What We Know About Gwen Stefani's New Makeup Line
Having been a trendsetter with a constantly evolving look since the 1990s, fans were excited to replicate Gwen Stefani's bold aesthetic when the star revealed she was launching a makeup line. GXVE, a combination of the singer's signature and the word "give," became available online and in stores at Sephora in March 2022 (via Page Six). Inspired by the looks, vibe, and aesthetic of Stefani from her days in No Doubt to her solo career, GXVE markets itself as a makeup line "where performance meets play."
Sustainably designed and formulated, the vegan and cruelty free brand offers "artistry-level formulas created for makeup lovers who want to express their creativity and individuality." Currently, GXVE offers a variety of lip, eye, and face products that provide a stage-ready, "Gwen approved" glow.
"GXVE is for that community of creative people who love makeup, who want to express themselves through makeup, share that with each other, and learn from each other," Stefani says on the website. With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about GXVE and what to expect from Stefani's latest creative venture.
GXVE celebrates Gwen Stefani's love of red lipstick
GXVE's collection is still relatively small — it is a new brand, after all. But there's a major focus on one product in particular: lipstick. Gwen Stefani has traditionally gravitated toward a red lip, which she blames on growing up next to Disneyland in Anaheim and idolizing old Hollywood starlets. "Red lipstick was something that I always thought was glamorous and made you stand out and look so feminine," Stefani told Vanity Fair. "It's your mouth, your voice."
Currently, GXVE offers a selection of four lipsticks – the liquid Xtra Sauce ($24), the matte Original Me ($26), the satin Anaheim Shine ($26), and the matte liquid I'm Still Here ($24). Xtra Sauce and I'm Still Here carry the least shades of the bunch and focus on Stefani's "Original Recipe" of a deep, luscious red. Original Me and Anaheim Shine cover a variety of shades, from "true red" to "bright plum" and "beige natural."
The shade names of Anaheim Shine are particularly special to Stefani, as they reference important places in her life. "It's been really fun to develop and personalize everything based on my history," she told Glamour. "Rosewood Street is the first street that I lived on as a little girl; Loara is my high school. Stomp Box was our rehearsal studio that we rehearsed in as No Doubt."
GXVE offers a range of other products, including a soothing face oil
Aside from lipstick, GXVE offers a few eye products, including quad eyeshadow palettes, gel liners, and eyebrow pencils. The four eyeshadow palettes ($28) are described a "highly-pigmented, rich, buttery, [and] blendable." They include the "matte neutral" Simple Kind of Life, the "rose gold" Just A Girl, the "rich golden bronze" Rich Girl, and "matte smoky" Danger Zone.
If you hadn't guessed already, the shades are named after Stefani's songs from No Doubt and as a solo artist. The same goes for the gel liner Line It Up ($21), which comes in two waterproof shades: the "matte intense black" Spiderwebs and "metallic electric cobalt blue" Bathwater.
Two eyebrow pencils round out the eye products — Most Def and Hella On Point. Both come in five shades ranging from blonde to black, and are transfer and sweat-proof. Most Def ($24) is an instant definition sculpting pencil that utilizes a wide-angled, chisel-shaped tip to "fill, shape, and sculpt" the brows. Hella On Point ($24) is an ultra-fine pencil with precision application for "ultra-fine, hair-like strokes."
While GXVE has yet to release a foundation or concealer, they have a hydrating "multi-use prep and smooth oil." Retailing at $48, All Time Prime offers 24-hour hydration for a "smoother, dewier complexion." You can use it to either prep the skin or mix with foundation for the ultimate "hydration boost."
Gwen Stefani's makeup line is getting rave reviews
Gwen Stefani has received nothing but hype and praise for her makeup line. Across GXVE's site, the products have received five-star reviews, accompanied by glowing reviews from people in the beauty industry. Page Six's style editor Elana Fishman was "pleasantly surprised" at "how comfortably" Original Me felt on her lips and could only hope that All Time Prime would help her "age as gracefully as Stefani."
The Quality Edit's Kaleigh Moore highlighted the brand's affordability, with prices ranging from $20 to $40, calling the products "fantastic value for money" and that she's been "using the products day after day." She also noted that the brand plans to scale up the refill aspect of products like the Original Me lipstick and the Hella On Point eyeliner, noting that "not a lot of cosmetic brands do this."
Insider's Julia Guerra also has great things to say about GXVE but notes there's room for the brand to improve. While the I'm Still Here liquid lipstick has its transferable flaws, Guerra deems the All Time Prime face oil the best of the bunch. "Just a few drops go a long way in making skin feel hydrated and smooth," she notes. "It creates the perfect canvas for foundation and concealer, but I also enjoy wearing it solo."
GXVE Beauty has been four years in the making
Having "never really felt as confident as [she does] with this project," Gwen Stefani is all in with her GXVE. "Any journalist can come in and say, oh another celebrity beauty brand. They're never gonna touch this," she told Refinery29. "This s*** is so real, it's so authentic, and I don't mean that in a cocky way, I just mean that this is the truth."
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Stefani started developing the brand four years ago with New Theory Ventures — a venture capital firm run by Nikki Eslami, the founder of Bellami hair extensions. Since then, Stefani has been a significant part of the process, building GXVE from the ground up and attending every product meeting up to launch.
Speaking to Forbes, the musician highlighted how GXVE's products "not only look beautiful, but they perform and feel great while you wear them." The main takeaway Stefani hopes customers will get from GXVE is the confidence that doing and wearing makeup can provide. "I look at GXVE in the same way an artist looks at their color palette — every product puts artistry into your hands," she explained. "Everyone should have the ability to enjoy bold, clean makeup and feel great about themselves. That's what I hope GXVE is for everyone."
Gwen Stefani was a makeup artist before becoming a musician
For Gwen Stefani, makeup is as important as making music — the two go hand in hand. "To be able to dress up and get the makeup look that went with it, that was the champagne," she told Vanity Fair. "I always felt like the songs were a gift from God, and I was chosen to have them." But Stefani's love of makeup came far before music came into her life. "You know how certain things just are, and you don't really know why? ... I always played dress-up. I always played with glamour and makeup," she added. "I guess it's just part of my DNA."
Before co-founding No Doubt in 1986 (via The Guardian), Stefani was working behind a makeup counter in her hometown of Anaheim. "It was a really fun thing ... because what I loved about it was the feeling people would get from me," she told Vanity Fair. "When we were done and they looked at themselves and said, 'I had no idea I was this pretty' or 'I didn't know I could look like this.'"
"With GXVE, I wanted to create makeup that would make me the best makeup artist," Stefani concluded. "I wanted to make something that was comfortable but long-wearing."