Behold the Quiet Confidence of Troye Sivan

The YSL ambassador talks beauty, self-worth, and his favorite makeup products right now.

It's about to be a big year for Troye Sivan. The Australian singer is set to star in The Idol, a highly-anticipated show from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. The buzz around the series hasn't let up since its inception—Twitter practically gagged at promo photos when its premiere date was finally announced—as the entire cast is, for lack of a better word, chock full of music, fashion, and Hollywood idols. The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp are both attached to the HBO project, alongside Sivan and It Girls like Hari Nef and Blackpink's Jennie Kim. Sivan is riding the high of debuting new music as well. His latest single "You Know What I Need," produced with Australian electronic trio Pnau, garnered critical success since its release at the end of 2022.

Career-wise, plenty is happening with the multi-hyphenate, but there's an evolution happening personally, too. Sivan cites a newfound confidence, cultivated in the past year or so, as the driving creative force in his life right now. "Everything feels very fun because I just feel like I'm in a good place," says the "My My My!" singer when we met downtown at New York's vibey 9 Orchard Hotel in January. "Like, 'Yeah, I can handle this,'" he adds.

Whatever might come his way next, Sivan is ready for it. As the newly-minted face of a major brand like YSL Beauty, it's hard to imagine not having a strong sense of self at this stage of his career. And Sivan gives off a quiet confidence in person, one that's soft and personal, rather than a showy self-assurance. Fittingly, right now, he’s in his “minimal” makeup era (he wore a cool, slouchy sweater and nothing but lip balm to our interview), and his beauty favorites, such as juicy gloss, feathery foundation, and SPF, are similarly versatile.

From the joys of reading in the bathtub to his current coffee order, read on for more beauty and wellness takes from Troye Sivan.

What's your earliest beauty memory? Was it an interest of yours growing up? Or did you come to it later in life?

"It was an interest growing up, but I kept it for myself because I was afraid. I have very early memories of watching my mom get ready. Also going to my friend's houses before parties and stuff and getting ready with them. It would only take me like five minutes to get ready. But I would sit with them for two hours, just obsessed, watching them do the makeup or the hair or whatever. And yeah, just the smell of hairspray and stuff like that. It's like a nice vibe. And probably, like, a Britney Spears perfume."

What makes you feel the most confidence in terms of beauty fashion? What do you do when you want to feel confident?

"It depends on what I'm trying to achieve, you know what I mean? Like, there are times when I really am super comfortable being loud and doing something really bold. And I'm not shy. But then, at the same time, innately I am, I think quite shy and reserved in my everyday life. So it really depends.

"If it's my everyday vibes, it's honestly something that I feel really comfortable in. Something that I think looks effortlessly cool, I guess. And then if I'm going out, or if I'm going to some work thing, or if I'm doing a photo shoot, I see it as a form of expression. So it's like it's part of the infinite respect [I have] for the makeup artists and hairstylists that I work with. To work with these incredible people and watch them do their thing—that's also so gratifying to me. So they all make me feel confident. all these different kinds of beauty apply confidence and build confidence. So it just depends what I'm after."

Do you have a self-care practice?

"Reading in the bath. I just fill the water up, only up to my waist, and just kind of sit."

What's the makeup look that makes you feel the most like you?

"Well, there's probably my everyday look: I do my eyebrows. Wear a really good moisturizer. And then I'll use the Nu Bare Look Tint ($44). It's super chic, I almost use it to conceal and stuff. It's super light and easy to wear. And SPF always. And that's pretty much it."

What do you do with your eyebrows?

"Basically, I just try and match the outer brows to each other. Go really dark here, like fade there. [Points to brows]. You're just bringing them out and just making them look cool."

Do you have any great beauty or makeup tips that you've learned from the pros?

"When I work with a really great makeup artist, I'm always surprised at how much time they spend on the skin before they've even put a single makeup product on. They're really, really focused on the health of your skin—just hydrating and giving you moisture. Then I feel like everything looks better, and it seems more like it's coming from within, you know? Rather than just [makeup] sitting on top.

"I think that that was a big learning curve for me. You can't just put whatever on your face. Like, you know, you have to take care of yourself."

Do you have a holy grail makeup product? Something that you were like, 'wow, this is life-changing?'

"I would say the All Hours Foundation ($60). Yeah, because it has whatever you would want. If I'm wanting to set up coverage, it's got SPF in it. So, you can skip the SPF step. But also the Candy Glaze Lipgloss Stick ($39) is really nice. It's such a great product to own. I always have it in my pocket. I'm addicted to lip balm, and just moisturizing. I have dry lips. So it's nice because it's somewhere in between a gloss and a balm. It has shine and makes you look a little elevated while also just feeling like you have lip balm on."

Is there one product or ingredient that your skin can't get enough of?

"No, not really. But I'm also really lucky with my skin. I've never had acne or anything like that. And except for lip balm, I have dry lips, but besides that I'm good. My ex-boyfriend used to get really annoyed with me because he would spend all this money and time on his skincare and stuff. And I wouldn't literally put, like, body moisturizer on my face. And be fine. [Laughs]"

You're clearly god's favorite. Do you have a signature scent? Or a scent profile that you love kind of scent that you gravitate towards?

"I always go to for a woody base. I think that that's always important to me. I love the idea of building scent, like layer by layer, you know? So it's like, what body soap will I be using? What shampoo am I using, you know? So, if someone gets close to you, it all kind of mingles.

"And I think it's all about an unscented deodorant so that it doesn't overpower what you've created. Like your face products, everything, you know, smells good. So if you build it layer by layer, you end up with this custom scent. That's just your smell. Plus, then like your pheromones and stuff.

"I have different scents for literally everything. It sounds crazy, but it's also weather dependent. If it's a sunny day, I have my go-to. Same with if I'm going out. It totally depends on what I'm doing."

Is there any particular product or ingredient you love for your hair?

"Natural grease. Honestly, that's the product. I'm trying to wash my hair as little as possible. Not like in a gross way. But, it gives you texture. I really hate having clean hair...it's fluffy."

Do you have a morning routine? And if so, what is it look like right now?

"I brush my teeth for a really long amount of time. I've got an electric toothbrush that has a timer on it and stuff and whatever. So I'll do that for ages. I shower. I mean, first thing, I have coffee. I'm just trying to figure out if I should have my coffee before or after brushing my teeth [laughs].

"So yeah, have a coffee. That's like number one."

What's your coffee order?

"A flat white."

What keeps you grounded? Are you into anything woo-woo wellness stuff?

"I'm honestly not. One thing I'm not is woo-woo—I wish that I was! It sounds nice to me. Like I really believe in it...meditation and stuff. It's so good for you. I'm just not good at doing it. So, yeah, I would like to get a little bit more...maybe that's one of my goals for this year."

What is inspiring you right now?

"I think the thing that is inspiring, [this] sounds so, like, ego vibes, but honestly, it's like an internal comfortability and confidence that I have found recently. In the last year, I have found that I'm way more excited about everything because I feel like I can handle it way better than I used to.

"Everything is exciting to me. I'm excited to travel. I'm excited to work. I'm excited about my new music. Everything feels very fun because I just feel like I'm in a good place. Like, 'Yeah, I can handle this.' And it's really exciting to feel that way. So, that's inspiring because it makes me feel like, 'Okay, if I can go away by myself for a month and be totally fine, what else can I do?'"

What's informing your personal style right now? Where are you finding fashion inspo?

"I was in Australia in November and December. I was in Melbourne. And I think people there have the best style. It's so good. Not for a second did I know what brand someone was wearing. It's so much more about personal style. It's like, 'Oh my god, where did you find that? I'm so jealous. You thrifted that? It fits you perfectly.' It's about finding the one that's for you, you know? Something that maybe wouldn't even look good on me, but I'm gonna go find whatever that is for me. That's the epitome of style."

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