Lady Gaga Reveals Deeper Meaning of Her Beauty Routine: A 'Healing Practice for Me Since I Was Really Young'

The "Hold My Hand" singer also said makeup helped her find her voice

Lady Gaga is sharing the real secrets behind her beauty routine.

The "Bad Romance" singer, 37, revealed in a new interview that experimenting with makeup is about much more than simply looking pretty or making a statement.

"It has been a healing practice for me since I was really young," Gaga told E! Online. "I was incredibly insecure when I was a teenager, and when I graduated high school and went off on my own, I discovered that makeup had the power to transform who I was."

The House of Gucci star said cosmetics also helped her find her voice. "I realized that I had more of an ability to speak up for myself," she explained. "And it had more to do with how I felt and not how I looked. I always say that because I think everybody's makeup style is unique to them."

Applying her makeup look each day as part of her overall self-care routine also makes her feel powerful and ready to tackle anything. "It gives me an extra boost of confidence," the Grammy winner told the outlet. "I feel I'm able to brave whatever is coming my way because I've really taken time for myself."

With her vegan and cruelty-free makeup brand Haus Labs, launched in 2019, Gaga hopes to help other people find their own voice and sense of self-confidence. "I want people to know this is not about trying to look like me. This is about looking like you," she noted.

Related: Lady Gaga Says She's 'Healing' and 'Recharging' While Working on a Chromatica Ball Film

While the New York City-born performer loves to play with her makeup palette — she's always mixing it up to keep her fans intrigued — she also doesn't shy away from a bare-faced moment. Most notably, she rocked a fresh face on the biggest stage of them all — the Oscars — in March, performing a raw rendition of “Hold My Hand” from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack.

Her makeup-free appearance onstage was the buzz of social media during the broadcast. Viewers were especially amazed since only hours before, Gaga had walked the red carpet with dramatic winged eyeliner, hot pink blush and bold red lipstick.

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"I need the name of whatever makeup remover Lady Gaga uses," one fan tweeted at the time, while another declared they were "sold" on whatever product was used.

Related: Lady Gaga Rehearses 'Hold My Hand' in Full Glam Ahead of Makeup-Free Oscars 2023 Performance

“Everything about it was authentically her. She wasn't afraid of seeing any imperfections, she actually welcomed them,” Gaga’s makeup artist Sarah Tanno explained to PEOPLE of the "Born This Way" singer's stripped-back look.

In May, Gaga once again threw her fans for a loop with a surprising beauty look. The Oscar winner posted a TikTok where she showed off a much different, more natural makeup palette, prompting one person to comment: "When I saw this I was like wow she looks like Lady Gaga. Then I was like wow she is Lady Gaga."

At the time, Gaga was promoting four new lipstick shades from Haus Labs. "These NEUTRALS are HOT LIKE THIS RECORD," she wrote in the caption of the video, which captured her grooving to Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj's hit song "Princess Diana."

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