Fresh off the heels of an impromptu girls trip to Paris and on hiatus from her Patterns tour until fall, country music star Kelsea Ballerini is making a pit stop in New York City for a moment of calm. "I'm not used to having time off. It's like, what do I do?" she ponders. Currently, she's lounging on a velvet sofa in a Manhattan hotel suite in NoMad, dressed in a tiered cream silk chiffon mini-dress and suede knee-high Isabel Marant boots. "They're so comfortable," she says, before pouring herself a hot black coffee, unfazed by the 90-degree heat outside.
Ballerini is here to promote her new Country Fried Hair campaign with Pantene—a nod to her Nashville roots and the toll touring and television appearances can take on her hair. The weather outside is scorching, but this isn't Ballerini's first rodeo with extreme heat and high humidity. "I'm a Southern girl from Tennessee," she says with a smile, referencing her hometown where high temps are nothing new.
If she sounds chill, it's probably because Ballerini is prioritizing herself this summer. "The last couple of years, I've really been trying to figure out a way to do everything I love to do, but also find a way to counteract it to keep myself healthy inside and out," she says. Right now, that means extending this work trip in NYC to dine at the West Village staple, Dante, attending a matinee screening of "Death Becomes Her" on Broadway, and carving out time for a morning facial. Her NYC break, however, is short-lived: soon, soon, she'll fly to Charleston, South Carolina, with her boyfriend, actor Chase Stokes. (No, she doesn't watch "Southern Charm"—I asked.)
Ahead, Ballerini shares her current beauty routine, off-duty outfits and the vintage Chanel piece she couldn't leave Paris without.
Mary Blanket Peffer
You were just in Paris with your girlfriends. How was it?
Kelsea Ballerini: "I've been to Paris before, but never with girlfriends. It hits different. You can take 2.5 hours to get ready, listening to early 2000s playlists. It's just heaven."
Did you have time to do any shopping?
KB: "My friend Katie found this tiny little shop where the owner collects vintage Hermès and Chanel pieces. I found this vintage Chanel maroon pendant. It has these little country sheriff stars on the chain and a cool country-looking pistol. It's chic, but it's still country. It's fantastic."
And nobody else will have it.
KB: "Exactly."
You're always on a plane. Do you have a go-to outfit for long flights?
KB: "I'm a Lulu girl. I love Lululemon. They have the perfect boyfriend style matching sets with great hoodies."
Mary Blanket Peffer
How do you keep your skin in check on tour and at home?
KB: "The thing that's helped me the most with my skin is red light [therapy]. I have travel tools with a red light. And I have the big, industrial-looking masks at home that I wear every single day. I've become religious about it."
You're a self-proclaimed "girly-girl". But does the hair and makeup of it all ever get old?
KB: "When you are on tour or set [filming "The Voice"] every day, it's kind of part of it. So it becomes about the time afterwards to try to get it all back on track."
What's your go-to hair product to keep your hair healthy between shows?
KB: "Pantene Miracle Rescue Regenerative Hair Oil. I've used their products for years. And I used the oil on tour to protect and condition my hair under my wig."
Tell me more..
KB: "I soak my hair in the oil, braid it back, do my wig, perform, sleep in it and then wash my hair the next day. That's my pre-shower [product]. Or when we're doing a slick back day because it's raining. [Most days], I'll do the 10-in-1 [Miracle Rescue Leave-In]. I'm living in Charleston this summer, and the humidity is like nothing I've ever known in my life. I'm honestly still trying to find my perfect routine."
When you walk off stage, do you immediately want to put on something comfortable?
KB: "It's so funny, in my early twenties at home in Nashville, I wouldn't leave to go to the grocery store without my fake eyelashes on and my highest heels."
And now?
KB: "I always have comfy clothes, flat shoes, and makeup wipes with me in a bag. As soon as I'm able to get back to baseline, I do.”
