Gwen: Anaheim, CA
Gwen was seen at a launch event for her new beauty line GXVE at Mama Cozza’s in Anaheim, CA.
Gwen Stefani Says She 'Prayed' About This 'Next Chapter' of Her Life While Launching GXVE Beauty [People.com]
Gwen Stefani is "so excited" to be launching her very own makeup brand!
The No Doubt frontwoman, 52, was on hand for the launch of GXVE Beauty in her birthplace of Anaheim on Thursday, where she said it was "just beyond a dream" to be embarking on the new venture.
"I feel like every single thing I've ever done in my entire life — and I'm speaking from my heart and my truth — it has led to this moment," Stefani said at the event, which was held at Mama Cozza's Italian restaurant, where she said her parents had their first date.
"This is where it all started. I grew up here in Anaheim. This feels like definitely the next chapter of my life, and I've prayed about this..." she continued.
In her speech, the Grammy winner also said she "was obsessed with makeup [her] entire life," going on to describe how she worked as "a makeup girl behind the counter" before hitting it big in music.
"The thing is, is that I don't know why I didn't do this sooner, but I don't think I knew that it was even a thing that you could do back in those times," Stefani said. "Like in the '90s, we did music. And we did that for nine years before we were on the radio. Like we were never trying to do anything. We were just being who we were."
"And that's kind of the same with this, except for, I have all of that behind me and all that experience and all that truth and passion," she continued.
Gwen Stefani on Why Her New GXVE Beauty Line “Is Not Another Celebrity Brand” [hollywoodreporter.com]
Gwen Stefani is translating her trademark Old Hollywood-inspired style into a new beauty line.
The singer (who tied the knot with fellow judge Blake Shelton last year) and fashion icon yesterday unveiled GXVE by Gwen Stefani, a clean, vegan and cruelty-free brand of cosmetics and skincare. She announced the line, pronounced “give,” last week on Instagram and debuted the label at a private event in her hometown of Anaheim, where she took over family-owned Italian eatery Mama Cozza’s (“my parents had their first date at this restaurant,” she revealed) and serenaded Los Angeles beauty editors with a four-song set that included “Underneath It All,” “Just A Girl,” “Don’t Speak” and “Hollaback Girl.”
Priced from $21 to $48, the label comprises transfer-resistant, long-wear matte and satin lipsticks in Stefani’s signature red; 24-hour waterproof gel eyeliners in matte black and metallic blue finishes; a four-pan eyeshadow palette in four color collections (matte neutral, rich golden bronze, rose gold and matte smoky); double-sided brow pencils with sculpting brushes in six shades; and a hydrating makeup primer oil infused with soothing meadowseed oil.
At Thursday’s launch party in Anaheim, Stefani explained, “This is not another celebrity [brand] — I’m not a celebrity, I am me, from Anaheim. … I was obsessed with makeup my entire life. When I was a little girl [my girlfriend’s] mom had a shit ton of makeup! I’d be like, ‘Tell your mom we want to play with her [Mary Kay] makeup.’ Then I went on to be a makeup girl behind the counter for Borghese and Ultima II [with] no training, they just opened it up and said, ‘Make a display,’ and I was like, ‘Really?'”
The cosmetics are a testament to Stefani’s decades of being her own makeup artist during her No Doubt days and as a performer in need of stage-ready cosmetics — so don’t be surprised if she sports her shades at her March 15 show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. (Her social media post included a video of her getting dolled up before a concert.) The full-coverage lipsticks deliver a high pigment payoff on every skin tone and won’t smudge — especially not on microphones — while eyebrow pencils boast a sweat- and budge-proof formula and a unique chisel tip that makes for effortless filling and shaping.
Since her mall makeup artist days, Stefani would go on to be tapped as a global ambassador for L’Oréal, Revlon and Urban Decay.
“The thing is, I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner, but I didn’t know it was a thing you could do back in those times, like in the ’90s, we did music, and we did that for nine years before we were on the radio,” said Stefani. “We were never trying to do anything, we were just being who we were. And that’s kind of the same with this, except for I have all of that behind of me and all of that experience and all of that truth and passion.”
Stefani began developing the brand four years ago with New Theory Ventures, the venture capital firm helmed by Nikki Eslami, the founder of Bellami hair extensions. The No Doubt frontwoman has been heavily involved in building the company, including attending every product development meeting.
It was also important to the longtime vegetarian (who has been meat-free since the age of 12) to incorporate as many eco-conscious elements as possible, such as kraft cardboard packaging made from recyclable materials, recyclable components when possible and refillable options.
GXVE is Stefani’s next big entrepreneurial step. The singer launched her luxury fashion label L.A.M.B. (which now focuses on sunglasses) in 2003, accessories and fragrance brand Harajuku Lovers in 2005 and an affordable optical frames line GX by Gwen Stefani in 2014.
“This feels [like] definitely the next chapter of my life,” Stefani shared at her private celebration. Referring to her much-publicized divorce from Gavin Rossdale, she revealed, “I’ve prayed about this, I’ve wanted to pick up the pieces when my life fell apart, when I had my thing that everybody knows about, I don’t like to say the word. That unexpected tragedy a lot of beautiful things came out of that, as they can if you work hard and you pray and you want that.”