Creating something brand new is a rare thing. It’s hard to explain but when we are confronted with something new, truly new, it makes us excited or uneasy, or a mixture of both, and we usually do not know why because we do not immediately grasp the incredible fact that what we are seeing is something wonderfully unique, something we have never confronted before and that every sense that we have is trying to make sense of it. Gucci took everyone by surprise when they launched their revamped makeup line in 2019. The surprise was in their campaign. I still remember sitting in an Uber on my way to work when, scrolling mindlessly through images on Instagram, I was forced to stop short. There it was, the teaser – in 80s’ style soft focus and bright colors, were these incredible images; toothpaste commercial-like closeups of lips wearing bright red lipstick – smiling wide to show a row of unabashedly uneven teeth, pressing on a tongue stuck cheekily between them, shot close up, in raw, real detail which should not feel unusual and yet somehow, it was suddenly disconcerting and exciting at he same time - so much so that it would give anyone pause – not least the rigid world of beauty standards. Just google the campaign. You have to see it to know what I mean.

As I said, creating something brand new is a rare thing. And somehow, here was Gucci, a mainstream, luxury brand, doing that. These images sported a perspective that was curiously unfamiliar and somehow provoked the more surprising realization that something as real and common as uneven teeth or a wet, saliva-covered tongue should feel so new– which it does when it confronts you in an image for a luxury beauty campaign. These images were an original experience and it made some of us excited, others uneasy – and we started to wonder why. To me, that’s actually what the campaign did – it didn’t just present beauty more authentically, adding to the definition and the conversation on beauty standards, it also made its observers reflect on why these images were so surprising in the first place.

You’d think this was a one-trick pony, but I have been following Gucci’s makeup launch campaigns doggedly since then and amazingly, image upon image, they keep raising the bar on what a beauty campaign can and should be. Featuring the very real and lurid glory of bright red lipstick stains left on the edges of white teacups and wine glasses, featuring older models with white hair and wrinkles sporting shiny red lips and powerhouse personalities having a grand old party on camera, featuring thick clumpy rock concert mascara that looks incredible (and incredibly fun), Gucci is burning through luxury beauty standards like an Olympic torch, and they aren’t stopping. Moreover, they aren’t stretching boundaries in tried and tested ways (which featuring older models may imply). Oh no – theirs is something entirely original. They are envisioning and creating beauty images that are disarmingly novel in both ideas and the realization of these ideas. If you don’t believe me, go check out their instagram feed - which is addictive and a photography masterclass in concept, color and composition.

As is probably clear by now, I am a raving (and raging) fan of what Gucci has done and at this point, I wouldn’t even care what the actual beauty product was let alone how it performed. The fact that they have been able to do something so brand new at all in the overly saturated beauty space is quite a feat.  But even more incredibly (though maybe less importantly), as I’ve used (and used up) Gucci makeup, almost every product in their tightly edited lineup has crept up to a top spot in my makeup bag and that has been a surprising experience even for myself. Not only have they created a truly novel beauty campaign, but they’ve also managed to develop top-notch, hard-to-beat makeup products. So this blog post, on the red lipsticks in Gucci’s line, is really just an upfront love letter to Gucci Beauty. I am your biggest fan.

Warm Reds – Agatha Orange, Odalie Red, Constance Vermillon

These warm reds have very strong individual personalities and while there are some similarities, the subtle differences in tone really change the experience of wearing each of them. While most people save their warm reds for Spring and Summer, I wear them all year around. With the right navy coat and a good leather boot, warm reds perform as spectacularly with my Winter and Fall wardrobe as they do with the bright colors of other seasons.

And that’s it folks – hope you enjoyed this post, and very soon, I will be reviewing some of Gucci’s nude lipsticks some of which are truly unique. So keep reading!