Welcome to The Glowdown, the exclusive interview series where we dive deep into the beauty routines, signature habits, and non-negotiable products of our favorite celebrities. Sitting down in our beauty hot seat for a no-holds-barred conversation, 30-year-old singer and actress Dove Cameron opens up about her daily essentials, the secrets behind her striking red-carpet looks, and the unexpected philosophy that guides her personal style.
Currently serving as the global ambassador for Diesel’s new fragrance, Only Desire, Cameron reflects on how the partnership came to be one of those rare, organic alignments in her career. "I got really lucky because I’ve always loved Diesel as a brand," Cameron shares during our discussion. "I think they’re really cool and chic. They sent me the fragrance before I signed on, and I got lucky that I loved the scent and wanted to wear it."
Known for her boundary-pushing style and artistic evolution, Cameron pulls back the curtain on everything from her makeup bag staples and budget-friendly drugstore favorites to the beauty advice she holds closest to her heart—and why she looks to icons like Anya Taylor-Joy for hair inspiration.
The Fragrance That Anchors Her Memories
For Cameron, beauty is deeply emotional and sensory, which makes fragrance her ultimate mood booster. Rather than treating perfume as a mere finishing touch, she views scents as narrative tools that tie directly to specific chapters of her life.
"Perfume is so tied to emotion; there are so many memories," she explains. "I like to use scents for certain periods of time, or certain roles or music projects, so it feels closely related to that time and I can always go back there."
Her current signature scent, Diesel Only Desire, has naturally taken over as her everyday fragrance. Describing the aroma, she notes that it receives compliments constantly because of its complex yet comforting profile. It features a sweet, warm, and woody base layered with a distinct spice, balanced out by a lightness and airiness that creates a well-rounded, full fragrance.
Skincare Essentials and the Thickest Creams
When asked about the one product she could not live without for the rest of her life, Cameron bypasses trendy serums in favor of hardcore hydration. Her philosophy on skincare is uncompromisingly practical: she wants the thickest cream possible, regardless of public consensus on texture.
"I find that the thing that is most necessary to me is one of those creams where everybody is like, ‘The consistency is horrible!’" she laughs. "It needs to feel like cream cheese. I know that if everyone in the reviews says it’s too thick, it’s going to be perfect."
Holding firm to her love for Weleda Skin Food, Cameron admits she frequently tries to find alternatives, only to return to the ultra-rich formula because it hits the exact level of thickness her skin demands.
Her pragmatic approach extends to how she handles everyday skin flare-ups. Confronted with a sudden blemish, Cameron falls firmly into a hybrid category rather than following a strict regimen of expensive spa treatments. "Team pop it! Well, I don’t know; it’s 50/50," she admits, describing the careful calculation required before tampering with a spot. "As you go, you have to be like… is this going to be a disaster, or is this necessary? It’s a case-by-case basis."
Rather than relying on frequent professional facials—treatments she admits she does not heavily believe in—she prefers to manage things herself, backed up by her ultimate secret weapon: "I am a big [spot] patch girl. I live in a patch if I have a spot."
Beauty Philosophy Inspired by Identity
Unlike many performers who collect professional tips from makeup artists over years on set, Cameron confesses she has never actively sought out traditional beauty advice. To her, aesthetic choices are profoundly personal and should never be dictated by fleeting social media trends.
Instead, her perspective was shaped early in life by her mother. Recalling a childhood memory, Cameron shares how her mother—a natural brunette who has exclusively worn bright, fire-engine red hair for as long as she can remember—answered a simple question about her distinct look. When young Cameron asked why she always dyed her hair red, her mother replied, "Well, because inside I just feel like a redhead, so why would I not? It’s part of my identity."
That early lesson instilled in Cameron a philosophy centered on self-expression rather than conformity. "Go after what inspires you; dress as the character you feel you are on the inside," Cameron advises. "Don’t lean into trends, don’t try to make yourself into what everybody else is doing because it’s never going to feel as magical as becoming the character you feel you are."
Everyday Makeup Versus Red-Carpet Glamour
When it comes to executing her own makeup, Cameron divides her strategy cleanly between her professional obligations and her personal life. Working in front of high-definition cameras requires a specific structural approach, whereas her downtime calls for speed and simplicity.
"I think when I’m working, a strong eye is usually my preference because the camera picks up so many things; a strong eye really grounds my facial features," she notes.
However, her day-to-day routine is practically the opposite. Shunning the time-consuming precision of eye shadow—which she admits she struggles to apply to herself—she opts for a bold, effortless alternative. "In my day-to-day life, probably a strong lip because I don’t love to do eye makeup daily. If you throw on nothing but a red lip, it’s really the full look sometimes, and that’s much easier for me."
Her nail preferences follow a similarly straightforward, low-maintenance rule. While she occasionally experiments with red—a nod to the popularity of red manicures in Italy, inspired by her fiancé, and reminiscent of her mother’s red toenails—her default choice remains steadfast. "My go-to colour is black. I just don’t like other nail colours!" she states.
Her appreciation for distinct aesthetics also influences whose makeup bag she would most like to raid. Naming Jenna Ortega, Cameron points to their shared affinity for specific visual references. "We have a very similar makeup aesthetic," she says. While she hasn’t embraced bleached brows since 2022, she counts them among her favorite experimental looks, alongside the cool-toned, muted, soft smokey browns and neutrals pulled straight from 1990s runway references.
On-the-Go Practicality and Drugstore Favorites
Though she travels constantly for work—balancing cars, flights, meetings, and jam-packed schedules—Cameron ensures she is always prepared for unexpected shifts in her day. Rather than lugging an oversized kit, she keeps a compact collection of daily essentials tucked securely into her handbag.
"Sometimes I’m doing so many things in the day that in the morning it doesn’t make sense to have any makeup on, but then I might need to go to a chemistry test or might have to have a meeting," she explains. Consequently, her bag is always stocked with a reliable lip stain, a precise lip liner, mascara, an eyelash curler, and a dependable concealer.
Her pragmatic outlook also defines her stance on complexion finishes. Depending on the venue, her preference flips entirely. "It changes. For work, team matte because I hate the upkeep of keeping a dewy look. But day-to-day, I don’t usually wear powder. In my life, dewy; for work, matte. I’m practical!"
When exploring affordable drugstore aisles, Cameron believes high-end brands face steep competition, particularly in one specific category. "I do feel like drugstore mascaras are pretty superior. I don’t really have a favourite brand; I feel like they are all pretty solid." Beyond mascaras, she singles out one universally recognized tube as her ultimate multi-purpose hero: "Aquaphor. It solves everything."
Maintaining her beauty tools is equally straightforward. When asked about how frequently she cleans her makeup brushes, Cameron offers an honest confession: once every two weeks. However, her infrequent cleaning schedule is largely due to her application habits. "I mostly because I don’t really use makeup brushes. I tend to use my hands or a Beauty Blender sometimes, but I just change them out because I get paranoid that I’m not cleaning them well enough."
Hair Care Wonders and Off-Duty Resets
While Cameron is celebrated for her own ever-evolving hairstyles, she harbors a lingering fascination with how certain peers maintain high-maintenance looks. Asked whose hair she would most like to steal, she points directly to Anya Taylor-Joy.
"I don’t understand how she keeps that platinum [hair] so healthy!" Cameron marvels. "Every time I see her, I keep forgetting to ask, ‘What are you using?’ I swear the whole world wants me to go platinum again, and I’m like, I don’t know what to tell you; it’s so hard not to have all your hair fall off."
Outside of the demands of the entertainment industry, Cameron focuses on grounding routines to reset her mind and body. Physical exertion sits at the core of her wellness habits, serving as a direct catalyst for mental clarity.
"The gym is really important to me right now," she shares. "I find that if I expend physical energy throughout the day, I sleep better; when I sleep better, my brain produces all the chemicals I need for the next day." Alongside physical training, she is actively working to reintegrate journaling into her daily life—and, when all else fails, turning to a great film capable of completely shifting her perspective.