What to Pack for Governors Ball: Singer Charlotte OC on Her Festival Beauty Strategy

It’s the night before singer Charlotte O’Connor will hop on a plane from London to New York City to play her first American music festival, Governors Ball. She still needs to pack. In her luggage, along with the drapey black tops and dresses she favors on stage, where she performs under the moniker Charlotte OC, will be one expertly packed makeup bag. Following this weekend’s concert, she will be jetting off to gigs in Canada and the U.K. to promote her latest EP, Burning, before settling in Los Angeles to work on what she hopes will be a new album next year. “When I’m on the road, I have to make good with what I’ve got,” says O’Connor, who takes beauty as seriously as she does music. Before she ever laid a finger on a piano or started writing lyrics, she had dreams of becoming a hairstylist, garnering first-hand experience as a shampoo girl at her mother’s salon. And it shows. If O’Connor’s emotionally driven, distinctive voice has drawn comparisons to Florence Welch and Sia, her long black hair calls to mind Cher’s swinging seventies lengths. Here, she shares the makeup she’ll be bringing with her, the ultimate cure to a hangover, and how exactly she keeps her hair so shiny.

We hear you have beauty skills embedded in your DNA.
My mom is a hairdresser, so I don’t really like anyone touching my hair unless it’s her. When I was young, I was obsessed with my mom—I still think she’s the most incredible thing in the world. Before I wanted to do music, I wanted to be a hairdresser like her. I used to watch her [in the salon] and just mimic what she was doing, so now I’m quite good at doing my own hair.

Your bangs have become your signature.
I cut them three years ago—I had started a new project and had just gone through a breakup.

Are they difficult to manage on tour?
I have naturally curly hair, so my fringe just kind of sits in its place. It doesn’t really need anything. Alterna Caviar shampoo and conditioner are by far the best. They’re incredibly moisturizing. The water in London is harder than the water up north where I grew up, so this keeps moisture in my hair and makes it very shiny. I wear my hair straight when I perform. It gets me into character. It’s like when you get ready for a night out—I get to be whomever I choose that night.

What about makeup—what will get you into character for Governors Ball?
I like really natural skin, a little bit of contouring, nude lips, and more dramatic eyes—with big long lashes, a bit of detail with eyeliner to keep it interesting, and glitter. I bring MAC foundation and contour powder. Yves Saint Laurent concealer, and Givenchy mascara. I like MAC eye shadows in pink, gold, brown, and red—quite seventies colors. It just depends on what I’m wearing. Sometimes I like to put dark red lipstick on my eyes. A makeup artist did it to me once—just underneath the eye and on the lid—I would have never expected it to work. For eyeliner, anything black with a short brush so I can get a steady hold on the line. And the best lip product is Lucas Pawpaw ointment. It makes my lips feel really smooth and it looks good. It’s even nice on top of lipstick, or on your eyelids.

Who do you look to for beauty inspiration?
Penelope Tree and Jerry Hall—obviously. I love Cher. I was watching Mermaids the other day and I was like, “I’m turning into Cher!”

Tell me about your skincare routine.
My mom’s philosophy is: Look after your skin because you only get one. Everything I use is La Roche-Posay—the cleanser, the moisturizer, [basically] every single product that they have. My mom introduced me to it. I have quite sensitive skin so it’s the only thing that works.

Your mom is half Malawi and half Indian, and your dad is Irish. Did you pick up any beauty traditions from those backgrounds?
I know that I love to eat—that’s from my Malawi side—and that I love to drink—that’s from my Irish side!

Legend has it that you wrote the song “Hangover” during a studio session because you actually had one.
I did. I had let my hair down one night in L.A. and woke up the next morning and found out I had to go to the studio. [When I’m hungover,] I usually go to the gym, look at myself in the mirror, and shake my head. I like running or trying to walk on the treadmill. And I drink sparkling water—I believe that’s the cure. To look a little more awake, I put on Maybelline Baby Lips balm in Grape Vine. I’m addicted. If I walk outside without it I have to go back to my flat to get it.

You’re heading back to L.A. to record soon. What have you learned about beauty, splitting your time between L.A. and London?
I’m a lot healthier from being in L.A.—eating lots of nice things at [the restaurant] Laurel Hardware and even just Whole Foods. And beauty-wise, L.A.’s a little more glam than London—you can make an effort there. London is about looking good really casually. But I don’t give a shit—I do what I want.

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