Few pop stars today are as educated as Dua Lipa. Born in Kosovo and raised in London, the singer-songwriter has become a full-fledged global phenomenon, traveling the globe on her tours. As such, her versatility, her impeccable fashion sense, and her fierce independence are a perfect fit for her latest fragrance from YSL Beauty, Libre Le Parfum. Maison’s original ode A sexy and sensual update to her parfum, its scorching saffron, orange blossom and light lavender notes last her all day (I can confirm this), just like Lipa herself. It leaves traces everywhere. Her chameleon-like nature allows her to constantly move and live in-between at the same time, daring between the worlds of men and women, and the solitude and chaos.
Not only is she a fashion and beauty icon, but she is a passionate advocate for women’s rights. Recently, her hit podcast covers the heavier topics of gender inequality and toxic masculinity. Please let us knowtalks with entertainment industry power players like Riz Ahmed and Megan Thee Stallion about how best to navigate these tenuous topics in 2022.
In her latest campaign, Lipa finds herself in a distant world of blue lagoons and black beaches, free from the noise of social influence and focused on becoming her best self. , where she recorded a blistering cover of George Michael’s iconic song “Freedom.” As he succinctly stated almost 30 years ago, “You have to have some faith in your sound. It’s the only good thing I have.” Lipa ponders past and present. , has gone into the future with her genre-bending music, establishing herself as a superstar with a future as bright as her sound.where she sat with Elle On a balmy June day in the south of France, we’re all about YSL Beauty, covering its iconic songs and discussing all your travel beauty tips.
Who is your biggest beauty inspiration?
Oh, kick off with a big one! When I think about beauty and fashion inspiration, I draw a lot of inspiration from the 90s. I love 90’s Kate Moss. I loved Drew Barrymore in the 90’s and she always loved her brown lips. [My mum] It was the first time I saw her applying eyeliner in the mirror. I was always fascinated by how she did it perfectly.
What scent reminds you of home the most?
I think the smell of freshly cut grass is an immediate reminder that you are in Kosovo. In the cold winter, you also have this smell when everyone is burning wood in the fireplace, and there is a really warm smell of winter and a burning fire.
I love the smell of childhood.
Well, those two are definitely scents and some of my favorite scents. And when you think of London… Have you ever smelled it when it rained on a hot day? It’s raining, but it smells like concrete. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s very comfortable and reminds me of London.
It is very specific to cities. It smells like it’s raining from the sidewalk.
yeah i love that I want to find the smell after the rain!
You said watching your mom apply eyeliner. Was it your first childhood memory of beauty and self-care?
surely. I was always fascinated. Her mother was sitting in front of her mirror applying eyeliner. She recalled that she was 23 when her mother gave birth to me. When she was a kid, I thought her parents were much older, but by the time she remembered wearing eyeliner, she was about my age. It may be.
The theme of this campaign is free. When do you feel most free?
I feel the most free when I’m on stage. It may sound clichéd, but the moment you create it in a studio environment, you can actually live the words and remember why you wrote them and why you felt the way you did. i feel so lucky. share that energy. And when I’m on stage, there’s always this freedom and playfulness. Especially after his 10 shows at the beginning of the tour, he had the stamina to think about where he had to be, what he was doing, his choreography, his routine, and perform every night.
It sounds like a lot.
That was all, really free. Everything felt really playful and fun. Really fun. I love Madison Square Garden.
You didn’t seem nervous at all during the performance.
I was not!I completely Initialization.
you saw in it
I liked it That show was a dream for me. It was crazy.
headline! I have never been to Madison Square Garden.
Wasn’t it? It’s just a magnificent venue and has so much history that it feels daunting. Just the thought of being there let alone being on that stage. ..but it was amazing.
good. Tell us a little bit about shooting the campaign video. Which setup was your favourite? Quite a few.
I like to call it the YSL Beauty Adventure. I’m going through so many emotional experiences when I’m shooting these campaigns. was standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon shooting, and there was an eagle. I was shooting this very isolated moment when I was alone, so there was a moment when the whole crew was so far away. I was thinking in my head, You are such a small person in this vast world! There is something in that feeling that grounds you.
That’s modesty, right?
It’s really, really humbling and really exciting. I love doing these campaigns and I’m excited to do new ones as well. I had a really shocking moment just looking at the ocean and seeing how small I was in comparison The power of the waves, and being on top of the lighthouse…all bring you back to reality.
What’s the best beauty advice you’ve ever received?
Less is better. Especially while on tour, she danced every night with her makeup on and had a breakout. I was trying everything: serums, masks. Then I thought, “This is overkill.”I think what you should do is go back to basics. [and] Keep it really simple. I don’t use too many products anymore. When I was a child, my skin was beautiful, and the less stress it has on my skin, the better. I used to come back there all the time and that’s where I am now.Less is more, but that is subject to change [laughs]Also, when I was a kid, my mom wouldn’t allow me to pluck my eyebrows, so now I’m very happy.
what about the worst?
I bleached my hair once and wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. I thought, Oh, it gives my hair some texture. Then I looked like I just came out of the microwave. My hair is too dark to be blonde.
I can’t imagine sitting around with that bleach on.
It was 8 hours! And it’s not even the worst beauty advice. [laughs]But it’s one of those things that at least knows what you’re getting yourself into.
What’s the key to self-care on the move? Besides keeping your skincare routine super simple.
Take vitamins and go to bed. I realized it helped me maintain my endurance. I do yoga every day, but other than that, getting enough sleep is very important. Humans need to be double cleansed—two different cleansers. I really have to take that makeup off!
If you could describe Libre in your own words, how would you describe it?
I think it’s the perfect juxtaposition of masculine and feminine, and I love the fusion of worlds, so I think the scent itself is what I really connect with.It’s something I’ve always felt very comfortable with [and] very connected to It’s just this really strong but sensitive smell that I also feel like it represents a lot of women.
You may be strong, but don’t be afraid to be sensitive.
We should celebrate all parts of ourselves. I think that’s incredibly important and I think people associate women so quickly as being vulnerable, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I think that’s part of toxic masculinity too . We must be able to be vulnerable, emotional and express ourselves. Because it is the best way for us to be the most open and free.
I was listening to an episode of Please let us knowand you touched on this, how even men need to be vulnerable.
absolutely! They have been taught otherwise. They’ve been taught that they have to be resilient to their mistakes. And I think it’s about taking 10 steps back.
Putting emotions aside without properly handling them can be harmful. There’s a reason I feel that way…
I feel this and we should allow ourselves to feel it! The same thing sometimes happens with women. Talking to friends these days, as women we are slowly starting to have a sense of power and feel stronger in our position. To be taken seriously, you must not show fear or show vulnerability. ’ And that’s not it! We can have all these nuances and be taken seriously and still be strong while being all of them.
Definitely need more nuance.
More than that, absolutely.
Shift gears to music for a moment. How do you choose your collaborators when making a song? Is it the song first, then the artist? Or vice versa?
I like to do unexpected things often. I think it’s finished as an exciting song. In this day and age, genres don’t exist, so when two artists come together and make something together, it’s the only thing that’s exciting, and I love that. It sounds natural, that’s how I do it. Then, if it’s the song that was presented to me first, it’s all about: what it’s like sonically, the artists I work with, the tables they put on to make it unique. What can we bring to, what can we make it sound like something that we both represent.
If you could be a makeup product, what would it be and why?
Oh my god, you really care about me! It’s just a classic, so I think I’ll go with brown lipstick. Minimal, but effortless. Minimal effort while maximal effort.
I heard a snippet of the “Freedom” cover you did. What was it like recording such an iconic song?
It was very exciting, but when you’re covering a song with such a huge legacy, with such a great artist, it’s only natural that you want to cover it. I always like to be thoughtful when I cover songs, especially when it comes to songs that are of great value to the culture. I wanted to make it my own way, but it meant the same thing.I think
It embodies that and is perfect for the Libre campaign. i hope i did it justice. Again, this is a cover, so I hope it’s made as respectfully as possible.
It encapsulates masculinity and femininity, soft and loud at the beginning and end. Scream from the top of the mountain and let it all hang out.
So the song is the embodiment of freedom. And the way it has long been used to represent so many cultural moments is iconic.
And it still retains its influence.
No it isn’t!
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Kevin LeBlanc is a Fashion Associate at ELLE Magazine. He covers fashion news, trends and all things Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
