Christina Aguilera Is Looking For Simplicity

Christina Aguilera has been around for a while — you don't become a household name overnight. Since the age of six, she's been in the spotlight and has continued to shine throughout the years. Of course, a career like hers comes with a very specific and busy lifestyle. So now, the musician and actor is looking to simplify.

Don't confuse that with slowing down, though. Last year, she recorded a Spanish-language album, "Aguilera," and with it added a new Latin Grammy award to her collection. "[Now] I'm just excited about working on the English album next year," she tells InStyle over Zoom. Clearly, Aguilera is as busy as ever with recording new music, traveling, performing, and being a mom. So, when it comes to her beauty routine and upkeep, she likes to keep things simple.

Below, Aguilera shares what throwback trends she's excited are getting a second life, the songs she never gets tired of performing, the type of exercise she swears by for tranquility, and why XEOMIN, a neurotoxin injection used to reduce the appearance of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows, is right for her.

InStyle: We're here to celebrate your partnership with XEOMIN, so tell us, what's your favorite thing about it?

Christina Aguilera: First and foremost, I like to be really knowledgeable about what I put in my body. And I'm not also a 50-step beauty person. I'm a mama, I'm a worker, I'm on the road, I'm performing — I have no time. So, I like to narrow things down with stuff that feels good and is safe. And with XEOMIN, I felt like ingredient-wise it's not a bunch of extra nonsense. No matter what is coming at me with my schedule and lifestyle, I'm prepared for it, and I have the peace of mind knowing I'm doing all I can in the safest way possible. Plus, I have a very expressive face. Emotion comes first when I'm in the midst of a song and I want to allow my audience to feel that. I can't have this frozen weird face. So, it's important that I do things with care and what I feel is more on the natural side. That's what works for me.

You grew up in front of millions of people. What was that like? Especially considering how beauty standards have evolved over that time?

I made a promise to myself when I was really young, before I even had a record contract, that no matter what happened, my messages would always encourage others to feel good about themselves. And when I had the opportunity to make an album that truly came from me — like Stripped — included all these elements of being a woman that I felt represented beauty, feeling good about yourself, and feeling empowered. These are messages I've always stayed true to, and that's helped me. When you become famous, you're inundated with so many different opinions and it can be really hard, especially as artists — we're very sensitive people.

Is there a song you always get excited about performing? One that you never get tired of?

It probably comes down to two, to be honest. I'm a big mood person, so it depends on the mood. It's probably a tie on different sides of the spectrum for Beautiful and Dirrty. They're all sides of being the woman that I am.

So fun! Now, you have had so many iconic looks over the years, and as such, many celebrities have dressed up as you on Halloween as homage. Who has been your favorite?

I'm a huge lover of Halloween! I actually loved when Kylie [Jenner] did Dirrty — that was a hot look.

Are there any '90s and Y2K trends that you're excited to see coming back?

I was big with statement baby tees — I loved them. Oh, and I loved a bandana. I still wear them sometimes — I'm really into these latex ones. I love cargo pants. It's always fun to see things come back and live in a new era.

Aging includes more than just taking care of your skin. So, what else do you do to keep feeling your best?

I discovered yoga 10 years ago and it was a complete game-changer. Doing what I've done my whole life has put me into fight-or-flight. It's rough, it has its wear and tear. Yoga and just breathing into my body — it allowed me to stop the clock for myself.

And apart from XEOMIN, how do you take care of your skin?

My skin tends to lean on the drier side, so I'm huge on moisturizer. I've tried so many different products, expensive things, and I always come back to Cetaphil. It's gentle. It's smooth. I like it. It works for me. I'm also big about staying out of the sun — I just don't like it. So, my vampire ways really help me in that regard.