Singer-songwriter NIKI shares her top beauty secrets, including using body makeup as concealer!

A musical prodigy since her teenage years, NIKI (a.k.a. Nicole Zefanya) has grown into a remarkable and inspiring star, especially in the music industry and for all of us who are rooting for her in Asia.

If you were swaying or bopping your head along with the crowd last December when NIKI graced our shores yet again during her Nicole Tour, you would have witnessed her euphonious voice and captivating beauty in person.

The Indonesian singer-songwriter opened for Taylor Swift‘s The Red Tour in Jakarta when she was 15, got listed in Forbes’ 30 under 30 in 2020, and is signed to the trailblazing 88rising with a seriously dedicated cult following.

She was also the first Indonesian musician, alongside fellow 88rising member Rich Brian, to successfully perform on the Coachella stage. Is there anything NIKI can’t do?!

While NIKI juggles everything and manoeuvres through the demanding music and entertainment world, she remains true to herself all while looking stunning and managing her dry, eczema-prone skin.

We know it’s hard to look away from NIKI’s glowing beauty, but read on as we list down her beauty tips and arsenal to look flawless!

She preps her skin with a facial spray

During a shopping session, while walking around Urban Outfitters, NIKI picked up Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray With Aloe and Rosewater largely because of the pretty packaging and has been using it ever since.

This facial spray refreshes the skin with a unique blend of rosewater and herbal extracts, which is perfect for hydrating tight, uncomfortable skin types. You can even use it to keep your hair from drying out!

NIKI uses it to prep her skin and lightly set her makeup. And if you’re wondering what type of scents she uses, we know that there’s definitely a natural rose fragrance present.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe and Rosewater retails for S$13 at Sephora.

She uses skincare products that are super hydrating and restorative

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Cut (@thecut)

As someone who understands her skin well, NIKI selects products that are moisturising, suitable for sensitive skin types, and work well for her skin after trying them out.

Through her dermatologist’s recommendation, she uses the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser daily. This fragrance-free and non-foaming cleanser really cleanses without drying the skin.

Then she goes in with Drunk Elephant‘s C-Tango™ Multivitamin Eye Cream, which was a gift she received from her makeup artist Bridget O’Donnell. NIKI noticed how cooling the cream felt under her eyes and how it gives a brightening effect in the mornings.

One of her holy grail products is the ArtNaturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum which she uses to rejuvenate and hydrate for a healthy radiant glow. Finally, she finishes with Australian skincare brand A’KIN’s Pure Radiance Rosehip Oil to lock in all the moisture into her skin.

Shop her routine:

• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser retails for S$17.75 instead of S$25.40 at Guardian
• Drunk Elephant C-Tango™ Multivitamin Eye Cream retails for S$98 at Sephora
• ArtNaturals Hyaluronic Acid Serum retails for S$15.19 at iHerb
• A’KIN Pure Radiance Rosehip Oil retails for S$29.90 at FairPrice

She moisturises constantly with fragrance-free creams

In case you didn’t know, NIKI has been through an arduous journey with atopic dermatitis and dyshidrotic eczema — the most common type of eczema and a different type of condition that causes tiny, itchy, fluid-filled blisters on the skin.

Her short-term solutions included antibiotics, antihistamines, and oral and topical corticosteroids. However, those didn’t help with the incessant itching. The simple “cure” and long-term fix? Moisturising constantly.

In combating her lifelong condition, NIKI uses topical steroids and La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer, which she found out about through her dermatologist.

She shared in an interview with The Cut that it was her favourite moisturiser as “it was texturally light enough to wear during the day and hydrating enough to sleep with at night” and “really improved the dryness and flakiness” she used to experience on her face.

She also uses CeraVe’s Itch Relief Moisturizing Cream and dubs it a “holy grail body lotion”. That’s because it features 1% pramoxine hydrochloride to help numb itchiness.

Looking at how great and baby-smooth NIKI’s skin looks now, if you’ve similar skin conditions as NIKI, we’d definitely recommend her tip for using a good ol’ thick moisturiser!

Shop her routine:

• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer retails for S$47 instead of S$79.69 at Amazon
• CeraVe Itch Relief Moisturizing Cream retails for S$37.32 at Amazon

She massages her face

On top of all the effective beauty products NIKI uses, she practises beloved Indonesian beauty rituals too. She was taught a face massage technique that was passed down through generations from her great-grandmother and grandmother to her mother.

In a YouTube video with Harper’s BAZAAR, where she shared her nighttime skincare routine, she massages her face while cleansing it with some simple movements using her knuckles. NIKI shared that it “has a powerful and spiritual quality to it”.

Sure enough, other than being known for its vast nature and historical sites, Indonesia is also famous for a variety of health and beauty rituals.

One of the popular treatments you can find is totok aura wajah, which is a healing facial acupressure ritual — it combines the therapies of acupressure and your natural chi. Apart from boosting circulation, softening the skin, and naturally lifting the face, it also promotes overall health by balancing energies within your body.

The thought of having your facial muscles relaxed just sounds like heaven to us and we’re sure it will feel amazing. If you’re new to face massages, you can start with Gua Sha treatments or book a revitalising facial!

She takes care of her lips too!

As part of her eczema condition, she gets chronically dry, chapped lips all the time regardless of how much water she drinks.

For her nighttime routine especially, she uses either the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir or Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. NIKI shared that “very few lip products can pass the holy grail test” but the Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir is “on the way there”.

And when she needs a little pigment for her lips, her favourite lipstick even has nourishing properties! The Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Lip Gloss features a blend of nutrient-rich botanical oils to offer a cushiony, comfortable feel on your puckers.

Shop her routine:

• Charlotte Tilbury Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir retails for S$56 at Sephora
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask retails for S$32 at Sephora
• and the Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Lip Gloss retails for S$50 also at Sephora

She uses leg and body makeup as a concealer

Generally, NIKI never wears a foundation for her makeup base. Instead, she reaches for the Dermablend Leg and Body Makeup as a concealer to even out her skin tone and any redness.

Since her prom days till now, she found that it has great coverage that she didn’t really see in other concealers.

At times, if she wants a brightening effect, she uses Maybelline’s Fit Me Concealer just under her eyes and on her nose.

Shop her favourites:

• Dermablend Leg and Body Makeup retail from S$37.53 to S$57.74 at Amazon
• Maybelline Fit Me Concealer retails for S$12.50 at iHerb

She usually goes for a natural makeup look

For the folk superstar, her makeup philosophy is to enhance what’s already there versus having a blanket of makeup. This is also something that she’s picked up from all the makeup artists she worked with before.

And taking inspiration from her mum of sticking to the bare minimum, her tip is to take care of your skin well so that when you’re wearing makeup, it just amplifies your natural beauty.

Shadowing what the core of the “no makeup” makeup look is, a natural makeup look comes with time and experimenting with makeup products to see what works best for you and your face.

Feel free to go wild and be adventurous with your makeup products so that you can figure out your perfect makeup product combinations and signature natural makeup look!

NIKI also tends to use makeup products as multi-purpose ones, which is something that we’re sure many do as well.

As for what products she wears on her face, she doesn’t have a fixed routine — it all comes down to her vibe and what she’s feeling that specific day. Definitely something we can get down with and also a very fun, bold Gen Z mentality.

Watch the video below to see how NIKI does her 10-minute on-the-go makeup look!

She has a simple haircare routine

It’s no surprise that stars and musicians like herself will have to sport hairstyles, albeit bold and gorgeous, that can damage their tresses.

Every night, after she’s done with her skincare regimen, she brushes her hair with a wooden brush. The wood will absorb all your hair’s essential oils and distribute them evenly throughout your hair strands.

Her go-to hair products are from the highly raved haircare brand Olaplex. With a whole head of bleached hair, she noted how Olaplex’s products are a game-changer for her dry, damaged hair.

She aims to get enough rest and sleep

When it comes to mental and physical health care, other than relaxing in “a hot and scalding bubble bath”, NIKI also tries to get better quality sleep.

You’ve probably heard of how your beauty Z’s does affect your skin, and yes, it’s true. Getting enough beauty sleep is essential!

The nature of the singer’s work is very unpredictable and with hectic schedules, so a proper sleep schedule is often not achieved. However, NIKI’s been working on sleeping longer and more consistently, which she says makes her feel more balanced and efficient in her daily endeavours too.

Feature image credit: Harper’s BAZAAR, Allure