Jessie J is one talented artist. But the British singer-songwriter, 28, has a hidden talent that might surprise her fans. Speaking to Stylish over Grammy weekend at Sir Lucian Grainge’s 2017 Artist Showcase, the singer confessed, “This is the first time I’ve had my makeup done by a professional makeup artist in a year! I do my own makeup for red carpets, I do it for shows, I do it for TV, and I’ve done my own makeup for every season of The Voice.” The “Bang Bang” singer says experience has made her a makeup expert. “It’s taken practice,” she says. “I love to draw, that’s where it all started. And I’m a perfectionist, which can sometimes make me late. But I’ve always done it myself just because I enjoy it! I find it relaxing and it’s quicker — I’m fast. Why not?”
And now, Jessie is putting her expertise to good use, pairing up with Make Up For Ever as the face and cocreator of its new Artist collection. “I love makeup and I’ve loved makeup since I was young,” explains the songstress. “It’s called Artist, and basically I’m the first artist to start my own line with them. I’ve been doing so much makeup stuff just for me, and Make Up For Ever really stands for artists and people that I like.” Explaining that she wants to be a role model for people to express their individuality, she says, “[The collection] is saying, ‘This is what you can do and you can do it your way.’ And that’s what I’m about. I just want to make sure young women and young men and anyone around the world, whoever wants to wear makeup, knows that they can be who they are and do what they want to do.”
And what trend would even Jessie J — a style rebel who has hit red carpets with every possible look, from her trademark black bob to vibrant red lips and a shaved head (the songstress famously buzzed her signature locks for charity on live TV in 2013), not dare to attempt? The singer says she’s just going to keep marching to the beat of her own drum when it comes to beauty.
“I’m not someone who follows a makeup trend because everyone else is doing it,” she says. “The contour thing, for example, is just not good on my face! So I avoid that. Or like the solid eyebrow isn’t my vibe.” In fact, what the pop star is really feeling right now is opposite from the high glam you might expect. “I really like the natural look at the moment,” she confesses. “I’m loving feeling clean and fresh – and I like a bushy soft eyebrow and a nude lip.” As for her makeup must-have when she’s performing on stage, Jessie says there’s one thing you’ll always find in her on-tour makeup bag. “Make Up For Ever just came out with this Acrylip lip paint – they’ve got this aubergine color I’m obsessed with. It’s like a stain but you can wear it thicker and it lasts.”
The star brought the crowd to their feet this weekend when she sang Prince’s iconic song “Purple Rain” at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles for Sir Lucian Grainge’s Artist Showcase, an annual pre-Grammy concert where Universal Music artists perform for a music-industry audience. This year’s lineup, which included Niall Horan, Desiigner and Big Sean, remains one of Jessie’s favorite days of the year. The “Price Tag” singer explains, “What’s beautiful about it is everyone here is so individual and everyone’s always working on their own stuff around the world — and no one gets to get together. So it’s almost like a school concert. It’s like it’s nice to come together and kind of be inspired by and talk to other artists and be around their energy. And everyone that it takes to make it all happen: the managers, the tour managers, the security, the glam squads, everyone. We’re all really proud to be Universal artists.” And one added bonus? Great food. Laughs the singer, “It’s like a festival, but with a really nice lunch!”
