Laufey on Brows, Her Lucky Number, and Missing Home

Reported by Vogue.

Laufey has two Grammys and, as of recently, a very hard-earned opinion on tweezing. The Icelandic-Chinese singer made her Vogue Beauty Secrets debut this week, walking through a routine that is equal parts unfussy and considered — and refreshingly honest about the learning curve. "That shit is so painful," she said of her first encounter with tweezers. "No one tells you."

Once she survived the brow situation, Laufey landed on a philosophy that suits her: natural, brushed-up, and filled in strategically. According to Vogue, she reaches for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Mechanical Pencil to mimic hairlike strokes where her brows go sparse, then seals everything with Ilia's In Frame Brow Gel. It's the kind of low-effort, high-intention approach that actually looks like you — just more intentional.

Home, by Way of a Makeup Bag

The emotional core of her routine isn't a product — it's a Fischersund No. 23 candle she burns while getting ready. Laufey self-describes as an Icelandic candle hoarder, and 23 is her lucky number, which makes this one a talisman as much as a mood-setter. Her eye look comes courtesy of a Shu Uemura palette she "accidentally" stole from her mom in Reykjavík and cannot bring herself to return. "I miss home every single day," she said, "but it smells a little bit like home right now, so it's okay." Neutral shadow, borrowed from your mother, scented like another continent — that's a whole story in three products.

For the finish, she presses Chanel's Lip and Cheek Balm on with her fingers — no tools, no fuss — calling out the flush it delivers as the kind of color that looks like it came from within rather than a compact. But it's the Icelandic phrase for doing your makeup that stuck: to paint myself. "It's like a canvas, and you can have fun with it and paint," Laufey said. For someone whose artistry is about restraint and feeling simultaneously, it tracks completely.

The best beauty routines aren't about the products — they're about the person holding them, and Laufey's is a masterclass in knowing exactly who you are.

Read the original at Vogue.