Since launching Unconditional in 2015, the Australian stylist Ilona Hamer and French photographer Alexandra Nataf have captivated legions of discerning women the world round with their quietly striking editorials which feature Lauren Hutton and a Chanel Métiers d’Art gold-threaded coat, say, as prominently as vintage Levi’s and a social media-averse art director. “We’ve always wanted to do things that had a realness to them,” Nataf muses from her home in Los Angeles on a recent three-way call. Much the same could be said about the creative duo’s first foray into beauty: a nude lipstick made in partnership with Nicolas Gerlier’s La Bouche Rouge, the Paris-based sustainable cosmetics house known for its highly-pigmented collaborations with the likes of Anja Rubik and Chloë Sevigny.
Nataf, left, and Hamer in the subtle shade. For optimal smoothness, Hamer exfoliates her pout with a toothbrush every morning.
Photos: Courtesy of Alexandra Nataf; Courtesy of Ilona Hamer“For us, less is always more,” Nataf explains of their instinctual pull towards a hushed hue—but, as Hamer, who’s midway through a buff manicure at a Manhattan nail salon, stresses, “Natural doesn’t mean nothing.” With a balm-like finish, their new bullet offers a your-lips-but-better warmth that took 16 months to perfect. After all, “Nude can mean quite a lot of different things for different people,” says Nataf. Which is why Hamer and Nataf put theirs to the test, toting a handful of samples with them to set where they would try the formulas on any willing guinea pigs (models; agents; hairstylists), until they finally landed on a singular peach-with-a-hint-of-purple shade that suited a wide range of skin tones. (Proof can be found in the Nataf-lensed campaign, which stars Haitian model Aube Jolicoeur, tow-headed Eckhaus Latta muse Camilla Deterre, and the new raven-haired Russian face Lisa Han.)
“It feels like something your grandmother would have given you,” Hamer says of the timeless sienna-colored case.
Equally considered is the clean lipstick’s heritage-inspired, sienna-colored case. In keeping with La Bouche Rouge’s signature, eco-responsible packaging, the refillable tube, which is made from leather remains sourced from the prestigious Tanneries du Puy in France, is designed to develop a natural patina that comes with age and wear. “I love that it’s not this perfect thing that sits at home,” muses Hamer, who stashes her monogrammed version alongside other on-the-go essentials (keys; an eyelash curler) in an oversized Louis Vuitton pouch for easy access and even easier application. “By the way,” she raves, moments before hanging up, “I just put my lipstick on in the street.”
The lipstick adds a barely-there touch of color, as shown here on model Aube Jolicoeur.
Photo: Alexandra Nataf.jpg)
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