All hail: beauty queen Victoria
There are few who spin as many plates as Victoria Beckham. With four children and a global fashion empire deftly balanced in her grasp, she talks Grazia through her new beauty brand, launching this month…
this month sees Victoria Beckham transition from designer to beauty magnate with her hotly anticipated namesake line. It’s easy to forget how unlikely it seemed when she frst made the leap from pop star-turned-wag, but she had to fght for the respect she now garners in the fashion world, and she did so with a grounded self-awareness that has endeared her to fans and contemporaries alike. A well-heeled step on to the beauty scene, by contrast, has arrived with apparent ease. Victoria’s collaboration with Estée Lauder, which debuted in 2016, marked her frst foray into beauty and ignited a desire to marry her zeal for cosmetics with her own fashion label. One link-up with Sarah Creal (formerly head of global make-up development and marketing at Esteé Lauder) later, and we have Victoria Beckham Beauty – which officially launches this month.
Besides, no one can question Victoria’s influence when it comes to make-up. Just as Jane Birkin’s fringe, Twiggy’s souped-up mascara and Lauren Hutton’s glow marked them out as the beauty poster girls of their generation, so too VB’S brown smoky eyes, contoured cheekbones and strong brows characterise her aesthetic. Her look’s been the target of tutorials worldwide for years.
All of which is perhaps why her landmark beauty venture is debuting with a focus on eyes. ‘The brand is launching with my Signature Smoky Eye collection: a Smoky Eye Brick, Lid Lustre and Satin Kajal Eye Liner that come in a range of different shades,’ Victoria tells Grazia.
Her favourite compact offers up a considered spectrum of autumnal hues, all of which are so indicative of her style, they could have been lifted from the cuttings pile of bygone A/W collections. That’s not to say she has been lazy – far from it. Functionality is key, with every product designed to be just as hard-working as the woman herself. ‘The range is for women and men on the move, who have a busy lifestyle and demand a lot from their products,’ she says. ‘It’s clean, sophisticated, highperforming, long-lasting and convenient.’
While you might argue VB’S had it easy when it’s come to creating a signature look – thanks to having a team of make-up artists on speed-dial – she insists her new line is about making her knowledge attainable and creating multi-tasking products. ‘Each product we have, and are creating for the brand, is something I’ve felt is missing from my regime or could be better or more streamlined,’ she says. From the butter-soft kohl kajal, which has the ability to subtly defne eyes as easily as it buffs out to a Debbie Harry-worthy fog of liner, to the universally flattering shadows that you can layer up from a soft wash to a punch of pigment, each product adapts to the unique application mode of its wearer.
So, which of the items does she predict will reach cult status? ‘It’s so hard to choose a hero product, because I think my customers are going to fall in love with all of them, but I would say the Smoky Eye Brick could be the one. You can create so many different eye looks with the one palette.’ She insists though, that – like her fashion success, that she’s built over the last 11 years – she’s in the beauty business for the long term. ‘It’s not about launching as many products as possible, it’s about bringing to the market make-up, skincare, fragrance and wellness that will truly make a difference to your regime, and make you feel your best self from top to toe, inside and out.’
The designer also wants to stress that there’s not one perfect product for everyone. As such, she’s chosen #Notperfect as the hashtag for a collection that she hopes will celebrate individuality as much as it nods to her efforts in the eco-friendly feld. ‘Taking a clean approach was a personal priority for me. I spent over a year consulting experts, educating myself about ingredients. We’ve worked tirelessly to create high-performing, innovative products using clean ingredients,’ she says. ‘When I frst began, I wanted every product to be completely clean, sustainable and every piece of packaging recycled and recyclable. The biggest challenge has been accepting that technology does not yet allow us to be 100% recycled and recyclable. But from this challenge came our hashtag #Notperfect. And the brand’s mission is to get there and to be better every day.’
So, keep your painted eyes peeled for more to come. As ever, Victoria Beckham still has lashings in her locker.