Since I was a wee sixth grader, I have felt a kinship, an adoration, and what some might call an obsession with Demi Lovato. Listen: She is pretty much the reason I am here rn as the beauty editor at Cosmo, because she inspired me to start wearing eyeliner when I was just 11 years old because she wore eyeliner. For as long as I can remember, I’ve looked up to her, often replicating her style and vibes, from dyeing my hair black to wearing Converse with my dress (IYKYK). I still feel that way now a decade and a half later, as we sat down recently to chat about her philosophy on injectables and beauty treatments, her beauty plan for her upcoming wedding (!!), and her strict skincare routine.
Lemme start by letting y’all know that Demi is a goddamn delight and dropped some major life advice on dealing with negative comments online and not letting society’s beauty standards take away your joy. And she’s not afraid to keep it real, like sharing exactly why she started getting injectables, plus all the details on her new partnership with Xeomin, an injectable neurotoxin that smooths frown lines (similar to Botox, but cleaner). Keep reading for our full chat (minus me fangirling, ofc).
What made you decide to get Xeomin in the first place?
What’s great about Xeomin is that it’s a smart toxin, so you’re only getting the ingredients that you need when using this product. I’m not unfamiliar with injectables, and this is a way to have a product that I feel good about and that makes me feel like my best self. It feels like a natural step in my beauty evolution. I don’t want to see frown lines if I can avoid them, and with this, I can.
Plus, I love that I still feel expressive and look like myself. I can still act and perform confidently. And the process was quick for me. I had a good experience. I wasn’t scared or anything, and I love the results.
You’ve been in the public eye for such a long time. How has this shaped your idea of beauty standards
My beauty evolution has changed over the years. Obviously, getting older, you might use a bit more eye cream, and you might look towards injectables. For me, that’s been the case. I just started doing things that make me feel empowered and confident and like my best self.
“I just know that my happiness doesn’t stem from outside validation.”
How do you shut out the outside beauty standards that other people and society put on you?
Where I shut it out is through self-care. Self-care is really important to me. And it’s about taking care of myself. Doing whatever makes me feel the healthiest—whether it’s going on a walk or working out or taking a bath, getting a massage, whatever it is that I feel like is going to be the most beneficial to my self-love routine—is what I focus on. I used to be affected by the comments on social media when I was younger, and the way that I’ve tuned it out is realizing that my joy doesn’t come from comments on the internet. It actually comes from real deep and meaningful connections to the people that I love and care about. So I spend more time with them, and I care less about what people say on the internet. I just know that my happiness doesn’t stem from outside validation; it really stems from within.
People our age have been online forever—we’ve had social media since we were teenagers. It’s so easy for us to determine our worth through that.
I’ve been on the internet for so long. I just had to realize that the images of people on social media who have the perfect hair, the perfect makeup, the perfect whatever—I just have to look at them and be like, ‘Okay, that’s great for them.’ I have to ask myself like what’s great for me and that looks totally different. I’m not going to fit the mold of what other people expect from me. I’ve never been that way, and I took a lot of pressure off of myself after spending so much time in the public eye and getting those comments that were hateful, and I just decided to take the pressure off myself.
People have a lot of opinions about everything, but especially injectables and cosmetic treatments. Were you ever afraid of opening up about your experience?
It feels really empowering to me that I can make a choice for my beauty and stand strong in it and feel confident that no matter what other people think, I’m doing what feels best for me. Injectables have been taboo, but now they’re more mainstream. It’s no secret that people are doing them. What’s bad is when you hide it and you pretend like you’re not. So sharing my experience with Xeomin has been great. Using a product that feels healthy is really important to me, and I want to share that with others too.
“I’m not going to fit the mold of what other people expect from me.”
You are known for having such a body positive outlook—were you nervous talking about injectables might make people think that was going against that?
My whole message behind the Xeomin campaign is self-care and authenticity. This is me, this is what I’m doing, and I feel good about it. In my personal opinion, Xeomin is the healthier option. I think that body positivity and acceptance is different than using injectables. My relationship with my body is going to change over time. One day, I might feel great about it; one day, I might not. But I still take care of myself, and that’s what ‘beauty on your own terms’ is about is about: Feeling empowered in the choices that you’re making for yourself and taking care of yourself.
You have beautiful skin! What are your non-negotiables that you do every single day for your skin?
Every day I have a diligent skincare routine where I use cleanser and a toner, then a day cream and an eye cream. Then at night, I use the same cleanser, same toner, a serum, a night cream and an eye cream. Twice a week, I also use a peel, a scrub, and a mask. I’m very, very strict [with it].
Have you always been strict with your skincare or is that something that has evolved?
I have, because as my relationship with my body has changed over the years, one thing that I can control is my skincare. I’m consistent with it and have been able to find the products that work for my skin and stop on top of that.
(PSST: Demi’s go-to face peel is the Renee Rouleau Triple Berry Smoothing Peel, and it’s also one of my favorites for smoothing and brightening my skin! We’re basically the same person, what can I say?)
Is skincare a really big self-care thing for you every day?
I would say that it’s more so those two nights a week that I do my full facial regimen with peels and scrubs and masks. That’s when I really have time to sit and appreciate what it’s doing for my skin and stay present in the moment. But day to day, taking off my makeup at night is really important to me. You never want to sleep in your makeup. So those little moments are contributing to my self-care bank.
What about makeup? What does your makeup vibe usually look like these days?
What’s funny is that I feel great going out with nothing on my face. I’m fine with that, depending on where I’m going. But, for the most part, I kind of can’t live without my tinted moisturizer. For some reason, I feel very attached to that, and it also has SPF, so I’m getting sun protection too. Tinted moisturizer is where it’s at for me.
Has this changed over the years at all?
Yeah, my day-to-day differs now because I’m not wearing as much makeup. As a teenager, when you’re learning about makeup, you tend to put more on because you’re having more fun with it. There’s this insecurity because we live in a society that tells us we have to wear makeup if we’re woman- or femme-presenting people. When I got older, and maybe it’s because I moved out of the south, where everyone had big hair and makeup galore, and to LA, where the natural look was more embraced. I started embracing it more, and I actually loved my skin. I appreciate my skin more when I wear less makeup.
You are getting married very soon—congratulations! Can you give me the tea on what you’re using to get wedding ready?
Well, I’m definitely doing my Xeomin. And then I’ve just been sticking to my skincare routine. I’ll probably do a peel or facial with my esthetician Renee Rouleau. I use all of her products very diligently, and she’s the only skincare person that I use for products and for facials, so I trust her completely with my skin. We’ll probably do a peel right before to keep my skin in tip-top shape.
What about your hair? Are you growing it out?
I use K18, and that’s kept my hair really, really healthy. I also love Olaplex for the shampoo, but I am definitely trying to grow it out. I have a few extensions in the front right now, but I’m trying to get it as long as possible. I’ll probably use hairpieces day-of, but I’m trying to keep it healthy [until then]. I’m keeping my skin in tip-top shape, and I’m doing the same with my hair. A part of me wants to go red again—like an orangier red—but I might wait until after the wedding
You seem down to experiment. But are there any beauty trends you’ve seen online lately that you’d never try?
I saw a trend on social media where girls are putting blush underneath their foundation but covering their face with it. That whole thing where the blush peeks through your foundation on your whole face? You will never catch me doing that.
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.