Every girl wants to be Dua Lipa. Since signing her record deal with Warner Records Inc. in 2014 and releasing her debut track "New Love", the 30-year-old British singer has evolved into one of music’s bona fide stars. In true popstar fashion, she's scored a slew of UK top ten hits—including three off her third studio album Radical Optimism—and has won countless awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys for Future Nostalgia and seven Brit Awards throughout her career. She has also gone on to headline Glastonbury Festival in 2024, star in movies Barbie (for which she sang the hit "Dance The Night Away") and Argylle, complete three successful tours, and perform her greatest hits with the Heritage Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall for the television special, An Evening with Dua Lipa, all within the last decade.
Combined with her free-spirited nature, vivacious sensuality, and zest for life, the British songstress is every bit of an it girl; well-read, well-loved, and well-traveled as displayed through her acclaimed weekly lifestyle newsletter Service95 alongside its accompanying podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service and sun-soaked snapshots with her equally stunning entourage and fiancé, actor Callum Turner, around the world on Instagram. It’s this exact effervescence that makes her the perfect choice as the face of YSL Beauty’s Libre since 2019. This oriental scent—along with its sister iterations—is inspired by the independent Libre girl embracing life fearlessly on her own terms. In short: it’s sexy, sophisticated, and unapologetically bold, much like Dua herself.
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This time around, she helps usher in the spring/summer season with the new Libre Berry Crush. Created by Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm, the juicy-sweet fragrance wraps Libre’s signature floral bouquet of French lavender and Moroccan orange blossoms with tangy, succulent raspberry at its centre. Together with gourmand notes of creamy coconut accord and bourbon vanilla from Madagascar, it’s a mouth-wateringly vibrant scent that reflects playful femininity in its ripest form. Tied in with the release is also a campaign directed by Diane Kunst. Starring Dua in the heat of the Chilean desert, it visually captures the fresh essence of Libre Berry Crush as it unleashes the Libre woman to the songstress’s rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Think”.
Here, the pop superstar shares in this ELLE Singapore exclusive about Libre Berry Crush, freedom, having a fragrance wardrobe, and her make-up essentials.
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You’ve been the face of Libre for several years now—a scent all about freedom. When you think about freedom today, what does it mean to you, and how has that idea evolved as you’ve grown personally and creatively?
Freedom for me has always been about having choices. We’re constantly evolving as people, and I think it’s important to allow yourself the space to change, discover new things, and speak up for what you believe in.
Libre Berry Crush introduces a sweeter, more playful dimension to the Libre universe. What was your first reaction to the new scent?
I was obsessed straight away. It’s sexy and sophisticated, but there’s also this unexpected hint of sweetness that makes it feel playful.
If you had to imagine the perfect setting to wear Libre Berry Crush, what would that moment look and feel like?
If I had to pick one perfect setting, it would be at a bar by the beach, sipping cocktails at sunset.
Libre Berry Crush, $210 for 50ml, YSL BEAUTY.
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You’ve spoken before about having a fragrance wardrobe rather than a single signature scent. What is your magic formula?
I like to wear one perfume for both day and night, so there’s no magic formula with layering needed—the fragrances do all the work for you. The YSL master perfumers are always coming up with the most beautiful combinations, so it’s great to have so many options to choose from. My newest obsession is the Libre Berry Crush, which is great for a few cocktails with the girls. If I want something bold and sensual, I’ll go for the Libre Intense. With Libre L’Eau Nue, it just gives me that fresh summer vibe. And you can never go wrong with the classic Libre Eau De Parfum—it’s perfect for any day, any time.
The new campaign was shot in the Chilean desert, playing with contrasts of heat, freshness and sensuality. What did that sense of duality represent for you?
YSL’s fragrances always have an element of duality to them, mixing the masculine with the feminine, and I love how they played into that duality with this shoot.
When it comes to beauty, how do you decide between keeping things fresh and minimal versus making a bolder statement—does it shift based on where you are and what you’re doing?
Day-to-day, I’ll go for a more natural, fresh-faced look. When I’m on stage or on a red carpet, I love playing with different looks and going for something bolder.
What are the make-up essentials you never leave without?
It’ll have to be the All Hours Concealer, the Lash Clash Mascara, and maybe the LoveNude Lip Blusher.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity