celebrity shopping

What Hayley Williams Can’t Live Without

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photo: Julia Cox

If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. We asked musician Hayley Williams of Paramore — whose hair-product line, Good Dye Young, recently launched at Ulta — about the pimple patches her entire band uses, the indestructible tights she wears onstage, and her favorite “cozy” fragrance.

I started getting a lot of Instagram ads for these during the pandemic and ended up buying a pair. Every time I’d wear them and come home, my dog would jump on me and I’d be like, Oh my God, they’re not ripping at all. So I bought them for when I’m on tour. I’ve never liked having my legs bare onstage because I feel too exposed. I’ve always worn either fishnets or sheer tights, and they would be ripped to shreds after playing three shows. I go kind of ham onstage. I’m all over the floor and fall a lot. I don’t think I have one pair of these that has ripped. I also like the way they’re cut because the control top is almost shaped like a thong. You don’t get that control-top-shorts situation. If I wear just a T-shirt as a dress, you can’t see that cutoff at the leg. These are the perfect wardrobe basic.

I can really feel a difference when I don’t take this. When you’re on tour, it’s hard to get proper nutrients because you’re eating catering, eating late at night, or maybe you don’t have choices that would otherwise be available to you. This is great because it comes in individual pouches that I can just chuck in my bag. We also keep a big pouch of it in the bus fridge when we’re touring. And it tastes really good. When I was a teenager, I had a friend’s mom who was very granola and would make us drink those original green powders. I expected this to taste like that, but it doesn’t at all. It’s a little bit earthy and has a natural sweetness. I don’t put anything in it, either, besides really cold water.

When I’m going through a hard time, like if I’m particularly depressed or something, I really enjoy reading perfume-fragrance notes on department-store websites. I don’t know when this started, but it’s a strange sensory thing that calms me. During the pandemic, when I couldn’t go and try stuff out, I found myself ordering a lot of samples. I discovered Costa Brazil on a cool website — something like Garmentory or another curated fashion-and-lifestyle shop — and initially loved the packaging. It’s this big block of wood, basically. The scent’s kind of creamy, but it has brighter tropical notes that cut through to keep it from smelling too milky. Because it’s a more natural fragrance, it smells a bit different on everyone. I really enjoy it, and every time I wear it, people compliment me. My favorite thing is putting on a sweater or hoodie that I sprayed this on and smelling the perfume. It’s so cozy.

I used to break out a lot, especially in my early 20s. I went from not wearing much makeup and not having skin problems to being onstage every night or doing TV spots where they’re caking you up. This really made such a difference in my skin. I’m a really big Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen fan, like from childhood to now. Their taste is amazing; they’re perfect to me. I had always heard them talk about Biologique’s products, so I was like, You know what? I’m gonna try it. So I was using P50 1970 for a while to help with my acne. My breakouts have calmed down since, and I was recently told by my facialist to try the Pigma 400. She was like, “Oh, you’re getting older. Your skin is getting drier. We’re gonna change up some of your shit.” My skin really likes this. It’s not as strong as the 1970, but it still makes my skin look great. I don’t go anywhere without it.

All the guys in the band — not just Zac and Taylor but even the extended live band, like Joey, our bass player, and some of the other guys — started asking me about these because I will wear them anywhere. I only get the occasional breakout now, thank God, but I always have these on me just in case, or I end up passing them out. It’s almost sad that I don’t get to use them as much because they’re so cute. I wish I had these when I was younger and had skin problems. Going through that can be so sad and lonely or just embarrassing. If I had something like this that made acne more fun, it would’ve really resonated with me.

My makeup artist, Brian O’Connor, uses this on me before shows for applying moisturizers, primers, cream blushes, and tinted foundations. It makes blending between two products totally seamless. A huge plus is that it’s made partially out of a plant-based material, so it’s better for the environment.

I don’t know if I’m in the minority or not, but I’ve always liked a matte look more than a dewy one. I grew up in the ’90s seeing my mom and women on TV and red carpets with that beautiful powdery face. It looks so glam to me. I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to try this with Brian. We tested it at one of the shows, and man, that shit works. My makeup does not budge. Every time Brian checks on me before we go back out for an encore, he’s like, “Bitch, I don’t have to do anything. You look like you just went out there.” It’s my favorite product of theirs since the Sunshine Skin Tint. Even with that, I felt like I would need powder on top because it was so dewy. I don’t feel that way when I use this setting spray, though.

The copper DYEposit is probably my favorite product that we’ve developed. The color is just fantastic. It’s what’s most responsible for the color we’ve been doing for this album cycle. Even though our whole line is formulated to be used in a salon setting, for some reason, this feels the most pro-grade. It was kind of Brian’s baby. I use it in my real life all the time, more so than our semi-permanent dye. It smells incredible, and the bond piece of it really helps my bleached hair. Even if I’m letting my hair color fade, I’ll still cave and use it because it strengthens my hair. That’s especially important to me since we’re heat-styling my hair every night on tour, and I want to have good hair in my real life, too, not just for my job. I’m never without it.

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What Hayley Williams Can’t Live Without