One of the most anticipated beauty releases of recent years, Gucci Beauty’s three lipstick collections will soon be available in New Zealand. Here’s the inside scoop.

THE INSPIRATION
“Lipstick is the most beautiful object you can find inside a handbag,” says Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele.

“It is the most fascinating because it has always had a beautiful scent — we made Gucci lipsticks perfumed with violet. Lipstick is a playful object because it recalls crayons that children colour with. Lipstick also symbolises the world of cinema, and all of the famous lips from Hollywood.”

The names of the shades are inspired by iconic Hollywood movies and characters from the gilded era, played by the likes of Jean Harlow and other famous actresses – Maureen O’Hara, Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo and their peers. The themes of the legendary films embodying the glamour and folly of the time also inspire the lipsticks, including titles such as ‘Love Before Breakfast’ ‘Three Wise Girls’ and ‘A Royal Scandal’.

THE COLLECTIONS
Rouge à Lèvres Satin – Creamy with intense colour, the formula delivers a perfect and long-lasting satin finish, that leaves lips smooth and soft, and is lightweight with a comfortable feel. The 36 shades sweep from nudes—such as ‘Penny Beige’ a hazelnut beige, to reds including vivid ‘Odalie Red’, pinks including ‘Vantine Fuchsia’, a rich fuchsia shade with nuances of orange and purple and an unexpected black hue, ‘Crystal Black’.

Rouge à Lèvres Voile – The sheer formula gives a luminous finish in a pop colour palette of 18 shades that deliver a feeling of moisture and comfort in a lightweight texture, including hues named ‘Marguerite Jade’ a tawny brown, ‘Eadie Scarlet’, a red scarlet and ‘Marina Violet’, a dark raspberry violet.

Baume à Lèvres – Enhancing the natural smoothness and texture of the lips, the lip balms give a soft glow of colour with three shades and one transparent formula, melting on lips to leave a feeling of hydration, moisture and comfort. Shade names include ‘Joslyn Clair’ in transparent, ‘René Pink’ a red pink and ‘Penelope Plum’, a plum hue.

THE DESIGN
Inspired by vintage makeup, the lipsticks’ packaging interweaves House motifs with contemporary codes.

“I thought back to the lipsticks I saw in my life, when I was little, my mum’s lipstick, who was always inspired by the 50s, and I wanted to give it the most powerful meaning, that of the Hollywood divas and the mythology of cinema, which first put the lips in the spotlight,” says Michele.

Packaged in a gold tube, Rouge à Lèvres Satin is etched with a decorative style drawn by Michele that borrows its flair from Art Deco inspirations.

Rouge à Lèvres Voile makes a feminine statement in a pink rosebud print on ivory with a gold base as if they came from a 1940s dressing table. The roses are reminiscent of the wallpaper of an old motel, of a beauty parlour in Los Angeles in the 1950s or the lipstick you would find in a vintage market.

Baume à Lèvres is contained in a turquoise coloured tube, a hybrid shade of blue and green chosen specifically by Michele because it represents an attention to colour, before pink was assigned as symbolic of the feminine world post war.

THE NEW ZEALAND RELEASE
Gucci Beauty’s three new lipstick collections will be available exclusively from David Jones Newmarket, Auckland, from 1 November, retailing at $67 per product.

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