Cynthia Erivo, 38, isn’t just an acclaimed actress, singer, and author—she’s also a devoted skincare aficionado.
In a lively call from her hotel room to The Looker’s Joanna Coles and Sam Escobar, the Wicked: For Good star detailed her nightly post-Elphaba skincare regimen, the serums and creams she saves for special occasions, and her in-flight snack-and-mask combo.
The Looker previously reported on Erivo’s nutrition, health, and fitness habits and why they are so essential to her well-being. This is exponentially true right now, as the star travels nonstop to promote her latest depiction of Oz’s most wanted witch and her newly released book, Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Ever Been Told They’re Too Much.
Finding Her Look
Erivo told hosts Coles and Escobar that without a camera on her, she’ll walk around in heels—even if it’s just to go downstairs to their office. “I really do love fashion for me, so I dress up every day…even if it’s sweats, it’s like a particular kind of sweat, or I’ll have sweats with heels on. There’s always a particular kind of look I have in mind.”
When asked how they describe her style in three words, Erivo answered “adventurous, eclectic, and neo-glam.”
The actress also opened up to the Looker about her journey working with stylists, which wasn’t always smooth sailing. “When I first started, I worked with a stylist who didn’t really know me very well,” she recalled to Coles and Escobar. “[She] wasn’t really willing to listen to how I felt about myself and how I felt about style, so I felt like I was wearing things for her.”
Since then, Erivo was introduced to Jason Bolden in 2018, whom she describes as her style soulmate. “We together have worked to find things, and he’s the one [who] probably brought out my inner stylist,” she said. “So much so that now if someone doesn’t know who I am, the first assumption is that I’m a stylist.” (Erivo says she takes “great pride in” that last bit.)
As for makeup, Bolden works together with Joanna Simkin, Erivo’s makeup artist, to create a cohesive look. Some days, the trio will want to let “the outfit sing” and other days, “it’s the makeup that takes front and center…We all work together.”
When it comes to new makeup experimentation, the upcoming star of Dracula says she’s been trying red blush a lot recently. “Because of my skin tone, for some reason, the red works really well,” Erivo told The Looker. “Reds and burgundies work beautifully, so we’ve been working with that and bleeding it into the eye, so it contours the entire face.”
When asked to name which of her previous roles had the best style—Escobar is partial to Holly Gibney from the supernatural thriller series, The Outsider, for instance—Erivo played coy about future projects.
“There’s a couple that you haven’t seen yet,” Erivo said. “I think one of them is probably one…and she’s my favorite when it comes to style.”
Of the characters we have seen, Erivo mentions Aretha, from National Geographic’s 2021 series Genius: Aretha, as well as Elphaba. “I like how [Elphaba] puts things together.”
Nailing It
When asked to choose between nails and makeup, Erivo didn’t have to think twice: “Nails. I can do [nails] for hours.”
Erivo recalls experimenting with her nails for the first time when her godmother took her to a salon at age 15 or 16. “We sat and we did our nails…I love the idea that you could express yourself with different patterns,” Erivo said.
Her aesthetic preferences were ahead of their time, too. “Back then, people were doing—and it’s coming back now—airbrush [designs].”
“As time went on, I realized that we could just really play with it. And the length has gotten longer, and the styles have changed… the more avant-garde, the better. I love the intricate designs that you can do on this small canvas.”
Nighttime Rituals
On top of her tireless devotion to staying fit, the star of Wicked: For Good, told Coles and Escobar that she’s strict about taking her makeup off every night using Bioderma Micellar Water ($21, Ulta). “Then, I use an oil-based balm, then I wash my face with foaming wash. After that, I can either do a red-light mask for 10 minutes or go straight into a salicylic BHA serum-type thing. And then moisturizer.”
When The Looker editor Sam Escobar reported recently waffling over whether to continue using Bioderma’s micellar water, Erivo helpfully suggested “[sticking] with it, it’s good,” underlining the importance of the order-of-operations she follows above.
Erivo has also been using tretinoin recently. “I use it every other night, it’s very, very good. It works for me,” she said. “If I have any sensitivity, strangely enough, hydrocortisone works really well.”
When traveling on flights, Erivo says she “always [uses] a serum, and then a really rich face cream every four hours if I’m on a long flight.” Some people wash their face on a plane or use a wipe, whereas Erivo finds that “what stops me from breaking out or getting really dry skin is to actually keep nourishing the skin.” The actress uses a B5 serum, followed by a deeply hydrating, rich cream, Epionce Renewal Face Cream ($81, Dermstore).
Vital note: The radiant star reserves these two creams for in-flight use only, as she considers them too heavy for daily wear. But if you’re sick of disembarking with dull, dry skin, thoroughly weary from travel and recirculated air, you should try Erivo’s trick for a “really bouncy and healthy” post-flight complexion.
Talking Snack
As for other comforts when flying, Erivo brings fruits and Torres Olive Oil potato chips (ahem, crisps). She also totes her own travel-friendly snacks, such as granola, grapes, apples, and carrots, plus a thermos mug with her own tea bags, so all she needs to ask for on the flight is a cup of hot water.
While she sometimes sips a mug of Throat Coat (a licorice-flavored tea famous among singers), Erivo typically prefers a fruitier flavor, an orange-ginger and mint tea. For an extra wellness-boosting spike, she brings along her favorite ginger crystals.
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