Beauty Amulets: Nadiah
Make it stand out
Yves Saint Laurent Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain
As a teenager I’d frequently take long bus trips after school up to Selfridges and Harrods just to try on as many shades of lipstick/gloss I could find. I remember walking around both stores in my school uniform, constantly in awe trying on sample after sample, patiently saving up my lunch money so I could finally buy a product I could cherish and finally take home as my very own.
Growing up I always loved the idea of make up and its endless possibilities, I would rush to the magazine stands in WHSmith every Friday just to see what looks had been created for the models on the catwalk, I’d read about the products, and the interviews whilst fantasising myself wearing the look on my own imaginary runway.
During secondary school my mum briefly took on a housekeeping job for a family in Kensington. The lady who she worked for had an Elle and Vogue monthly subscription, she knew I loved both magazines and would give them to my mum as a present to me once she’d finished with them.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___
In one of the many subscriptions that arrived, there was a complimentary limited edition Bobbie Brown & Annemarie Iverson makeup book called ‘ Bobbi Brown: Teenage Beauty- Everything you need to look pretty, Natural, Sexy and Awesome’ - which I still cherish to this day. I’ve been salivating over this book ever since I found it.
For a while I struggled with the shape of my lips and finding a berry/red shade that would show up and compliment my skin tone in a way that wasn't to too chalky, too bright or too dark. At the time I was growing up there were not many options for black skin apart from Mac (which I couldn’t afford just yet), drugstores, fashion fair, sleek and black hair shop. I tried every hair shop in South London just to be met with a limited selection that just didn't quite cut it.
At the time I was obsessed with vintage makeup specifically Barabara Haluninki’s signature Biba style, I wanted a glossy shade of deep berry that sat on the browner side which was subtle enough to to wear in the day and pigmented enough to build for night time. When I discovered Yves Saint Laurent Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain in 613 Cascade Bordeaux I finally arrived at my lip stain/ gloss Mecca.
To apply I like to start at the middle of the lip so it looks a bit like you’ve sucked an ice lolly, I then work the product with the triangular wand all over the lip without touching the lip line. Once the gloss dries the stain lasts all day its amazing!
I remember the first day I wore it was on the official press shoot for my first EP (Black EP), it was pretty special as it felt like a full circle moment in my life and new found career as an musician, I remember feeling regal, accomplished and confident. Flashbacks of those after school explorations, Magazine spreads, hours of sample try ons spiralled slowly like a film montage, cascading into what felt like a warm rush. It’s since become more that a lipgloss it became a lucky charm I like to wear occasionally for stage performances, I recall taking it in my hand luggage on my Australia, Russia and Berlin tour to ground me and remind me of that teenage girl sampling makeup at Selfridges with only a few coins in her pocket. She finally found her favourite shade and was living the reality she’d always dreamed of.
Words and Images: Nula
