In the music video for her latest single, “Rock Music,” Charli XCX is all rock ‘n’ roll attitude: shoving a TV out a window, smashing a guitar, and smoking a dozen cigarettes at once. She grabs a YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick and smoothly paints her lips while her husband, George Daniel from The 1975, smokes in the background. It’s almost time for the show—and a new album era.
“Luckily, I didn’t pick up that product and throw it,” Charli says casually, sitting in a studio in Brooklyn where she’s filming the campaign to announce her new role as an ambassador for YSL Beauty. The same can’t be said for a stray salt shaker she tossed behind her while stomping around in that scene. “It literally gave my husband a concussion… I had the worst aim ever. I couldn’t believe I mindlessly threw the salt shaker and hit him on the head, but luckily that didn’t happen with the Candy Glaze, or it would have been death by beauty for George.”
Charli’s beauty looks have always been a key—if underrated—part of her visual identity. She’s long been drawn to a big smoky eye, with brief experiments in bold lips or an ombre bob. Brat was all about black eyeliner and clear skin, but “Rock Music” cranks up the intensity as she transforms into a caricature of a music icon. She says there’s something of her teenage self in the look.
“Makeup has always been part of what I do, even if it’s really minimal; that’s always intentional,” Charli tells Vogue. “But with this new video, I’ve gone for this big, glossy black eye—very oily, messy, which feels like the kind of makeup I used to do when I was way, way younger. Except back then, I’d do it with face paint. Now it’s with YSL,” she laughs, “which is definitely an upgrade.”
Her partnership with YSL Beauty continues her evolving relationship with the brand over the past year. She wore Saint Laurent (and YSL Beauty) to the Met Gala and sat front row at Paris Fashion Week last fall. For this new beauty campaign, out today, she recreates the getting-ready process before a show, pairing the brand’s new Skin Affair Soft Glow Cushion Foundation (out May 29) with the Gloss Stick from her music video and the inky-black Lash Latex Mascara.
Working with Sam Visser, YSL Beauty’s global makeup artist, Charli is embracing a new look that still feels true to all past versions of herself: sheer, plump skin and lips, with the eyes as the focal point. “They’re not afraid to play with the exact things I’m drawn to,” she says, “like a heavier, darker eye that’s sort of dark, evil, and sexy. I feel they let me be me, which is my main thing whenever I work with anyone.” Visser adds, “We have a similar idea of makeup. We wanted to make sure it gave off a glamorous, rockstar, daring energy.”
The look might be a physical reflection of where she is now: bold and fully in control (or at least appearing to be). After three cinematic projects—her autofiction music biopic The Moment, plus the soundtracks for Wuthering Heights and Mother Mary—she’s taking a moment to return to pop music (yes, even if it’s called “Rock Music”) after the endless Brat summer. This Charli, like past versions, is mainly focused on creating. That’s when she feels most like herself. It’s why she can take pleasure in the smallest details of a song or music video, like the cigarette mountains in “Rock Music,” which she notes were hand-rolled and made their own kind of music. (“They were almost sculptural. When you rubbed them together, they sounded nautical, like a wind chime.”) Like the beauty looks she loves most, Charli XCX in the “Rock Music” era feels both fresh and familiar—somehow the natural next step.For an artist who treats pop music like a playground.
After the Met Gala, Charli stayed out until 8 a.m., even though she had a shoot at 10 a.m. that same day. After more than 12 hours, her dramatic cat-eye makeup had turned into something completely different. But she doesn’t worry too much about washing away the old versions of herself. “If there’s still some makeup left on, I like that,” she says. The messy, grungy look is kind of the point. The next day has already arrived. “I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s still a little bit on. I’ll just sleep on it.'”
YSL Beauty
YSL Beauty
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Charli XCXs intentional new look written in a natural tone with clear direct answers
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q Is Charli XCXs new look just a phase
A No She has stated this new aesthetic is a deliberate longterm creative direction not a temporary phase
Q What does her new look actually look like
A Its a sharp minimalist and slightly edgy style Think clean lines structured blazers dark or monochrome colors slickedback hair and very minimal futuristic makeup
Q Why did she change her look
A She wanted to evolve her artistic identity The old Bubblegum Pop look represented her past work The new look matches her current more mature and experimental music
Q Is she copying anyone elses style
A Not exactly Shes drawing inspiration from 90s minimalism high fashion and underground club culture But shes making it her own
Q Does she still wear the colorful fun outfits from her early career
A Very rarely She has almost completely retired that style for public appearances and music videos reserving it only for specific nostalgic or throwback moments
Advanced Deeper Questions
Q How does the new look connect to her album Brat
A Its a direct visual translation Brat is about confidence rebellion and hyperreality The sharp clean look mirrors the albums themes of controlled chaos and a polished unapologetic attitude
Q Is the new look a marketing strategy or genuine artistic expression
A Both She is a savvy artist who understands branding The dramatic change creates buzz and signals a new era But she has also spoken about feeling creatively exhausted by the old look so its a genuine personal and artistic shift
Q What specific designers or trends is she referencing