Gwen Stefani’s First Love Isn’t What You’d Expect

Gwen Stefani’s love affair with makeup has come full circle with the release of her own line of cosmetics, GXVE. “Before there was music, it was makeup for me. I’ve always loved makeup, and I think it’s because I have an artistic eye,” Stefani told LuisaViaroma. In addition to its functionality as a tool for artistic expression, she appreciates makeup’s ability to transform and provide a boost of self-confidence. “What’s so empowering about launching a makeup brand is sharing something I know will make people feel good,” she stated.

Stefani learned about the power of a pop of color and a coat of mascara long before she launched her pop career. She landed a job working at a makeup counter in a mall in Anaheim, where she was tasked with giving potential customers makeovers. She was untrained, but quickly discovered that she was a natural with a brush and some blush. “I just remember making people feel so much joy and so inspired and so full of confidence, and that’s what makeup can do,” she recalled to WWD.

But when it comes to her own makeup application, Stefani prefers for the process not to be a ménage à trois between herself, her beauty products, and a makeup artist. “I never worked with a makeup artist my entire career, really, other than one here or one there. … I’ve just been very controlling about it,” she told Glamour.