Long before the sold-out shows and international pop stardom, Demi Lovato fantasized about walking down red carpets with her childhood best friend Selena Gomez. The former Disney Channel stars even planned (and practiced) the pose they would strike: arms linked together at the elbows. When that moment finally came at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards, however, it didn’t quite live up to the fantasy. “We started laughing because we thought we would look so much cooler than we actually did,” Lovato tells ELLE over Zoom. “It was so much better planned in our heads.” Nearly 15 years later, Lovato is teaming up with Gomez’s Rare Beauty for a blush duo almost as iconic as the two of them.
Launching today, October 28, the Delena Soft Pinch Blush Bundle features two shades of the brand’s bestselling liquid blush: Virtue (Lovato’s favorite) and Hope (Gomez’s favorite). Just like the stars themselves, the beige-peach and nude-mauve shades work together beautifully. For Lovato, the project is less a carefully orchestrated reunion than a natural next chapter in a friendship that has spanned nearly their entire lives. After Gomez came to support Lovato at her It’s Not That Deep Tour stop in Orlando in April, the pair reconnected backstage and the collaboration followed naturally. And, in perhaps the ultimate full-circle moment, the friends recreated poses from their 2009 movie Princess Protection Program to bring their Rare Beauty campaign to life.
In an exclusive conversation with ELLE, Lovato reflects on growing up alongside Gomez, revisiting their gloriously cringe-worthy YouTube vlogs, and the beauty lessons she’s learned along the way. She also touches on her journey with mental health and sobriety, her recent dance-pop era, and why she’s perfectly happy not knowing exactly what the next chapter of her music career will look like.
What kind of makeup look makes you feel the most confident?
When I’m doing my own makeup, I’m very much “less is more.” When I’m getting it done by a professional makeup artist, I tend to let them play with whatever they’re inspired by, whether it’s a smoky eye or something a little more glamorous.
Are there any beauty tricks or products from your Disney days that you still swear by?
You know what? If I used any tips and tricks from my Disney days, I wouldn’t have eyebrows. We’d be in a lot of trouble because I did not know what I was doing back then. We were also putting concealer on our lips! It’s a good thing I don’t have any tricks from my Disney days. I didn’t learn any tips, but I learned what not to do.
You and Selena have been friends since you were kids. What has it been like to reconnect as adults?
We’ve been friends since we were 7 years old when we met on Barney. There have been different chapters throughout our lives, and naturally, friends are in each other’s lives heavily at times, and then sometimes you’re not in constant communication. But Selena is someone that I’ve always loved and adored. It’s really great to be in a place today where we can collaborate on things, but also just hang out and spend time together.
What has it been like taking this trip down memory lane?
I went on YouTube recently and looked at our vlogs together. I think that was something that really captured our innocence at the time and our drive to have a presence in front of people while still staying true to ourselves. It was really cute going down memory lane, and I showed my husband. I couldn’t stick around for the whole video because I felt so cringe. But they were iconic. I was like, “Okay, you can watch 10 seconds of this.” I don’t know what I’m doing [in them], but it was really funny and really cute.
You’ve both been very open about your struggles with mental health from a very young age. What made you want to be so candid about your own experiences?
There’s so much stigma and taboo in talking about mental health and mental illnesses. I wanted to be open about what I was dealing with at a young age because I didn’t have anybody my age that I could look up to in the public eye. People would usually come out and talk about it after their careers had peaked. I didn’t have anyone as a role model at a young age to be like, “I’m struggling, and it’s okay, and I’ll be okay.” I wanted to be that for other people. I decided to be open with my journey and talk about a plethora of things that I’ve dealt with, whether it be addiction, eating disorders, or bipolar disorder.
I really commend Selena for being open about her journey as well. With everything that she’s dealt with, she’s such an advocate for mental health, and I think that’s so incredible. I’m in a great place, and I feel good. I’m sober, and all the good things.
You recently explored a more dance-pop sound with your last album. How did you use social media to stay connected with your audience as your style evolved?
I wanted to get back out there, and I wanted to promote the album as best as possible. I also hadn’t really dived into TikTok. I started making TikToks, and I was like, “Wait, this is actually really fun.”
So what does the next era of your career look like?
I don’t know what the next era of my career looks like because I don’t even have music to base anything off of. But I think I’ve got more in me, and I want to continue to put out music and strive for success. But ultimately, I just want to make music that my fans love and that they’re going to sing back to me at my shows.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.