Chelsea Nikkel has been through many transformations as Princess Chelsea, her musical moniker. Looking at her album covers, she seems to morph into different story book characters – but you'd be wrong if you thought this was some sort of calculated persona. 

“I don't draw a line between where me and the artist begins and ends,” says Nikkel. “Because of this, the style I present to the public can vary wildly depending on how I feel.”

Nikkel has experimented with fashion, hair and makeup over the years “mostly to have fun, but also as a reflection of my life experiences.” That includes coming up in the centre of Auckland’s Indie Sleaze era, writing hit songs like The Cigarette Duet on her bedroom floor in notoriously run-down flats, and necking beers on stage at Teen Wolf gigs in velvet skater dresses. 

Those who shared her stomping ground of Karangahape Road between 2006-2012 can probably relate to some of her beauty phases, like going from black hair to peroxide blonde and cutting bad DIY micro-fringes. More recently, Princess Chelsea joined the league of interesting women (see: Kristine Crabb, Robyn Malcolm) who have shaved their heads at least once, too. 

It’s a bit cliche to say your beauty ethos is to “be yourself”, but in Nikkel’s case, this doesn't necessarily mean consistency. “Being a chameleon makes sense ‘cos we all have many different sides… After looking at the photos I collected for this interview, an emerging pattern seems to be the juxtaposition of ultra-femme vs more ‘masculine’ concepts, and Judas Priest T-shirts.” 

It's clear Princess Chelsea enjoys having fun with her looks - and this August, she's encouraging others to do the same at a Twin Peaks-themed Midwinter Ball, where she'll put on a bewitching spectacle at The Civic's Wintergarden and New Plymouth's Theatre Royal with musical guests Half Hexagon.

Below, we open up the musician’s archives for a closer look at her life in beauty – and what it means to be a chameleon, but always be yourself.

You seem like you enjoy experimenting with beauty. How has your look has evolved over the years?

For most of my teenage years I sported a natural light brown hair colour, before getting blonde highlights in the early 2000s (we moved to the North Shore). Around 17, I decided the best thing for everyone would be if I became goth. 

I dyed my hair black and started wearing clothes from op shops and thick black pantyhose. I would buy ribbons from Geoff’s Emporium or find scarves and tie them in a bow in my hair. I cut my own fringe and usually wore red lipstick. At that time in my life it seemed important for everyone to know I enjoyed the music of The Cure so I would often sport a red The Cure T-shirt.

In 2003, my friends Brad, Vincent and I formed a band called Teen Wolf right around the time a DIY scene sprung up on K’Road centred around the Kiss and Make Up Club formed by Matthew Crawley and Jo Galvin. I fell into the habit of tying my hair in two braids which I continued doing almost daily for the next five years. I liked how it looked when it got messy and it was the only hairstyle I was good at. 

In 2005 I experimented with going blonde and even peroxide blonde for a year or so. I also kept cutting my own fringe and took it way too far one time when I ended up with an extreme micro fringe. That wasn’t my best look. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find visual evidence of this.

‍

From 2007 onwards I was pretty consistent, wearing my hair in two braids and cutting it myself. This is partly because I was quite poor living in a notoriously run down flat in Minnie Street (where I wrote The Cigarette Duet on the living room floor) and eventually ‘The Ghetto’ on Sandringham Road. You can see the messy braids look in the first music video I ever released, Ice Reign, and a more manicured look in some of my early press images.

In 2009, I bought a bunch of $20 synthetic wigs from a mega store in Manhattan including a pink one I wore in the Cigarette Duet music video. Unbeknownst to me, this look would go on to be quite iconic – even though I wasn’t the first to wear heart shaped glasses or a pink wig. Interestingly enough, the single cover features a contrasting presentation of ‘Princess Chelsea’ dishevelled with messy hair smoking a cigarette.

In 2015 I cut my hair into a short bob inspired by Emily, a minor character in Beverly Hills 90210 who dated Brandon. This hairstyle can be seen on the cover of my second synth-based album, The Great Cybernetic Depression. 

I started getting interested in fashion and makeup of the 1920s which reinforced the retrofuturism of the old synths and sonic palette I was immersed in. Gemstones on the face and headpieces started appearing along with clips and things I’d find at the $2 shop. 

Perhaps triggered by entering my 30s, in 2017 I went ultra femme. I got long hair extensions and wore false eyelashes I bought in bulk from Amazon. I call this look ‘Glen Eden Couture’ as I was living in Glen Eden at the time. 

I remember getting nail extensions with fake little Chanel logos on them. While I thought they looked gangster, I often ended up with avocado stuck underneath them. You can see this look on the cover of my album Aftertouch and in my music video for I Love My Boyfriend. In what seems to be a recurring pattern, I would often pair this labour intensive look with incongruously sloppy clothing.

In 2019, during a period of mental duress I shaved my hair off, moved to Waiheke and started fishing daily with my mum. I think that my hair has always been something I have some insecurities over and therefore seems to be connected to my mental health. So perhaps I did it because I was mentally struggling and it was one less thing to worry about. It was a cool experience for me - I was with my best friend Jamie who came to the salon and we were laughing together while the hairdresser shaved it off.  You can see this no frills look on the cover of my recent album Everything is Going To Be Alright and in the music video for All I Need To Do.

I discovered these fab fishing hats which protect you from the sun and I started wearing them with regular clothes too. This is one of my favourite periods of beauty, it took a lot of pressure off me with regards to physical appearance and everyone was really nice to me and thought I was a genius because I had no hair and then I started winning awards. 

My current look is a bit of an amalgamation of everything that has happened before - just like what's inside I guess. My friend Roger Mason did a cartoon of me for my latest tour shirt - I think it says it all:

These days my hair has grown out a little and I usually slick it back with hair foam (it’s like mousse but lighter and less crunchy) and try to do waves and curls. It reminds me of my favourite piano player Fats Waller – a 1930s man who smokes cigars. 

I live on Waiheke Island, so a lot of my days are outdoorsy, casual dress. I got into wearing men's woollen pants from Uniqlo – they are very comfortable and someone said they remind them of Charlie Chaplin. Sometimes I wear this ‘manly’ stuff with big lashes, makeup and stick gemstones on my face. It's fun and feels nice to be only half dressed up.

What role does beauty play in how you present yourself as a musician? 

Princess Chelsea is not a persona and I don't draw a line between where me and the artist begins and ends. Because of this, the style I perform and present to the public can vary wildly depending on how I feel. 

I met someone recently who described beauty and fashion as performance art. In the same way I like to contrast light and dark themes in music to amplify a message, I may do this in the way I dress. But it's not some high brow pre-planned statement – it’s mostly just me having a laugh. 

Gabi Lardies wrote a piece about me for The Spinoff where she described my “tongue-in-cheek embrace of femininity” as a way to complicate perceptions of a femme appearance where the aesthetic labour is obvious, and “can conjure superficiality, prissiness, brattiness and childish entitlement – much like the term “princess”. I've never really analysed it much but that seems on point. 

All I know is that there are a lot of Russians on YouTube who are really upset that I cut my hair – and I’m loving it.

What is your earliest memory of beauty?

My mother. She is a stunning woman and loves to dress up in bright colourful clothing and high heels. Not only is she beautiful, she is very strong, taking on the important and difficult role of housewife looking after me and my sister growing up and at one point also working full time. I also remember the older sisters of my friends as being very beautiful. 

Who are your biggest beauty influences? Have they changed over time?

The golden age of Hollywood – women like Marilyn Monroe, Louise Brooks, Vivien Leigh. These beauties will always stick with me.

In my 20s, cool girls like PJ Harvey, Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie were influential. I also greatly admired the androgynous style of musicians like Robert Smith, Patti Smith and Brett Anderson from Suede.

Current celebs I admire are ones who push boundaries and seem to be taking the piss – people like Sexyy Red, Lana Del Rey and Paris Hilton. Also big into Marc Jacobs, I love his hair and clothing. When I went to get a pedicure at the mall In Lower Hutt they asked what colour and I remembered I saw him with silver fingernails so I picked silver. 

What was the first beauty product you fell in love with?

The Body Shop Strawberry shower gel.

What is your ethos when it comes to beauty? Has this changed over time?

I gotta be comfortable – I gotta feel like me. This doesn't necessarily mean consistency. Being a chameleon makes sense cos we all have many different sides. 

Do you follow beauty trends?

I like looking at makeup on Instagram. At the moment I’m loving the matte pastel eye makeup trend. Also loving the dark lip liner ombre effect – something I remember being popular in the early 2000s and has roots in the strength and femininity of Chola makeup. 

Are there any looks you would love to try that you haven't yet?

I'd like to wear hardly any clothes because I've always been so modest. So far the reason I haven't is because I don’t feel comfortable, so something inside me would have to change. 

How do you want to approach ageing, in terms of beauty? 

I’m all for delaying the ageing process if it's easy and doesn't require a constant focus on appearance. I embrace Botox because you only have to do it twice a year. 

I’ve always been big on skincare and sunscreen. There's a tube of prescription retinol (Retrieve) you can get for $5 from your doctor that's much better than most expensive solutions. Apart from that I don’t fixate on ageing, there is no point. 

I guess my goal is to have different priorities so by the time I realise I’m old, I don't care anyway. When you look at someone you love you just see them as a person, not as someone of a particular age. So I surround myself with people I love and who love me back and ditch the toxic ones. Like that The Cure song: “Whenever I'm alone with you / You make me feel like I am young again”. Robert Smith knows the fountain of youth is love.

Do you have any beauty must-haves when you’re on tour? 

Wellington Apothecary Palmarosa Cleansing Oil. It can be also used as a cleanser, moisturiser, and hair oil. A wonderful and affordable product.

What’s the toughest beauty lesson you’ve learnt and from who?

Don’t try and make your hair do stuff it just is never gonna do. Shaving my hair off taught me this. After a couple decades of buying curling irons, getting chemical perms, extensions etc, I let it grow back however it wanted and that was when it looked the best. 

If you could create or collaborate on your own beauty product, what would it be?

A magical stress relieving elixir that helps you feel calm. Because when you are calm you probably feel better so you look nice. I guess that's alcohol lol. 

What’s on your current beauty wishlist?

Glow in the dark gems for face, $3 from Temu

The Doux Mousse Def Texture Foam, $39

A haircut by Sean at Colleen, from $180

Wellington Apothecary Palmarosa Cleansing Oil, $19