Breakout Star Chappell Roan Is Still A Midwest Princess Going Makeup Free
Singer Chappell Roan has staked her claim in the music industry. She worked toward a music career for many years, building a fanbase over time, and finally rocketing to superstardom in 2024. Roan even became famous enough to be invited to perform at a White House Pride performance for Joe Biden's administration, which she declined.
Roan, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, has a dramatic, glamorous look while performing. Her approach to on-stage beauty is heavily inspired by the makeup of drag queens and often involves pale foundation, bold eye makeup, and sparkly elements. On "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" in June 2024, Roan described what she draws on for her bold looks. "Well, my stylist Genesis Webb and I just, we pull from drag, we pull from horror movies, we pull from burlesque, we pull from theater," she explained. "I love looking pretty and scary and ... pretty and tacky, or pretty — or just not pretty. I love that too."
Roan is stunning in makeup, and she's just as stunning without it. She occasionally shares social media posts with a bare face, such as in a beautiful birthday selfie shared in a February 2024 Instagram carousel. In the caption, Roan wrote, "my 26th year as a Midwest Princess," referencing her album "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess." She also went without makeup in a TikTok shared in June 2024 discussing how kind other singers have been as her career has taken off.
Roan has shared her favorite skincare products
Chappell Roan shared another seemingly makeup-free snapshot on Instagram in September 2023, when she wore a "Midwest Princess" hat and held up a "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" deluxe vinyl in front of a wall of multiple advertisements featuring the album art. The month prior in August, Roan posted a makeup-free selfie and shared her excitement at how most of her upcoming tour was sold out.
@chappellroan Makeup techinique is devolving 😀
In one TikTok from July 2023, Roan did a makeup tutorial while telling her followers a bit more about herself. Roan applied purple and teal eye makeup, which helped to make her eyes pop. She's also been open about her passion for skincare. In a May 2023 interview with Glamour, Roan was asked about touring life and what she travels with. "I love skin care," she said. "I use Weleda Skin Food, the original one, every day. I know it's a really heavy moisturizer. But I love it. And then I have this Korean honey mask that I use, I think the brand is called I'm From, and it's called Honey Mask." At the time of that interview, Roan said she was primarily doing her own hair and makeup for her concerts.
Roan doesn't always do makeup herself. The "California" singer worked with makeup artist Donni Davy for Coachella 2024. In Davy's behind-the-scenes TikTok from Coachella's second weekend, she showed the sparkly pink makeup look Roan rocked at the music festival.
Roan explained the meaning behind her makeup choices
Makeup is a big part of the shift from stage performer Chappell Roan to Kayleigh Rose Amstutz. Roan told AP News, "So, it's easier to separate the two because I'm already so involved in my project, in my work, and I feel like the drag of it all kind of lets you have a break when I take my makeup off, when I am off the stage, etc."
To channel your inner Midwest Princess, you can learn how to pull off bold eyeshadow like Roan. However, there's more to her looks than meets the eye. In a Paper Magazine interview conducted by drag queen Trixie Mattel, the "Red Wine Supernova" singer discussed the significance of her stage makeup, which harkens back to growing up in a conservative Christian community where LGBTQ+ people were not accepted. "I love a pure white face," Roan said. "I started to do that, because that's what the country boys called gay people in my hometown. Clowns." There was defiance behind her choice, with Roan adding, "I was just like, 'B****, I'll show you a clown, if you want to see a clown!'"
Roan's makeup also allows her to get in touch with her femininity in a way she didn't want to before. She told Mattel, "So now my whole persona is just me trying to honor that version of myself that I was never allowed to be."