For your consideration: the black, glossy lip
Karencitta is many things: she’s an entertainer, she’s a musician, and if our June cover and the video that accompanied it are anything to go by, she’s Cebuana and extremely proud of it. We explored plenty of these facets as we put together our cover for the month, shifting and reworking ideas to ensure that they fit the songstress best. In the process, crafting the beauty direction for the shoot made me recognize yet another facet to Karencitta worth spotlighting.
An entertainer, a musician––yes, she is all those things. But she is also a woman who can work a bold black lip like nobody’s business. Case in point:
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First, a little background. For this cover shoot, like most that we produce, we had two very distinct beauty looks in mind. The first was hinged on straight, blow-dried hair and a watercolor situation on the eyes, but with our love for variety and Karencitta’s distinct sexy-meets-tough flair, we naturally had to counter that with a look from the opposite end of the makeup spectrum. With that, we scoured for ideas and finally came across the perfect building block: that one model with the black lips in Gucci’s Pre-Fall 2019 lookbook.
Image by Harmony Korine for Gucci Pre-Fall 2019
Pouring herself tea, lapping at lollipops and taking extremely dedicated bites out of food with Gucci on her body and noir on her lips, this model’s devil-may-care energy was just what we needed. With a little extra highlighting, a thick layer of gloss and some defined curls in the hair, Karencitta’s cover beauty look was fully conceptualized. Naturally, we owe it to makeup artist Oriel Carbonilla, hair stylist Brix Batalla and the ever-enthusiastic Karencitta herself for doing the idea justice. So. Much. Justice.
RELATED: A Tribute to Karencitta’s ‘Wonder’ Style and the New Local Labels to Love
We know you want in on the tough and mysterious vibe of this look. We know you’re looking to get the cool, vampy appeal of a deep, dark kiss. And yeah, we are absolutely sure you want to get in on the “coffee as black as my heart, lips as black as my coffee” movement that isn’t quite a movement yet, but absolutely should be. Whether you’re already taken to a dark lip or are mustering the courage to raise a big, fat middle finger to your beauty boundaries, you wouldn’t have scrolled this far down if you didn’t want a breakdown of products to achieve the look.
Hey, I won’t keep you on hold any longer. Here’s what you’ll need:
SKIN GENIE Sexy Pout Lip Scrub, P75
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IN HER ELEMENT Nourishing Cocoa Balm, P185
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FENTY BEAUTY Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Uninvited, P1200 |
3CE Glass Gloss, P682
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An exfoliating lip scrub
To slough off all the dry skin on those lips. When you’re going for a look as calculatedly cool as this one, preparation is key!
A moisturizing lip balm
To lock in that nourishment. With a look this dramatic, you’re gonna need it!
A dark-as-hell black liquid lipstick
Look for the deepest, darkest, most dramatic shade of black and slather it on that pout. Rihanna’s Stunna Lip Paint is a good choice for its soft matte finish and promise of long wear, but if you’re looking for something just a little lighter on the wallet, consider Sephora’s velvety Cream Lip Stain in the shade Night Bird.
A lip gloss for the big finish
Not that the black painted on your lips will need any help stealing glances, but this crucial last step will wrap the entire look up in a bubble of badass energy that just can’t be ignored. Top off the look with a glass-like finish by way of MAC’s Lip Glass or 3CE’s Glass Gloss––although really, any non-sticky lip gloss with a glassy finish can get the job done.
RELATED: Wonder Beauty Counter: June Is About Perfect-looking Brows, Color and French Beauty
If you haven’t pored over Karencitta’s Wonder cover just yet, consider this your formal invitation. Go on, get inspired.
Photography Andrea Beldua
Art and Art Direction Alexandra Lara
Fashion Direction and Styling Nicole Blanco Ramos
Beauty Direction Cessi Treñas
Makeup Oriel Carbonilla
Hair Brix Batalla
Shot on Location at Chroma Studio
