Lil Nas X on the new era of ‘modern masculine’ beauty

Lil Nas X says his obsession with skincare and make-up started the moment he got his hands on facial oil as a child. “When I was a kid, I used to put oil all over my face to make it shiny,” he tells Dazed. “I was trying to recreate the Hollywood glow.”

Since then, the rapper has become a beauty icon in his own right, both through his willingness to commit to a look – from a curly mullet with dangling butterfly earrings at the MTV Awards to a sparkly silver thong at the 2023 Met Gala – and his continued trailblazing partnership with YSL Beauty. Two years ago, he became the first male rapper in history to front a make-up campaign for the brand, and now the partnership continues with YSL Beauty’s new digital series for Myslf Le Parfum, a spicy vanilla bourbon woody-floral fragrance for men.

Also starring Shaboozey, Peso Pluma, Vinnie Hacker, and The Kid LAROI, with the campaign, YSL Beauty is looking to enter a new era of “modern masculinity”. With male grooming products up 77 per cent year on year and the same market expected to be worth $115 billion by 2028, it’s clear there’s a shift underway regarding men’s beauty – two-in-one shampoo and body washes are no longer cutting it. That’s the case with Lil Nas X, although he still likes to keep things on the simpler side. “I just wash and moisturise, and sometimes throw in under eye patches and face masks when I’m getting ready for special events,” he says. The rapper says he also doesn’t leave the house without YSL Beauty’s Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick in shade 2. “I want to keep my lips hydrated at all times,” he adds.

YSL Beauty’s “Born MYSLF, No Matter What” digital project celebrates individuality and authenticity through a series of social media capsules of photo and video content shot and directed by fashion photographer Zoey Grossman. Following in the footsteps of YSL Beauty’s MYSLF Eau de Parfum release last year, an “unconventional and exhilarating” scent with “a long-lasting trail of modernity”, in the new campaign, each of the five new voices, from music to Hollywood, celebrate and express what modern masculinity means to them.

Lil Nas X says embracing modern masculinity means letting his “inner child shine”. “Something that makes me feel bold is when I go against tradition,” he says in a campaign video. Shaboozey adds that true strength is “communicating what your heart tries to express” and “standing in your purpose. And, for The Kid LAROI, masculinity today comes down to self-acceptance. “I am enough,” he says. “I don’t have to spend my life trying to please everybody else”.

Lil Nas X has spoken before about realising he was hot “at the very beginning” of his fame and now he tells Dazed that his self-confidence has grown a lot. “I think growing up, I was just self-conscious about certain things,” he says. “Now, with my dedication to self-care, I feel more confident in myself.” This, he says, includes smelling “balanced” and wearing a perfume that “mixes lots of different notes”. Not so coincidentally, that’s almost exactly the description of MYSLF Le Parfum. “It’s got floral, it’s got woodsy, it’s got some spice,” he says.

The long-lasting scent is available now on YSL Beauty’s website and in speciality and department stores.