'When I started touring was when I started to take care of my skin. Before then I just kind of took it for granted—I could wash my face with soap and water and I’d be fine. But on tour, I started having to wear makeup more often, and I would always fall asleep with my makeup on. I mean, I still do, but not all the time. I really make an effort not to. Now I wash my face with this sex toy…[Laughs]. No, it’s this thing from like Sweden, I guess, and it's called Foreo. It vibrates. Totally not a sex toy! It probably could be…but personally I haven’t done that yet.

First I use Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Purifying Foaming Cleanser, then I use Amorepacific Treatment Toner. I also take Spironolactone because I get hormonal cystic acne, which is the worst. It fucking hurts! I’ve always been a really anxious person and as a kid I would always have panic attacks. I still do. So whenever I was stressed out I’d start picking. I’ll start picking at things that don’t exist, and then they do exist, so I use SKII Cellumination Aurabright. It helps with marks.

My eyes have always had dark circles under them my whole life, not because I’m not healthy. I’ve never had trouble sleeping but I am anemic, so I think it may have something to do with that. I try to sleep as much as I can on tour. I get really bad jet lag and the first thing that happens is that my eyes swell. Someone gave me these Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Pure Retinol Express Smoothing Eye Masks on a shoot. They just make me feel better for some reason. I always do them on tour or if I’m playing a show or if I go to an event.

Even though I bleach my hair, it's always been pretty healthy. For the longest time, I went to [colorist] Aura Friedman, who is amazing, but I had to switch stylists and colorists for something and after that, my hair started breaking off. I had to chop it all off….it was traumatizing, really. When I was growing it out, and I was drawing marks on my arms for progress. Hair is just hair, at the end of the day, but I really did feel like myself again [when it grew back out.]

Amazon and I have become really good friends when it comes to finding stuff for my hair. Basically I put tons of shit in it and I don’t really know if it works. I can’t really wash my hair that often because it just dries it out. I wash it twice a week with Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo, but just on my roots. On the ends I use Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner. I swear on my life it helped my hair grow. Then I have this Bumble and bumble Mending Masque so it doesn't get frizzy. I bought Pureology Serious Colour Care Hydrate Conditioner out of desperation on tour, and I kind of just left it in my hair overnight and it worked really well for the texture. I hate when my hair is big. Then there's It’s A 10 Miracle Deep Conditioner Plus Keratin. It actually is amazing.

Aura told me about Olaplex Perfector No. 3 when we were bleaching my hair back and it didn’t break off at all! Not one bit! I put it in twice a week and leave it in overnight, and if I’m going to do my roots or something, Aura will just leave it in my hair for like a week. Someone gave me Phylia De M. Connect Treatment for Follicles, Scalp, and Hair, and it actually really helps, but it takes time. I also use Provitamin B5 by Making Cosmetics—they use it for burns. I learned about that from one of those weird forums. I’ll mix it in my conditioner…I make straight-up concoctions.

Then my makeup just sort of depends on what I’m wearing or what I want to do, or how lazy I am—that’s really the reality of it. I rediscovered eyeliner, because I finally learned how to do it properly. I use this Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon. It’s super greasy so it’s a lot of commitment for someone who rubs their eyes like me. But that’s why I like it, because it’s so greasy and kind of crazy. For liquid it’s funny, because I was on a shoot for like two weeks, and I was like, what’s this eyeliner? It’s amazing. It stayed all day and it didn’t run and it would dry fast. The makeup artist was like, [whispers] ‘It’s Kat Von D.’ I thought it was going to be some insane-ass expensive shit. And I’ve been using Kat Von D liquid eyeliner ever since!

Lipstick was always the thing for me, though. I’ve always loved MAC Russian Red because it’s not too pink or too orange. It’s the perfect one. I stole it from my mom. I also use Charlotte Tilbury lipstick and mix it with other things.

I try to keep my skin pretty minimal. For coverup I use this Clé de Peau stick thing, the concealer. It doesn’t mess up my skin, that’s why I like it. What else? Armani foundation and I like Chanel mascara. I like contouring because I have a heart-shaped face. I use Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit. I remember I did this interview with Debbie Harry once and I was like, 'Tell me everything—tell me your makeup tricks.' And she just gave it all to me. I knew she went to beauty school. She told me, ‘I’ve always done my makeup my whole life. My whole career.’ Like, every picture—it was like, her. She helped me with the contouring thing. Because we have a similar shaped face, you know, and I was like, how do you do it? She was just like, ‘Just go up!’

I feel like my stage makeup makes me feel a little more confident in some ways. I don’t consider myself two different people, I’m not like that. But, you know Sky Ferreira the singer is a lot more confident and tougher than Sky. And the makeup helps with that mindset.”

—as told to ITG

Sky Ferreira photographed by Nikko Lamere in Los Angeles on August 22, 2015. Interview by Yasi Salek.

Next, here's how singer BANKS takes care of her hair on tour. And check out how to master liquid eyeliner.