Rita Ora Dishes On Her Beauty Favorites

Red lips and blonde hair are nonnegotiable for the British singer. Here's how a modern-day bombshell keeps up her look.

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(Image credit: STILL LIFES: JEFFREY WESTBROOK/STUDIO D. PHOTOGRAPHS & BACKGROUND: GETTY IMAGES)

rita ora

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Calling Rita Ora's hair and makeup low-maintenance would be like calling Fifty Shades of Grey chaste. The singer—who plays Mia Grey in next year's movie version of the book—is fully committed to her beauty routine. "I honestly can't go out without red lipstick. I always, always put it on," says Ora, a Rimmel London spokesperson. Here, the unnatural blonde shares more secrets to her enviable Jean-Harlow-by-way-of-Brixton look.

1. Rimmel London 60 Seconds Nail Polish in Breakfast in Bed, $2; superdrug.com

"Mint green is one of my favorite nail polish shades."

2. DKNY MYNY Eau de Parfum, $88; sephora.com

"This is playful and sexy. I like to spritz it in my hair because the fragrance holds well there."

3. Cowshed Chamomile Refreshing Toner, $25; shop.com

"Toning with this is so liberating. It just makes you feel cleaner, you know? Looking at the cotton pad to see how much dirt you got on there, you're like, 'Oh, my God!'"

4. Redken Extreme Strength Builder, $17; walgreens.com

"When I first dyed my hair blonde, it went orange and green; that whole phase was just hell because I've got really dark hair. I've tried every trick in the book to keep it healthy, even mayonnaise and olive oil, which didn't work. This deep conditioner helps, though."

5. Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, $35; sephora.com

"I can't live without face wash. I usually use this scrub because I've got sensitive skin and it's not too harsh."

"I based the music on my next album on the fact that I wanted something to work out to. SoulCycle is my new thing, and the single 'I Will Never Let You Down' is perfect for when you're on the bike and you're building up to the hook and then there's the hill … I hate the hill."

6. Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream, $62, kiehls.com and 7. La Mer Moisturizing Cream, $160, nordstrom.com

"I normally use La Mer to moisturize my face. I also love Kiehl's—everything in their line is great."

"If I don't have any highlighter, I dab a bit of moisturizer on my cheekbones or under my eyebrows for a nice shine."

8. Rimmel London Lasting Finish Colour Rush Intense Balm in The Redder, The Better, $5; amazon.com

"I used to steal my mum's red lipstick, which she kept in one of those little gold cases they had back in the '70s. Now I have my own red from Rimmel, which is a crayon."

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Jennifer G. Sullivan

Jennifer Goldstein is the former beauty & health director of Marie Claire and co-host of the award-winning beauty podcast Fat Mascara. In her quest to uncover the world's beauty secrets, she’s gotten tattooed in New Zealand, dug up turmeric in India, harvested shea nuts in Ghana, and squeezed enzyme-rich eggs from salmon in Norway. She can pluck eyebrows like a pro and has read the FDA monograph on sunscreen labeling and effectiveness—but she still can’t get liquid eyeliner to look the same on both eyes.