Miley Cyrus has been in the public eye for the majority of her life—from starring in Hannah Montana to her Bangerz era to the Grammy-winning “Flowers” record—but we haven’t really been clued in to her beauty routine. The pop darlings of today share it all on social media, from their go-to lip stains to the moisturizers they stock and the wigs they use to protect their hair. But Miley, following an old-school approach to celebrity beauty, has been quiet about her product recs. Until now, that is. With her new title as global brand ambassador for Maybelline New York, she’s finally giving away some secrets.
Miley Cyrus didn’t necessarily manifest this partnership. But it happened in “divine timing,” she says to a crowd of beauty editors (hi me), influencers, actors, and reality stars at the iconic Bar Marmont in Los Angeles. To celebrate her partnership, Miley cohosted a cocktail party at the exclusive, yet to be reopened bar steps from Chateau Marmont—a space that feels special to her (and certainly provided a glamorous backdrop for the occasion).
“You can’t have Maybelline without Miley—it’s kind of in the name,” she begins. Beauty for her is about self-expression and confidence—something that aligns perfectly with the brand, she believes. “It is such an important part of my artistry right now to use makeup in a way that expresses what I am trying to convey in my music, my poetry, my words I’m speaking to you right now.”
Of course, Miley stepped out wearing Maybelline on her face, namely the brand-new Moisturizing Serum Lipstick in the “Maybe It’s...” shade, an ode to the nostalgic jingle that she reimagined for the brand. Of course, the DJ (DJ Alex Chapman, one of Miley’s friends) played it for us all to hear. Don’t worry if you weren’t in attendance—it’s on Spotify.
But before the glitzy party, Miley sat down with Cosmo to talk all things beauty—from her partnership to the trends she’s loving to the icons who inspire her looks. Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline, or maybe it’s a secret third thing! Maybe she’s just Miley?
What’s been the trajectory of your relationship with makeup?
My mom was very particular about when I was going to be allowed to start experimenting with makeup. I was a cheerleader, so makeup was always embedded into our performance, but through my day-to-day, my mom was very, very specific about when that could happen. I remember getting Maybelline mascara, and I would kind of design it like a cat eye, where I would angle the wand in this gorge way to get more out of it than just the mascara, right? And then slowly, she started letting me experiment with lipsticks. Since I was younger, it’s been a part of this progression: How do you do your makeup in a minimal way that you can still feel expressive, but it doesn’t take over?
I’ve never had to change myself, but it just enhances and evolves with whatever I’m doing next. So whether it’s an album that feels more experimental, then I can get playful with colors. Or if I’m doing something more minimal and honest, then I can scale it back, and I can use more sheer colors and go light-handed. It just goes perfectly in both parts of my life.
How does it feel to be partnered with such a legacy brand like Maybelline?
It’s such an iconic brand, so doing something like reinventing the jingle is very neat. I’m still honoring something so classic that we all know, but I get to make it my own. It’s been a very natural partnership between us.
You seem like such a makeup lover. Is that your favorite type of beauty product to use?
Yes. I think just because I’m always looking for bridges between my personal life and my persona. Mascara and lipstick, those are two things that I’ll always wear. It could be going to the grocery store—I love doing a little light swipe of my mascara and a light swipe of lipstick. But then when I’m doing a performance, I’ll layer it up. I love having something in my purse that is my personal go-to shade because it makes me feel less divided when I’m doing a performance.
What beauty advice would you give to your 21-year-old self?
My 21-year-old self? Well, I learned a lot when I was 21. I kind of needed Maybelline in my life. I wore a lot of red lipstick at that time, and I was always trying different shades. There are so many shades of red—orange base or blue base—and I never found my exact color that I felt worked for me onstage. I’d sing into the microphone, and I’d make a mess of myself. When I’m using my microphone, sometimes my lipstick ends up on my nose and all over the place. Now that I have a long-wear lipstick that doesn’t feel drying. I used to think, I don’t want to feel dry when I’m onstage. I’m up there for 90 minutes, and I don’t have time for a touch-up. I can’t be putting on lip gloss. I just need one thing that stays the entire time without losing hydration. I would have gotten myself a better red.
Many of us grew up with you in the ’00s and early 2010s. Are there any beauty trends from that time you wish wouldn’t come back?
I think everything comes back around, even when we don’t want it to. I just bought a pair of camo pants today, so I’m bringing camo back personally. I could already tell when I wore them today, I got some looks. Like, “Really? Camo?” But then I got my mom a pair, and I got my boyfriend a pair. So I don’t usually let trends die with the times. I think there’s always a time for everything. Even the whole 1920s brow!
Is there a decade that you feel like you look to for inspo the most?
’70s, I would say. ’90s. I think being a ’90s baby, it holds that nostalgia for me. But the ’70s is just something really punk and glamorous and rock and roll and very communal. Like, people would dance together and sweat together and live together, and it was just a time that everyone felt deeply connected.
Is there any beauty advice you’ve been given that has stuck with you?
I shape everything that I do the way that my mom did. The crease that I do in my eye—my mom loves Cher, so I do a deep crease like her. I line my lips very similarly to the way my mom did. Makeup can be so generational. It makes it more emotional because you can put on lipstick and you can think about your mom or your grandmother or, like, a shade that they used to wear, and it feels like it’s a part of your genes. I’m copy-paste my mom.
You change your hair often. What’s your favorite hair color or style you’ve done?
I have so many ideas that I bet I haven’t even done my favorite hair yet. But I love it when my hair is really long. My hair is a good reflection of where I am in my headspace. Sometimes, my length really shows that it’s not overkept and that it just feels really healthy.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
