Not only have you been hearing more about country singer Kelsea Ballerini lately, but you’ve probably also been hearing more of her. The 22-year-old released her debut album The First Time this year, and singles “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs” have been tearing up the charts. Kelsea’s days are jam-packed with sold-out shows — she’s currently on tour — so you’d think she has a pretty fancy shmancy beauty routine, right? Wrong. We caught up with Kelsea before the 2015 American Music Awards tonight (where she is nominated for Favorite Female Country Artist, btw) for a sneak peek at her home and on-the-road beauty routine.
A beauty junkie even in her off time — you can see some of her fave products in the snapshot above! — Kelsea shared her regular routine with us. “When I want to polish my look, I dust bronzer on my cheeks for a little kiss of sun and put on mascara.” On stage, bronzer is important for performers who are in the spotlight (literally) because it’s easy to look washed out on stage. For those of us who don’t spend too much time signing autographs, it’s still a one-product trick to looking refreshed even if you’re exhausted.
When Kelsea is primping and prepping for a performance, she turns to a couple of tried-and-true beauty picker-uppers. Mascara is an absolute must, but it takes more than great lashes to make your eyes pop on stage. We asked Kelsea what the best makeup artist-approved trick in her arsenal was. “There is a white liner that you can put on your waterline that makes your eyes look brighter! It’s great when I don’t get quite enough sleep but want to look awake,” she explained. Um, been there, needed that.
Just like how your Monday through Friday routine might differ from your weekend look, when Kelsea steps off stage and out of the spotlight, she likes to keep her beauty routine as low-key as possible. “I love letting my skin breathe any time I can, so when I have days for writing or I’m in the studio, I’ll do a good scrub or mask the night before and leave my makeup off for the day.”
We’re all after that perfectly messy, slightly-undone-but-in-a-good-way ponytail, right? So is Kelsea. It’s my favorite part of the job to ask beauty lovers like myself what their go-to secrets are (yes, in hopes that I can borrow them for my own bag of tricks) and Kelsea’s did not disappoint. When going for an easy, on-the-go ‘do that still looks fab, the superstar doesn’t tease her hair or use other damaging methods to get added texture and volume. Instead, Kelsea revealed a genius hack — she uses dry shampoo. Just spray it in your locks and on your roots to add a ton of texture to your hair. Smooth it out and then throw it up in a messy ponytail.
The next must-ask question for fellow makeup mavens can be an impossible one to answer — all-time favorite lipstick. Go. For Kelsea, this was an easy one. “I’m a sucker for a pretty nude lip. Bobbi Brown carries a lot of beautiful shades, but my go-to is Pink Nude.”
There you have it, y’all. Whether she’s creating the perfect messy ‘do with dry shampoo or rocking the makeup artist-approved white eyeliner secret (you should totally try it for your next early-morning meeting) Kelsea Ballerini is officially one of our Brit + Co beauty heroes. Now we just can’t wait to see her look at tonight’s AMAs… good luck, Kels!
What is your all-time favorite lipstick? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
(Featured photo via Rick Diamond/Getty)
