Fast food, reimagined.
YSL Beauty staged its Coachella-weekend takeover in Indio, Calif., with a drive-thru that draws on California nostalgia in a high-gloss, after-dark setting, kicking off with a private event Thursday night ahead of a public opening Friday. The brand last appeared in the area for the music festival in 2019 with a sleek, luxe take on a gas station.
“It’s so beautifully surreal,” actor Drew Starkey said of the experience at the party, as the face of the brand’s Myslf L’Absolu fragrance. “I got really excited coming up to it. But it also feels classic. It feels like a classic drive-thru experience.”
It was an immersive beauty installation, with VIP guests driven through the structure before moving into a lounge-like space with saturated lighting, mirrored surfaces and a steady pulse of music. At the center, a vintage Oldsmobile 442 was both a focal point and photo backdrop, drawing guests all night — later doubling as an impromptu stage when singer-songwriter Miguel climbed atop it during his set, following a performance by Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko, who energized the crowd with her hit “Wassup.”
Guests enjoyed trays of burgers, nuggets and fries served alongside cocktails, while visiting makeup stations to sample YSL Beauty’s festival looks: California Color, Pink Mirage, Desert Flush and Toasted Glow, created to reflect the landscape, with high-shine lips and bronzed skin.
The crowd included María Zardoya of indie pop band The Marías, who is set to perform at Coachella on Friday as the frontwoman of her new side project, Not for Radio.
“I always try to do it where it’s still me,” Zardoya, a YSL partner, said of her approach to glam, preferring a more natural look. “Even if we dress up the eye a little bit, it still feels like me. I don’t look like anybody else other than just myself.”
It brings her a sense of ease that carries into her performances. “It just makes me feel like I’m comfortable in my own skin. So when I’m on the stage, I can just focus on being in the moment,” she said.
Not for Radio was developed in an introspective setting, she explained. “We were in the forest in upstate New York in the winter, making this music,” she said. “Now we’re bringing it to the desert.”
How was she feeling on the eve of her show? “I’m just in the moment,” she added. “I’m looking forward to every single moment as it comes.”
Starkey, in town briefly before returning to work, is approaching the weekend on a tighter schedule. “I’m in and out for the night,” he said, noting he has yet to experience the festival itself.
The rising actor is currently balancing a slate of upcoming projects, including the Apple TV+ series “Lucky” alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, the A24 film “Onslaught” and the final season of “Outer Banks,” which he recently wrapped. “A blessing and bittersweet,” he said of ending the show. He also completed work on buzzy “Deep Cuts” and is set to begin filming “King Snake,” directed by Jeff Nichols.
On choosing roles, he emphasized instinct and range.
“If you spend the next three days after reading it thinking about it every day, I think it’s a good sign,” he said. “I want as wide a variety as possible. I don’t want to do the same thing twice.”
