Selena Gomez Says It's 'Rewarding' to Create Rare Beauty for Those Who 'Don't Want to Get Work Done'

As a former child star, Selena Gomez has a complicated relationship with beauty products, having spent hours on end in a makeup chair since the age of 7. So when the singer and actress, 29, decided to launch Rare Beauty in September 2020, she knew she wanted to create products that help people enhance their natural features — not alter them.

While showcasing her Rare Beauty Spring 2022 collection during a press preview last month (the first drop, a liquid blush, is available today), Gomez opened up to reporters about how her beauty philosophy has evolved over the years and how past insecurities inspired her to launch a brand that breaks down "unrealistic standards of perfection."

"I've been in makeup since I was 7 years old, and I feel like that kind of messed with me," the Disney Channel alum admitted. "I had professionals doing my makeup and suddenly I looked 25 when I was 16 and it was crazy. And then I felt like I looked too young all the time...It just made me question my own beauty for what it was."

When the Only Murders in the Building star had the opportunity to launch Rare Beauty, she wanted to cater to people who think looks promoted in most beauty campaigns are "unachievable."

"I've been a victim to wanting to change my face, and I think the most rewarding part of creating this line is that we create a place for people who don't necessarily want to get work done," she shared. "They just want to embrace what they are and what they have, and that was always very important."

"It's kind of mind, body and soul," she said of the beauty brand, which introduced an education and advocacy campaign focused on bringing more mental health services and financial support to schools in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month back in May. "That's why I wanted the brand to be there for girls and guys and whoever to feel like it's OK to not look like everybody else."

During the press preview, Gomez also shared that, these days, it's important for her to use makeup the way she wants to when she's not getting glam on set. Her everyday routine usually involves experimenting with illuminators, sculpting her cheekbones with the new Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stickand applying products with her hands for a natural, "second skin" look.

Gomez, who's been candid about her own mental health struggles over the years, said on days when she's not feeling her best, putting on makeup plays a similar role in her routine as going to the gym: "Sometimes you don't want to work out, but at the end, it feels so good. It's so worth it."

The Spring collection features a Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in shades Hope, Encourage, Believe and a Soft Pinch Blush Brush (available now in Sephora stores and online). Three more items in the Spring line will drop on Christmas Day online and Dec. 26 in Sephora stores, including Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick, Always an Optimist Soft Radiance Setting Powder and Always an Optimist Powder Brush.