Charli XCX on Club Makeup, Monica Bellucci and the Art of Effortless Beauty

Charli xcx continues to expand her influence beyond music with a new role as YSL Beauty’s newest U.S. local ambassador. The announcement builds on an already close creative relationship between the pop star and the luxury beauty house, as well as her longstanding friendship with Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello. Charli has previously worn YSL Beauty products for some of her most visible recent appearances, including the premiere of The Moment, her custom Saint Laurent look at the Met Gala, and the “Rock Music” video, where she alternated between a bare-faced look and a dramatic smoky cat eye.

The new partnership arrives alongside the launch of YSL Beauty’s Skin Affair Soft Glow Cushion Foundation, a lightweight liquid foundation with medium coverage. To mark the release, Charli fronts a campaign shot by director Renell Medrano. The campaign video follows her through four stages of “artistic becoming,” highlighting the contrast between private identity and public performance, a theme that has long run through her music, style, and public image. The project fits naturally with Charli’s reputation for embracing transformation while keeping her look raw, playful, and distinctly modern.

Charli xcx has become one of pop’s most inventive figures, especially since the release of Brat, which turned her into a central presence in club culture and shaped a wider visual and cultural aesthetic. Her beauty choices have mirrored that same attitude: polished but never overly precious, expressive without feeling forced. With YSL Beauty, that approach has been part of a broader collaboration that blends fashion, music, and performance into a single identity.

In a conversation about the campaign, Charli shared several of her beauty preferences. For a night out, she said she likes YSL Beauty’s lip blushers because they are easy to apply, matte, and effortless enough to wear without a mirror. She described them as ideal for applying quickly on the way to a party. When asked about beauty icons, she named Monica Vitti, Monica Bellucci, and Béatrice Dalle, praising their distinct presence and cool, punk energy.

Charli said she has no makeup regrets from her younger years, explaining that experimentation should be fun and not overly serious. She emphasized that youthful beauty is about trying things without overthinking them. For stage performances, she prefers a minimal approach, avoiding powder, false lashes, and heavy makeup so she can move freely and keep the look natural. One trick she says she has learned is spraying hairspray on her brows to keep them in place, though she joked that she still does not know how to use an eyelash curler properly.

The new ambassador role adds another high-profile fashion and beauty partnership to Charli xcx’s growing cultural footprint, reinforcing her status as both a pop innovator and a style force with broad influence across music, film, and fashion.