To successfully helm a celebrity makeup line, the celebrity in question should have a distinctive look: Rihanna’s glow. Selena Quintanilla’s red lip. Kim’s kontour and Kylie’s lips. Gigi Hadid is... pretty. For Maybelline, I guess that’s enough.
It appears that Hadid has teamed up with Maybelline to launch GigixMaybelline, a collection that has been “a year in the making.” Pictures of the products are scarce; a quick glance at Hadid’s image announcing the line shows some eyeshadow, a bunch of nude lipsticks that look basically the same, and a few darker, moodier shades that I don’t think Hadid has ever worn, or would ever wear.
Nothing about this is terribly exciting, though for her fans, I’m sure the chance to own a dusty-pink lipstick emblazoned with her initials is thrilling in a way that I, a person who feels decidedly neutral about Gigi Hadid, will never understand. It’s great that she’s diversifying her brand from Instagram person to runway model to makeup ambassador. What truly grinds my gears about this collaboration, though, is that Hadid lacks a distinctive beauty look. As an apparent champion of the Glossier-esque, clean-girl, no-makeup aesthetic, it’d make sense for the collection to be reflective of that. Instead, this looks like a regular-ass makeup collection. nothing to see here.
Give me an eye gloss, Gigi! Show me a drugstore BB cream that actually makes my face look like an Instagram filter! Make a nude lipstick that isn’t that drab, Kim Kardashian circa 2015 dusty-rose that, when you squint, looks a little bit like the tongue of a person with the flu! Drugstore makeup doesn’t have to be boring, but if the person behind it is, well... this might be what you get.