The name on everyone's lips at the moment, even in far off Australia. Her new line of products have taken us by storm and we can definitely see why.
Beautifully curated, insanely easy to use, and can seamlessly slot in to anyone's makeup routine. Coined for being luxury beauty on the go, this line has seriously captured our hearts and the story of Gucci Westman is even more beautiful.
I won't go into too much detail of her early life (you can find more of that on Fat Mascara podcast. They dive into her spiritual practices there, so definitely give it a listen). Instead, I wanted to focus more on her artistry life.
Having more interest in fine art, Westman had a fruitful journey into makeup artistry. Scattered with all type of experiences, like doing her entire school bus' makeup at an early age and experimenting with her own look as the trends ploughed through. She formed a unique eye for beauty that was lensed by her passion for art. Her strokes and her experience with painting brought a fine artistic flair to her makeup. She ended up going to one of the best makeup schools in Paris (Atelier de Maquillage) and learning from some of the best in the business. She was "romanced by the fashion world" and fell in love with the shows and the ethereal nature of them.
Having met several people in LA, including a stylist who worked with Spike Jones, she went on to do small films with not-so-small stars like Cameron Diaz. This was the break she needed, as Diaz asked for her to come to New York to be her makeup artist for a few gigs. Crazy right?
Another notable story of hers was her prep for a cover shoot. It was a shoot that required dirt and her special effects experience came in handy when she showed up with numerous dirt samples. This propelled her to be hired as the key artist for the entire shoot.
Fast forward a few years and she's shooting with the top photographers like Steven Miesel. Her connection was Grace Coddington, who saw so much potential in her due to Westman's hard work and constant preparedness to her work, really fuelled her career and the people she got to work with.
To me this story is so inspirational. It tells a tale of someone going with the flow of life. She saw opportunities and paths that she wanted and worked hard to get herself there. No hesitation (maybe a little) but just went for it. My key takeaway from her story was her insane preparation for each job. How she was ready and showed her best self to every job really enabled her to utilise these connections to the fullest.
It's always about who you know, but sometimes you might have that connection and it won't turn into anything if you aren't on your game all the time. Showing up, being prepared, were all traits that Westman captured.
I love her story because it grew from humble beginnings and she still remains humble today considering the success she has gained. I hope more artists can learn from this journey and be realistic with their goals.
Tune in next week for her product line review!