Troye Sivan On Doing His Own Make-Up On Tour And The Bath Ritual That 'Feels Like Heaven'
Troye Sivan is the vision of joie de vivre in a bright tangerine jumper worn casually over a beaded top, a joyful antidote against a blustery grey afternoon in London. We’re meeting at the Hotel Café Royal, where Sivan’s been spending his morning at the gym and dips in the pool to ward off his jet lag.
The 29-year old has had quite the year: he performed his Something To Give Each Other tour, joined Charli XCX on her epic Sweat stage, starred alongside Lily Rose-Depp in The Idol, inspired an SNL skit (Sivan was played by Timothée Chalamet, naturally), and is now the face of Rabanne Makeup.
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It was only a matter of time before the singer fronted a beauty campaign. The high cheekbones and impossibly dewy skin provide a fine canvas for make-up. It couldn’t have come at a better time. ‘I think I'm the most confident that I've been in my personal exploration of beauty,’ he tells me.
He has previously spoken about shying away from make-up as a child, but with age comes a sense of liberation, and he’s now no longer a stranger to experimenting with beauty. Sivan embraced 1880s Annie Lennox-esque drama with his Bloom video in 2018, and recently sent fans into a frenzy when he performed in drag for his One Of Your Girls video (complete with siren eyes by revered make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench and beachy blonde hair).
Ahead, Sivan shares details on doing his own ‘Baby Beat’ make-up on tour, using beauty as a grounding tool and prioritising happiness...
On doing his own stage make-up
‘I've always really liked like having my make-up done by other people and now I feel the most confident at doing it myself,’ he says. When performing, beauty serves as a tool for not only helping him to feel ‘on’, but also acts as a grounding and bonding mechanism for his team.
‘A really important part of my tour ritual is to do my make-up with the dancers before the show. It was so nice. It’s a moment for all of us to chill and there’s something meditative about it. It feels like self-care and puts us in the zone for the show.’
On his ‘Baby Beat’
Sivan dubs his go-to look as the ‘baby beat’, a low-key but highly-polished approach to make-up.
‘It starts by taking care of my skin, drinking a lot of water and I love a steam room. I think it does wonders for my skin and I have sinus issues so it helps with that.
Then, I keep it really light. Around the shows, it’s honestly more about the way I feel [on stage]. I use the Rabanne Fresh Touch foundation, I like how it’s a choose-your-own-adventure with how heavy or sheer you want it to be. I always try and add a bit of warmth, maybe by choosing a shade warmer than my natural skin tone, and I brush my brows.’
As for that signature Sivan glow, he attributes it to good skincare and gentle amounts of Rabanne Metal Shot liquid highlighting pigment. Shares Sivan: ‘I'll put them on the back of my hand and do the tiniest bit just on my cheekbones and sometimes in the corner of my eye and on my eyelids.’
On being inspired by women…
His Australian heritage sees him appreciating a more relaxed approach to beauty, one that’s heavily influenced by the women in his family. ‘My favourite kind of beauty in general is one that feels like it's coming from within, almost like an aura,' he says.
'It’s the way that you smell when you walk into the room the way that you carry yourself. It reminds me of my sister; just her doing a little light baby beat and to dinner with beachy hair. There’s an element of magic there that I think had a big impact on me.’
On what an ideal day off looks like…
‘I love finding a good bookstore,’ he shares, following that with ‘getting a couple of good coffees throughout the day’. Like most of us, Sivan delights in discovering a new restaurant. ‘I went to The Dover last night, it was delicious.’
On long baths…
Forget being submerged in bubbles, Sivan bathing ritual has elements of contrast water therapy to help him feel ‘regulated.’
‘I have very hot, shallow baths,' he says. 'I’ll submerge my body and then when you come out, your body feels quite cold but it feels really satisfying to still be in the hot bath. I’ll line up about 15 Youtube videos on different tabs and just work my way through. That’s like heaven!’
On ‘clean girl’ nails…
Similar to his skin, Sivan often keeps his nails fresh and dewy. ‘I have been getting my nails done. It used to feel like going to the dentist, but then I had a better manicure where they were a bit more gentle. I really like having clean nails, so I try to maintain them myself with top coat, a trim and file,' says Sivan.
On mental wellbeing…
There’s an openness to Sivan that makes him a dream to interview, but given how young he started his career (he made his TV debut at 11) and how honest his songs are, there’s always the risk of an artist giving away too much of themselves. Sivan balances that fine line with a sense of mindfulness.
‘I’m learning what my habits – both good and bad – are. I’ll take a step back and see what led to that bad habit, what led to the good one, and designing my day so it leads to more of the good.
Even if it’s just understanding that long travel can sometimes put me into a slump; for example I flew in to London a few days early because that way I can travel together with the dancers – a small change like that can affect my mental health and my mood.’
It goes without saying, but a social media break has also been helpful. ‘Instead of opening TikTok I’ll open a book, or I used to start my mornings on my phone in bed and now I get up as soon as I’m awake and go to the gym,’ he shares.
‘I think it's easy to exist just in your phone, at least for me. When I push myself to go out into the world, it’s obviously more enriching and exciting. Those small changes make my day so much more fulfilling,’ Sivan adds.
On going from Brat summer to a chill winter…
Sivan’s entering his most relaxed era yet, and he chalks it up to ‘getting older and doing less things for the first time.’ With a successful transition from Youtube personality to a fully-fledged artist both on screen and through the airwaves, Sivan continues to thrill his fans, one viral TikTok dance at a time.
‘I’ve just been able to ride the waves of life a little bit easier and prioritise the things that I know make me happy,’ he says contentedly. With that, he's off to officiate Christmas at Selfridges. What a way to end the year.
Liquid Metal Shot
Fresh Touch Foundation
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