Gwen: LVR Magazine
The Artist’s Brush
Gwen Stefani reflects on creativity, her personal growth and the magic of makeup.
Fans of NBC’s The Voice no doubt are looking forward to the return of Gwen Stefani when the singing contestant show’s 22nd season premieres in September. A lot has happened since she departed after wrapping season 19 in March 2021; most notably, she married Blake Shelton and launched a new beauty line, GXVE. Stefani knows first-hand the transformative power of maquillage. Her signature makeup look—bold red lips and heavily lined cat eyes—is as iconic as the Anaheim-bred singer’s bleached-blonde locks, commanding presence and sultry song style. Now, makeup itself will redefine the musical star’s next career phase.
The brand was not just an overnight commerce manifestation but a vehicle for autonomy and self-growth. The Voice judge told LVR Magazine that the concept came about when Stefani was “trying to pick up the pieces from the past and start something new and fresh.” Presumably, she was speaking about her break-up with then-husband Gavin Rossdale, as anyone who has been through a divorce knows the drill of rebuilding oneself post-relationship.
It has the makings of an independent new start, since Stefani’s previous non-musical ventures were facilitated through partnerships like licensing deals. “I wanted something completely mine, something I had complete control over. Makeup is something that I’ve done my whole life, and it just felt like the right time to do it,” she says of the decision. “I wanted to do something where I could give back, that I knew I was good at, that I could share with other people and give them the same feeling that I get when I put my makeup on: A feeling of confidence and the feeling that we all know we get when we look our best.”
Conveying that confidence with an equal dose of badass-ness is evidenced in the campaign featured on the GXVE website. Part performance, part ad, it features Stefani in active motion with a gaggle of ladies who convey the singer’s same grunge-rock aesthetic and demonstrative glamour looks. Stefani is adamant about the empowerment behind face paint.
“I know that with makeup, it’s artists who love it—and not necessarily only females. What’s so empowering about launching a makeup brand is sharing something I know will make people feel good,” she says, noting her inner passion drives creativity across all her disciplines: music, fashion and makeup.
“I never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur. Rather, it was a desire and a passion within me that I had to share. Sort of like a prayer that’s been answered. So, I ask myself, ‘what is my purpose, how can I be creative, how do I reach people?’ That’s how I look at everything I’ve ever done. It doesn’t matter what lane it’s in. It’s a creative thing that I need to share with others.”
Music isn’t the only thing Stefani likes to conjure. Her love of creation surfaced with the L.A.M.B. fashion brand, which was unique in and of itself at the time. “When I started L.A.M.B., musicians weren’t necessarily doing fashion brands, but it was another way for me to be creative. I had already been creating costumes for myself for years, working with my mom to design and sew outfits,” she recalls. But it was not without some eyebrow-raising.
“When I designed the L.A.M.B. handbags, it was quite controversial. Back then, when we made music, we didn’t want the fans who came to my shows and listened to my story to think that I was trying to get something from them,” she says, describing the potential conflict of interest concerning the band’s artistic credibility. Eventually, though, the fans’ participation in the brand—which came from loving the band and its frontwoman—was seen as a good thing.
The experience with L.A.M.B., licensed through Ska Girl LLC, schooled Stefani in building a brand, albeit one that required compromises with business partners. “Sometimes it can be great, but to create a brand from scratch, you get to make a pure, real, honest product with the intention you started with. You must understand who you are as a brand. That’s what I’ve done with GXVE.”
In a way, launching GXVE is a return to first love. “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,” she reflects.
Her day starts creatively through makeup. “You can always change who you are, make yourself feel better, or make other people feel better with makeup. Makeup is just the perfect playground for that,” she affirms. Bolstering this belief further, Stefani admits to searching the latest crop of makeup artists who regularly populate the social media landscape to get more tips for her toolkit. “How creative you can get with makeup will blow your mind.”
Lately, Stefani, 52, has ventured out of her comfort zone of red lips more and more, trying lighter shades that she didn’t think suited her a decade ago. She admits the aging process was one catalyst for starting the makeup brand. “I just want to look as good as I can at any age, like we all do, and share that quality makeup truly does make a big difference in how you feel,” she attests. “The magic is in the makeup.”
Whether it’s hocus-pocus or good genes, Stefani has it.
“It’s just one of those things when you age, and your face constantly changes—you try new ways to look different, and look the best you can. I would collaborate with amazing makeup artists and try new things I never thought I could, especially on The Voice, and it was fun to find different shades that worked,” she says. Whatever tricks the glam team tried apparently worked really well, as the singer met her current husband, Blake Shelton, on the set of the hit show.
Besides exercise and eating right, belief in the power of hydration is one way to achieve her best version of herself. “One skincare secret is hydration. I like my skin to look super dewy. I use the GXVE All Time Prime face oil because it helps give your skin a youthful, moist glow.”
Some recent shades include nude and pink, or berry colors such as Anaheim Shine and Original Me, monikers that are by design. “The names all hold special places in my heart. For example, the color Stompbox was inspired by an old Orange County rehearsal studio, and Rosewood Street is named after the first street I lived on as a little girl,” explains Stefani. The neutral shades came in handy when she wore a neon green Vera Wang gown to the Met Gala in May.
Despite venturing into new hues, fans of Stefani’s crimson lip needn’t fret. She is an avid fan of anything that looks vintage, something that blossomed in playing Jean Harlow in the Howard Hughes biopic, The Aviator. Speaking of nostalgia and the perfect role, the singer was equally pleased to get back on the set of The Voice, where she returned after a one-season hiatus. She also longs to return to Europe and South America to perform. The singer surmises biopics she might like to see. “My favorite female music artists that I would want to see movies made about would be Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. I’m looking forward to seeing the Madonna biopic as well.” The former sounds like a hint to casting agents and producers.
For now, though, Stefani is content playing the role of mom to Kingston, Zuma and Apollo, wife to Shelton, a judge on The Voice, and dynamic, in-charge female boss entrepreneur, as founder of GXVE cosmetics.
