Since breaking onto the scene with her debut album six years ago, the electropop diva Santigold—known offstage as Santi White—has continued to blend genres according to her eclectic, game-for-anything style: She worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’s Karen O, designer Alexander Wang, and artist Kehinde Wiley, among others, for her sophomore album, Master of My Make-Believe (2012) and tested her acting chops on television’s The Office and Adult Swim.
Next up, Santigold is set to launch her first-ever makeup collaboration, an eleven-piece limited-edition collection with Smashbox Cosmetics (on sale April 1) that’s as rich in color as it is in storytelling. She started developing the line in 2012—when the world’s end was supposedly foretold—and envisioned a post-apocalyptic rebirth as a theme. “We came up with this idea of the Santigolden Age,” says the singer, who translated ancient symbols into seeing-eye nail designs, a gilded pyramid ring that conceals a pot of lipstick, and two eye-shadow compacts featuring her own serpentine artwork on the covers. “I literally handmade a collage, and they let me!”
The makeup collaboration isn’t the only thing Santigold is looking forward to this spring: Her first child, a boy, is due in late March; an EP will follow later this year. We sat down with the musician to talk about her onstage makeup essentials, her pregnancy fitness routine, and the high-impact, low-maintenance appeal of glitter nails.
Was a makeup collaboration on your wishlist before Smashbox came calling?
It’s interesting because [when] they approached me, I had been sort of griping about certain things in the makeup I wanted. Like eyeliners that don’t come off in a second! Because I sweat—I work it out up there! I like makeup that pops, that doesn’t look like one thing in the stick and then you put it on and it’s the mild version. As a brown-skinned person, there is so much makeup that does not work for me. This collection looks good on all different skin colors, and that was something that was important in designing it. I love playing with color, making art and packaging, so it was right up my alley.
What’s your go-to look onstage?
I usually wear colored eyeliner. I was using wet [liner] because it looks really vibrant, but these pencils that I made—you put it on and it looks like a wet eye and it actually stays.
I take it you don’t typically work with a makeup artist for shows. Are you an experimenter?
I am! I come up with my costumes, I do my choreography with my dancers, and makeup looks—everything. That’s fun, to me. I don’t really think of myself as just a musician; that’s just one avenue for creativity. I was going to be an art major [in college], but that’s where I started getting into the music business. But then, through music, I found so many other ways to incorporate my art—from costume design, to directing videos, to doing the makeup, to choosing fabrics.
What inspired the wide range of colors in the collection?
The gold and the blue: It’s old Egyptian eyes, Elizabeth Taylor’s Egyptian eyes. I challenged the definition of wearability. I tried to make the eye shadows really wearable across the board, and then do something bold and fun with the eyeliners. They told me, “You can only have two eyeliners.” And I was like, “Well, they better be double-ended!” Because you can’t really tell a story with two.
How has pregnancy shaped your beauty and fitness routine?
I’ve always been a pretty natural person. I use Eminence Organic because it’s really yummy smelling, and I’ve been using shea butter and organic coconut [oil]. I haven’t had that much of a hard time, body-wise. I was really sick during the first trimester, but then in my second trimester I was going to a trainer twice a week, yoga once a week. I’ve started going to Qigong again, which is wonderful. And I eat really well. I was a half hour late today because I was like, “We have to make a fresh juice and an açai bowl before we leave!” [laughs]
I see you’re wearing your glittery nail stickers. Are you a nail-art junkie?
I love nail art, but it’s just so high-maintenance. To be honest, I don’t get a manicure very often, but if I ever have something to do I’ll always have at least something on my nails. Glitter is so quick and easy, and I like the way the light plays on it. It’s more like a crafts project.
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