This $11 Lipstick Is the Secret to Madelyn Cline's Lazy Girl Makeup (2024)

When I was in high school, I would spend hours in the makeup aisle of the drugstore. Most of my attention (and babysitting money) was spent on Revlon lipsticks, which I wore to every prom and dance recital. I'm not alone in this — actor Madelyn Cline is one of just thousands of women who had a similar experience.

The star of Netflix's teen drama Outer Banks and the Knives Out sequel Glass Onion has just been named as the newest face of Revlon alongside Megan Thee Stallion and Ashley Graham. "Revlon is one of those generational makeup brands; my grandmother wore Revlon; my mother still wears it," Cline tells Byrdie, adding that it was one of the first makeup brands she ever experimented with.

"Doing a makeup campaign is such a dream come true," she continues. "I remember playing in the mirror with new makeup, or makeup I found in my mom's drawer, namely the hot pink lipsticks and eyeshadow kits, pretending I had a campaign. So to actually be here is incredible."

In honor of her new role, Byrdie chatted with Cline about her makeup essentials, her morning routine, and more.

The One Product She Always Has In Her Bag

"I always have a lip of some sort, especially the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick ($11). It's my favorite because it's so moisturizing. My lips get dry easily, so I'm either a lip balm girl, or I have some sort of lipstick that is moisturizing.

"I like [the shade] Daylight Delight. It's just natural and clean; it's easy. You don't have to do much. And I love a good Revlon Red, but I pull that one out for special occasions. I'm still trying to find a good lip combo. I've been in my lipstick era, honestly. I have really dry lips, and liner tends to be a bit more drying. And I'm kind of lazy, so I just pull [the lipstick] out and dab it on."

The One Makeup Look That Makes Her Feel Like Herself

"I'm a tried and true kind of girl. I have my makeup look and my routine. I don't stray. Anytime I've ever tried any sort of tutorial or [other] makeup look, I end up doing the same thing I always do: dewy skin, a little bit of bronzer, a little bit of blush, fake freckles, and brushed-up eyebrows. Just clean. I fail horrendously doing any sort of special makeup. Anytime I really put effort into something. Anytime I go to do my makeup, and I'm like, 'Okay, I need to look good today,' I mess up. So I just stick with what I know."

Her One Secret For Fluffy Brows

"[My] brow evolution is so funny because when I was first doing makeup, everybody was obsessed with Cara Delevingne's eyebrows and Brooke Shields's bushy brows. Not all of us have that. So my evolution has gone from using actual black eyeshadow and putting that on my eyebrows to [now], barely drawing anything in and then brushing them up with a brow gel."

The One Red Carpet Look She Can Always Count On

"Anything that plays up my eyes. My eyes are my favorite part of my face, and I love to play with a bold eye—not too bold, but something that brings out the shape and lengthens. I love a smoked-out waterline cat eye and bronzy, dewy, glowy skin. Whether it's everyday life, an event, or a carpet, skin is the number one thing. We always take 20 minutes beforehand, and we do skin prep. Before I go to work, I always gua sha, and I have to make sure my skin is right, or else the rest of the day just doesn't feel right."

Her One Glowy Skin Essential

"Honestly, moisturizer and sunscreen [are my glowy skin favorites]. I know a lot of people don't like the feeling of being too oily, but personally, I love a thick moisturizer, and I love sunscreen because it naturally gives you that dew. And obviously, you're supposed to wear sunscreen, so I feel good about it."

The Best Beauty Advice She's Ever Gotten

"Skin first. Always. Good makeup always starts with a good skin prep routine, period."

The One Skin Step She Swears By

"[I love] a face massage, anything to de-puff and to remind your face muscles where they're supposed to be. There's so much that can affect our skin and the way our makeup wears in our environment, as well as hormones. So, sometimes a good lymphatic drainage face massage can honestly work wonders."

The One Way Her Beauty Routine Differs from Her OBX Character

"Well, I don't think Sarah ever takes showers. So I'm not sure how she's washing her face. We're kind of like the Goonies, you know? We're always on the run, so there's not really much time or thought [put] into any sort of skincare or beauty anything.

"I remember when we first started filming, we did a hair and makeup test. Our creator said to us, 'I want no makeup.' And, of course, Madison [Bailey] and I were like, 'No, no, not so fast.' The boys, sure, but we want at least some concealer. We want something. But the whole idea is to look as tanned and bronzy and dewy and glowy and natural as possible. So, in a way, it's similar [to my routine]. I tend [to gravitate] towards really natural, really dewy... on the show, we're dewy because we're sweating all the time. So it's the same but different if you will. The goal is always to look natural and glowy."

The One Thing She Does Every Morning

"I do my best. I am not as strict about it as I probably should be. But every morning, I always strive to get up and drink about 30 ounces of water. I always try to get a little bit of a workout in and get a little bit of a sweat. Then, I take a shower and really make sure my face is clean and prepped for the day. Especially now, since we're shooting, my job is to make sure my skin is prepped for wearing foundation and sweating, making sure that my skin is clean and is not going to be clogged with everything that they're putting on us. The foundation, sometimes it's fake dirt, sometimes it's glycerin for sweat. So [my job is] to make sure that my skin is prepped and clean. And also my body and my mind are right."

How She Stays Grounded

"Drink water and mind my business! And through friends and family."