Troye Sivan on the Beauty Products He Can't Live Without: From YSL Lip Gloss to Le Labo Shower Gel

Troye Sivan on the Beauty Products He Can't Live Without: From YSL Lip Gloss to Le Labo Shower Gel,Singer and songwriter Troye Sivan shares his top travel essentials and beauty products for Variety's Ask an Insider series.

Troye Sivan on the Beauty Products He Can’t Live Without: From YSL Lip Gloss to Le Labo Shower Gel

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From sound engineers and screenwriters to celebrity makeup artists and stylists, Variety’s series “Ask an Insider” asks top professionals within the entertainment industry to share their must-have essentials, for work…and for play. In this installment, musician, actor and new YSL Ambassador Troye Sivan, shares the beauty products that keep his skin glowing.

The very first shot in Troye Sivan’s music video for “Bloom,” which came out more than four years ago, is a close-up of the singer’s lips, painted in a firetruck red lipgloss as he sings the first verse: “Take a trip into my garden, I’ve got so much to show you.”

As the beat escalates, the camera pans out to reveal Sivan’s full face, done up with rosy cheeks, white lashes, shimmering pink eyeshadow and bleached blonde hair — a makeup look that his younger self, a cherubic 18 year-old who had just come out as gay on Youtube, could never have imagined wearing. The song’s liberating lyrics, coupled with the couture-clad display in the video, was a not-so-subtle message that we were witnessing an important shift in the Australian-born singer’s public evolution.

“I do remember the ‘Bloom’ music video being a big moment because my relationship with makeup has changed a lot over time,” Sivan tells Variety. “Growing up closeted, I really wanted to just express myself in all these kinds of ways, like makeup or fashion. And I never let myself ever do it. I remember, when I was filming the ‘Bloom’ video, I had a moment where I still sort of regressed temporarily for a second where I was like, ‘This feels really scary to be this free and unapologetic.’ And I managed to talk myself out of it in that moment and on the other side of it, I felt so, so good and totally liberated. It was a really informative moment for me. And I think that was really when I stopped caring. It kind of changed my life.”

Since then, bold makeup and effeminate outfits have become a core characteristic of Sivan’s style, which he now proudly describes as “flamboyant.” Two of his most memorable fits include a floor-grazing black dress from Joseph Altuzurra that he wore to the 2021 Met Gala, and a mid-riff baring Fendi suit he donned at the VMAs that same year.

His inspiring style evolution is also why he’s scored ads with brands like Glossier and Mac, and was most recently tapped by YSL Beauty to be the company’s U.S Ambassador. He was already obsessed with products like their best-selling Black Opium cologne and Candy Glaze Lip Gloss, he says, so why not get paid for being a walking advertisement?

While in Manhattan for New York Fashion Week, Sivan spoke with Variety about the skincare and beauty products he can’t stop using. Check out his favorite products below:

Skin Food by Waleda

“One travel essential is just a really good moisturizer. I have dry skin, or at least combination, and with traveling and flights and changing temperatures, it’s really important. I’m not shy with moisturizer at all. I really go hard on the stuff. At the moment, I’m using Skin Food by Waleda. It’s super rich. I think you’re literally supposed to use it on your elbows and hands because it’s so moisturizing, it’s for very dry places. But I put it everywhere, even on my face.”

Weleda Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Body Cream 2.5 Fluid Ounce, Plant Rich Hydrating Moisturizer with Pansy, Chamomile and Calendula~~$18.50~~ $14.24Buy Now On Amazon

YSL Black Opium

“I have a few scents and I I alternate between the two. But I think that the most important thing to keep in mind is that scent is buildable so you don’t smell like everyone else. It’s important to apply scent at different thin layers. I use a good body wash that smells nice (Le Labo Hinoki at the moment) and unscented deodorant because I don’t really normally like the smell of deodorant and that lets your perfume or cologne really, really shine. I have different ones for different moods, like when it’s sunny versus when I’m going out at night. The YSL Opium is so nice. They just sprayed it in the room like 10 minutes before I walked in and it smells so good.

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opiujm Eau de Perfum$95Buy Now

Virtue Healing Oil

“I just died my hair yesterday so I got a healing oil from Virtue that I’m using. For some reason I thought that because I’ve had blonde hair before — and it really, really, really damaged my hair — that it would have been a long enough time that it wouldn’t damage my hair this time. But apparently that’s not how it works. So I’m gonna have to take good care of it for the next while.”

Virtue Healing Oil$44Buy Now

YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick

“My favorite YSL product at the moment is the Candy Glaze. It feels like somewhere between a balm and a gloss. It’s shiny, but it also feels super nourishing for your lips. And I have really dry lips, so it’s nice because I obsessively am always trying to moisturize my lips, but it also kind of gives you a shine that doesn’t look thick and glossy. So that one is my big obsession at the moment.”

Yves Saint Laurent Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick$39Buy Now