Meet Cosima, the Rising British Singer With Killer Range and a Time-Saving Beauty Routine
British singer-songwriter Cosima’s voice echoes a delicate blend of Sade and Tracy Chapman—she’s the smooth 90s-esque crooner you didn’t realize you were missing in your playlists. She released her first EP, South of Heaven, in 2016, and has been busy ever since. In 2017, she performed at Radio 1’s Big Weekend. This year, she walked in Paris Fashion Week for designer Marques Almeida. She’s also taken the last couple years to work on an album and create her own record label, South of Heaven Records. “I wanted to have ownership over all of my music. I didn’t want to give up the art that came out of my brain,” she says. Her latest single is rawer than ever. In “R U Lonely 2?” she sings, “The independent woman is a very lonely girl. Freedom is the hardest check to cash” over a bare backing of keys and strings.
On stage, the natural beauty shimmers and shines, always wearing her hair “bigger and extra” because, as she says, “it makes me feel powerful.” But embracing her power certainly didn’t come without its challenges for the rising star. Growing up, she says, “people thought I was ‘scary’ because I have curly hair, I’m tall, and have a deeper voice.” Cosima’s parents never allowed her or her siblings to wear makeup, paint on nail polish, or straighten their coils growing up, though she felt pressure from the kids at school to look a certain way. “People always feel like they have ownership over your looks,” she says, remembering an instance where her sister helped straighten her hair with a clothing iron as a last resort. “My mom busted into my room and said ‘it's concerning that you’d rather have an iron in your face than accept yourself’.”
Reflecting on it now, Cosima has a deeper understanding of her mother’s words—revelations of self-acceptance shine throughout her music. “Would you still take me out barefaced? Could I still feel carefree, in a heel you like? I can’t play beauty queen if I’m not…” She sings in her unapologetic single, “Girls Who Get Ready.” “I look up to women who embrace their natural look,” she says, naming Diahnne Abbott, Judy Garland, and Dovima as inspirations, “and that’s what I try to do now.”
To keep her curls shiny and healthy, Cosima uses Charlotte Mensah Manketti Hair Oil and Manketti Oil Conditioner. “It makes my hair so easy to comb through.” She lets it dry in four braids for maximum definition, and takes them down when she’s ready to hit the London streets. “I’m always late so I rarely have time to use makeup,” she says, “so a simple skincare routine is needed.” To keep it glowing and clear, she uses the The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and then Environ Moisturizer—“it’s super simple.” When there’s time for a little makeup, Cosima reaches for the Glossier Lash Slick or, “for a more intense look,” YSL Mascara. On a tired-feeling day, she’ll use the Glossier Stretch Concealer and a Fenty Lipgloss. For an elevated stage look, Boy Brow, MAC Illuminating Cream, and NARS Tinted Moisturizer is her go-to “for an even base.”
To relax, the singer turns to hot yoga and hot pilates classes, recommending The Movement Practice pilates in Amsterdam.“I'd probably move cities for it,” she exclaims. And for the perfect manicure, Sylvie Macmillan is her girl.
As for what to expect next from Cosima? “A lot of new music,” she says, as a result of the work she’s been doing with her own record label, and beauty wise, “I want to try a few 60s and 70s-inspired wigs, and maybe even a Barbara Streisand nail for a music video.” The classic beauty is ready for some major transformative looks. “Growing up I was always told, if you don’t like what’s underneath the makeup, then you’re not ready to wear the makeup,” Cosima says, “but now I’m able to try new things. Now I’m happy with me.”
Originally Appeared on Vogue
