People (May 12th 1997)

Gwen Stefani

Girly girl, meet riot grrl.

She performs in parachute pants and combat boots, but from the neck up No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani, 27, goes for old-fashioned glamor. “I love to mix masculine and feminine,” says the Anaheim, Calif.-based vocalist, who shapes her brows into a Dietrich arch and paints her lips a pinup red called Gash. “But I have no rituals. If I look bad one day, who cares?” Only the legions of fans wondering where they can get a stick-on pottu, the jewellike Hindi decoration Stefani often sports on her forehead. “Gwen’s girly but really independent,” says Wende Zomnir, chief operating officer of Urban Decay, makers of Gash. “She’s not frail and weak.” She is in love, although constant touring by the singer Details dubbed “the Girl U Want” means that she sees beau Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of Bush, mainly in her dreams. “It’s just day-to-day for me,” admits Stefani, who works off late-night Denny’s treks with bandmates during her frenetic stage shows. “I love makeup and dresses, but now I’m happy if I’m clean and have toothpaste.”