Halsey always knows just want to do to get us through. After teasing her fans by tweeting that she’s “keeping 5 secrets” at the end of 2020, we got one of those — the release of her makeup brand: About-Face beauty.
The name “about-face” is a clever play on words. Halsey tells Bydrie the name means “to go in the opposite direction,” and when shortened to just “af,” stand for her initials and the popular expression “as fuck.”
Just like the creator herself, the collection is radically outspoken, fun, and refreshing — gone are the days of boring in-the-box colors: About-Face exists to let the user unleash their creativity. In a press release, Halsey describes this collection as being for “the generation of e-girls and e-boys out there.” True to her artistic roots, each of the products can be thought of like a painter’s tools: the face being your canvas, sans foundation.
Some of the standout products include: The Light Lock Highlighter Fluid, inspired by the singer’s need for a concert-proof highlighter where her cheekbones would be seen from the nosebleed section. Three dots on the cheekbones are tapped in with the ring finger. The Shadowsticks, said to be “crayons for your eyes,” come in such colors as “Acidic” (a shocking lime green), “Baroque” (a pearly baby pink), and even “2002” (a gray tint with a whisper of blue). They’re meant to be used as shadow and can be paired with the watercolor-esque Cloud Eye Paints, which provide a liquid eye color with a glossy finish with just a swipe on the eyelids.
The Paint-It Matte Lip Colors are made with a basis in natural peppermint and provide long-lasting, wearable color that doesn’t fade or crack. Halsey herself said she struggles with dry lips and is all-too-familiar with clumps of lipstick falling off, so she set off to create a formula that would stay on through a 20-song set and moisturize her lips.
Halsey has been involved in every point of the process, from the chemical formulas of the products, which are all paraben-free, gluten-free, synthetic fragrance-free, vegan, and cruelty free, to designing the packaging, which is biodegradable and recyclable. She even was the makeup artist for the promotional shoots, which are featured on the website and in a zine-style catalog that was mailed to 10,000 lucky fans who were signed up for her mailing list.
You can shop the entire About-Face collection online now.