Some might say Charli XCX is championing a rebrand. The star recently released “Rock Music” as the lead single from her upcoming eighth album (followed by “SS26,” dropping May 21), the grungier sound a noticeable pivot from the dance-pop beats of Brat, which became the official soundtrack of summer 2024. Her beauty looks, too, have experienced a subtle shift: While her Brat beauty era was defined by smudged eyeliner and a lived-in “party-girl” aesthetic, her current image reads softer, smokier—sometimes with no eye makeup whatsoever, as depicted in her “Rock Music” music video. As if to cement this new glam moment, Charli has become the newest U.S. ambassador for YSL Beauty. Indeed, a revamp is clearly in the cards.

What would Charli herself say of this evolution? “It’s all still intrinsically me,” she shares regarding the campaign’s beauty direction, her voice soft, at odds with the intentionally distorted vocals I’m used to hearing through my speakers. “But I think some of the looks that I worked on with Sam Visser, who did all of the makeup for the campaign, are definitely a bit more maximalist.” Think extra-luminous skin with a light-reflective lip, sculpted lids, and “adrenaline flushed” cheeks—a surprising choice for the star, who has typically opted for a pared-back complexion.

“We were playing with blush in a way that I don’t often do, where it’s really high and blending into the eye,” she says. “In the past, I’ve done a lot of winged-out eyes, whereas these [looks] were a bit more smoky, which is definitely what I’m feeling right now.” She sees these updates not as closing a chapter but rather turning a new page. “It’s about taking the essence of things that I’ve always done with beauty, but twisting them a little bit,” she adds. The “brat” hasn’t gone—she’s graduated.

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When she’s not on set or performing, you might also be surprised to discover that Charli doesn’t always reach for eyeliner. “I’m very much a lip and brow girl,” she says of her current makeup fixations. “I’m either brushing my brows or putting on a lip. That’s my go-to [look].” For the latter, she’s “particularly obsessed” with YSL Beauty’s Lovenude Lip Blusher. “It’s matte and just beautiful. You can use it on the go, which is how I like to do my makeup, to be honest,” she says, pausing to fish the product from her bag in order to confirm the specific shade. (Success—it’s Undressed Pink.) For her brows, she grooms them upward with not a traditional gel but a hairspray-soaked spoolie. “It helps them stay, and I don’t have to think about it. It’s probably not that good for you, but it’s something that I do,” she laughs.

As an ambassador for YSL Beauty—joining the likes of Laura Harrier, Amelia Gray Hamlin, and Lila Moss—Charli has all the brand’s unreleased, soon-to-be heroes at her disposal, such as the Skin Affair Soft Glow Cushion Foundation, which launches on May 29. (FYI: She secretly wore the shade LN10 at the Met Gala.) “It comes on a really cute keychain,” she mentions, “so you can put it on your [bag], and it looks really sweet.” Another top staple is the brand’s Couture Mini Clutch, an eye shadow quad featuring velvety-soft pigments perfect for creating soft-grunge looks (if I do say so myself). “I’ve got one that’s taupe, silver, and brown. That’s my go-to palette all the time,” Charli shares.

On that note, eye looks do remain the singer’s signature, even if she eschews the liner for a soft shadow. “Sometimes, I like to go really neutral with nothing on my eyes, and sometimes, I like to go full-on—all black, oil slick. It really depends on my mood,” she explains. When I ask her to define her overall mood for 2026, she takes a breath—”Damn, pressure!” she jokes—then declares: “Effortless, chic, and still a bit messy.” The party girl lives on, rebrands be damned.

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