“Addictive,” “seductive,” and “intoxicating,” –and one might even describe Black Opium, the feminine fragrance from Yves Saint Laurent as “fascinating.” It’s no wonder why the latest makeup launch from YSL Beauté comes in the same packaging as the fragrance. The collection was created by Zoe Kravitz, who is regarded by many as all of the above.
In an armchair inside Kravitz’s Hotel suite in New York City, I sit in awe listening to the strikingly beautiful Big Little Lies actress tell me more about the inspiration for the exclusive lipstick collection launching this month. Kravitz leads with the shade range.
“I wanted to start with the basics. I think nudes and reds are the foundation of makeup. You know like the base. Those are the two kinds of colors that I would wear daily, and I wanted to find shades and textures within that world that would work for all different kinds of skin tones, all ages, and all genders,” she says.
Although the colors are “really simple,” the lipsticks are “very special and specific. I’ve named them all after loved ones in my life. It feels very personal to me,” Kravitz says. “The packaging was inspired by a combination of the Black Opium bottle and a few of my favorite YSL bags.”
On Kravitz’s lips is “Arlene’s Nude,” a beautiful mauve shade named after her late grandmother, and the first to be released from the six-piece collection on August 20.
Kravitz paused to reflect on her first memory of lipstick, which she attributed to her other grandmother, Roxie Roker. “She was a classy woman, and she wore red lipstick almost every day—It became a part of her face. She let me put some on when I was quite young.”
Kravitz shared that she draws her beauty inspiration from her grandmothers, her mother Lisa Bonet, and all the women in her life who surrounded her growing up. “When you’re growing up, the women surrounding you will always have a huge influence on who you are. “Watching these women be fierce, and unapologetically themselves helped shape who I am,” said Kravitz.
The YSL X Zoe Kravitz collection releases in homage to the influential women who’ve inspired the entertainer’s confident, sassy, flirty, and badass persona, so you can expect the lipsticks to inspire same and whatever that looks like for you.
The lipsticks retail for $38, and a new shade will be available on the YSL Beauté site every day until August 25.