Demi Lovato loves a good no-makeup selfie [2] and seemingly can't take enough of them. Can you blame her? The singer has the most incredible, clear skin. While some of that can be attributed to lucky genetics, make no mistake: it takes a lot of work. Thankfully, we've got some insight on her skincare routine from none other than her longtime esthetician, Renée Rouleau [3].
Renée has been working with Demi since she was 17 years old. The two met when they were both based in Dallas. According to Renée, even as a teen, Demi was always committed to taking care of her skin. "She has said she would have loved to be an esthetician," Renée told POPSUGAR. "I just think it's unique that she's so committed to caring for her skin and making it a priority. All these years — even through the struggles of her personal life, which she has publicly spoken about [4], she was still seeing me. Putting in the work."
Ahead, read on for more tips we learned from Renée on how to get skin as naturally glowy as Demi's.
1. She embraces double cleansing.
Between touring, awards shows, and countless red carpet appearances, Demi hardly ever gets a break from heavy makeup. While that's unavoidable, what she does have control over is how well she takes care of her skin once the night is over. "The proper removal for makeup is a double cleanse," Renée said. "I'll have her using the Vitamin-Infused Cleansing Emulsion [6] (£27). A water-based cleanser is going to wash off really easily, but it's not going to grab makeup with it. You need something creamy to really dissolve that makeup off."
Demi typically applies the cleansing emulsion on dry skin, lets it dissolve makeup, rinses it off, then takes a baby washcloth (as recommended by Renée) to physically get all the gunk off.
Renée explained she's not a fan of cleansing oils because oil molecules are large and act almost like a sealant, which doesn't let other products that follow effectively penetrate the skin. After using the baby wash cloth, Demi goes back for the second cleanse using the AHA/BHA Blemish Control Cleanser [7] (£24). "That's her go-to, she's been using it for years," Renée said.
If Demi needs even more TLC, say, after having sweated with makeup under hot stage lights, she'll finish off with the Rapid Response Detox Masque [8] (£45) and wear it for five minutes "just to reset the skin and clear the pores."
2. She doesn't switch up her products too often.
We're all guilty of being fickle with our skin care routines the moment we hear about the next miracle serum or cream we absolutely "need" in our arsenal. Demi is not one to mess with what's already working for her.
"Demi is super loyal to using what I tell her to. She doesn't get swayed by what friends tell her," Renée explained. "She really understands that she needs to use products that are for her skin type and she's very committed to working with her esthetician and following the plan." So, next time you decide to ditch the face lotion recommended by a derm after it didn't work in five days, think again.
3. She's really strategic with her travel skin care.
You won't find the jet-setting pop star popping on a sheet mask mid-flight. She focuses her energy not on what she's doing during the flight, but rather before and after. "What's happening on the plane is dehydration. Moisture evaporation and dehydration, which is temporary and going to happen no matter what," Renée explained. "The key is to prevent it from happening. What I have Demi do is always use sunscreen — she uses my Daily Protection SPF 30 [11] (£29) — and then she has my Pro Remedy Oil [12] (£51)."
Demi applies the Pro Remedy Oil over her sunscreen and it acts almost like a "top coat" that guards all the moisture under the skin. It helps prevent water evaporation from the surface from happening. Application is also key. "Because she's prone to blockage, I'll have her lightly pat the oil on top — I don't want her rubbing it in because I don't want it getting in her skin," she elaborated. "It's just a couple of drops."
Post-flight, Demi will do the Triple Berry Smoothing Peel [13] (£64), which Renée claimed, "will dissolve any surface dead skin cells that occurred because of water evaporation from the skin." Then, she'll follow with another mask, the Rapid Response Detox Masque [14] (£44), to "reset the skin."
4. She makes regular facials a priority
Renée told us Demi sees her every six weeks on average. Even when Demi is on tour she keeps this up — Renée recalled how last year the singer was in Portland, Oregon last year and requested Renée to fly over.
"I gave her a facial in her hotel room. And that's what I'm saying is unique about her — who wants a facial on their birthday? I'm glad she's just into it. [Skin care] is a priority of her," Renée said. "I work with a lot of young Hollywood. You get these young girls and if they get something more important to do, they'll cancel. Demi is always like 'No, no. I'll be there.'"
5. Even her freckles have their own care routine.
Demi is blessed with natural freckles and loves to show them off. However, when she travels somewhere warm, that heat could wake up pigment cells, Renée said. "She doesn't want them getting too dark — what happens with age is [freckles] take on a life of their own and transition and mature into brown spots and get darker. Skin tone isn't as even," she added.
To help with hyperpigmentation, Renée has Demi use a Vitamin C & E Treatment [17] (£49). "It's a gentle way to suppress melanin activity. It helps fade pigment. The Triple Berry Smoothing Peel works for that as well — those products just help keep her freckles maintained," Renée said.