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In 2000, Gwen Stefani, the style icon and frontwoman of No Doubt, cowrote the vulnerable “Magic’s in the Makeup,” a track off the group’s critically acclaimed fourth album Return of Saturn. On it, Stefani confesses to a kind of veiled existence, for better or for worse: “I can fool you and attract attention / Camouflage my nature / Let me demonstrate / Makeup’s all off / Who am I?”
When the album comes up in a recent conversation over Zoom, the precision of the musician’s signature red lip and winged eyeliner is suddenly at risk. “You’re going to make me cry,” says Stefani, now 52. Having written Return of Saturn during a painful period in her life, for many years Stefani could never bring herself to revisit the record. But seven years ago—when she describes her life as “falling apart,” and when she first had the idea for GXVE, her debut beauty line—she made the decision to dive back in. “Everything was written in those songs,” says Stefani. “It’s like a diary.” She knew then that she needed to pursue her passion project.
When we speak in early March, it’s the day after the official launch of GXVE, which she celebrated with a trip to her hometown of Anaheim, California. Arriving on Sephora’s shelves this Thursday, the collection of eight clean products is designed as a blueprint for recreating her bold trademark look, from the arched brows and matte lipstick to the classically defined eye. “This is what I’ve prayed about. This is the rest of my life,” says Stefani. “This is my creativity and my give-back.”
Here, the Hollaback Girl and coach on NBC’s The Voice reflects on her candy-colored ’90s beauty moments and the lessons she picked up working at the makeup counter.
Vanity Fair: Can you recall your earliest memory of makeup?
Gwen Stefani: Probably birth! You know how certain things just are and you don’t really know why? I was always into anything quite girly. It’s weird because nowadays I feel like people don’t want to say that—like, it’s not cool and you’re not a strong woman if you like to play with Barbies. I don’t get that. I always played dress-up. I always played with glamour and makeup. I guess it’s just part of my DNA.
I have to ask about your red lip. It’s been a mainstay, from “Don’t Speak” to “Hollaback Girl” to The Voice. Why?
I think that’s what happens when you grow up next to Disneyland and you see princesses. I’ve always been inspired by old movies and Hollywood starlets. When I was in high school, I can remember the moment that I first saw James Dean. It’s probably how you are discovering the ’80s and ’90s now. My mom grew up in the ’50s and ’60s, so I was seeing pictures of her when she was young, and seeing my grandmas in the ’40s. It was a fascination with those generations—how they were glamorous during the war, with their hair and the red lips. So, red lipstick was something that I always thought was glamorous and made you stand out and look so feminine. It’s your mouth, it’s your voice.
It does the talking. Speaks for itself, if you will.
Exactly.
What’s your secret to maintaining the perfect red lip?
The thing is, if you’re an artist and you buy paint at the [arts supply] store, you’ll find out that pigment—what color is made out of—all has different prices. Some are more expensive than others, just because of the actual raw ingredients. So when it comes to makeup, you kind of get what you pay for. With GXVE, I wanted to create makeup that would make me the best makeup artist. I wanted to make something that was comfortable but long-wearing. This is my original recipe that I’m wearing now, which is matte, but I have three different formulas. Your red lip will stay on if you have high-quality makeup.
Before there was GXVE, was there a specific shade that was your go-to onstage throughout the years?
We’re talking about a lot of years ago, a lot of makeup, and a lot of memory loss [laughs]. I’ve tried a lot. Early on, back in Anaheim, I was a drugstore kind of girl. I didn’t ever dream of spending the kind of money that it took to buy things like Lancôme or Clinique. Those mall and department-store brands were out of my league. I’d walk in, and it was complete intimidation by people wearing smocks with flawless faces. If I’d ask them what that product was for, I was going to feel so stupid. So I’d just walk straight on by to the drugstore and have the freedom to shop.
When Sephora came out, they were able to make it a little less intimidating and give you space. It’s still super overwhelming because there is so much product. But something I feel excited about with GXVE is that because I’ve been so consistent and honest throughout the years, people can trust me on this.
Speaking of shopping for makeup, how did you come to work at a makeup counter in Anaheim?
At the mall I actually got my start working in Plaza Sportswear, which was basically an older women’s department store filled with polyester. It was so fulfilling because, even though the clothes were horrifying, the women would come in kind of desperate for help to put an outfit together. And I could put an outfit together with anything. I don’t know why, but I can go to a thrift store and find a gem in five minutes. It’s a gift I have, I guess.
But I just really wanted to be the makeup girl. They all looked so pretty, and it looked so fun over there. I knew that I could do it, so I asked if I could be behind the counter—and they literally just put me behind the counter. They did not teach me anything or have me meet with a representative of the brand. Nothing. I was working for Borghese and Ultima II.
How did that experience inform your relationship with makeup?
Basically all I did was put makeup on people who wanted samples and free makeup to go out that night. It was a really fun thing, though, because what I loved about it was the feeling people would get from me: when we were done and they looked at themselves and said, “I had no idea I was this pretty,” or “I didn’t know I could look like this.” That’s what I do to myself every morning in the mirror. I’m like, “Oh my God, thank God you’re back!”
It’s a powerful thing.
It’s very powerful. The beauty community that’s online now, we didn’t have that back then. We had one place where you could go to get your makeup done that was intimidating, and then you would go home and not know what to do with yourself. Now, from the privacy of your own home, you can flip through these people sharing their talents, their tricks, their products. And you can just feel good.
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What led you to do your own makeup all this time?
For every show I’ve ever played live, I’ve done my own makeup. That’s part of the ritual to [become] the person that needs to be out there. Getting ready is my favorite part. Coming up with looks and hair and makeup is why I love being on The Voice. Now, I love coaching as well and I love being able to access my history and share that with people—but being in the glam chair? Maybe that’s why I got this far, because I love it and a lot of people just can’t tolerate sitting in the chair [laughs].
Given the launch, are you thinking about the “Magic’s in the Makeup” lyrics a lot?
I think about those lyrics all the time. I always wished that song was heard by more people. It’s such a relatable lyric: We all play different roles every day. I’m a mother; I’m a Hollaback Girl; I’m a Spiderwebs Girl.
A Rich Girl!
Yeah! I’m Blake’s wife. There are so many different roles that we all play that are all true to who we are. With makeup you can transform into these different versions of yourself, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not a mask—it’s bringing out the beauty of who you want to be that day.
Throughout your career you’ve undergone several music and style evolutions. How did makeup help shape those eras?
That was a celebration of the music. To be able to dress up and get the makeup look that went with it, that was the champagne. I always felt like the songs were a gift from God and I was chosen to have them. I think that my faith journey always led my creativity, so if a song happened and the album came together, then a vision would come.
Let’s use Harajuku as an example. During Love. Angel. Music. Baby., which was probably one of the most creative time periods of my life, I created two babies, two albums, two clothing lines. The output was shocking. I would come home with inspiration from the culture around me.
You’ve had so many iconic beauty looks throughout the years: blue hair and a matching fur bikini top at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, then hot pink hair and braces in 1999. Are there any looks that you still stand by today? Or any that you regret?
Everyone loves to try to get me to admit to regret. I don’t regret those looks because I look at her—the version of me then—and what I was doing, that’s all I had. When you see me with the blue hair and the bindis and the balls in my hair, I had just come home from tour and I was still living with my parents. I had nothing. I didn’t have a stylist or a makeup artist or an assistant. I was driving the vans. It was the real deal. It just came together because I didn’t have anybody else. I was just doing me and being creative. I was super naive and I didn’t really think hard about it. I think people really liked that I was me.
What’s the best beauty advice you have for the GXVE community?
Just go for it. Be creative. Play and have fun. Be bold. Don’t care what people think. Be you.
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