeup off in one swoop. I was deathly afraid of oils, but Madonna's makeup artist showed it to me about eight years ago and she said, 'Madonna does this,' and I was like, 'Okay, I'll try it!'"
How do you express your identity through makeup?
"Obviously, if you don't first and foremost have that self-love and self-confidence, there's no highlighter in the world [that can give it to you]. There are a lot of people who walk into a room wearing no makeup, but they just have such a presence and an energy. It's very powerful, but I don't discriminate against a person that you can slice through their face because they're wearing so much makeup. I don't discriminate either way... I love experimenting and playing... I'm a chameleon when it comes to looks. One day, I'm really soft and pretty and Lolita; the next day, I'll rip your face off and look like a vampire. The rest of the days, I'm in an Adidas tracksuit. I'll wear a black-and-white Adidas tracksuit basically any day I'm not really doing all this, little-to-no makeup, and a hat. It's a way for me to deflect."
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