Lady Gaga has revealed the impact makeup has had on her life, career and confidence as she recalls how she never “felt beautiful” before using cosmetics.
The pop star, who is featured on the October cover of Allure for the magazine’s “Best of Beauty” issue, wore products from her own beauty line Haus Laboratories for the shoot as she opened up about what makeup means to her.
According to the 33-year-old, makeup changed her life, and her hope is that her new line will be able to do the same for others.
“I never felt beautiful, and I still have days that I don’t feel beautiful,” she recalled. “All of the insecurities that I’ve dealt with my whole life from being bullied when I was younger, they come right back up to bite me.
“Then I put makeup on, and before I know it I feel this superhero within. It gives me those wings to fly.”
The Shallow singer also credits makeup, and her makeup artists, with helping her to transform from Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta into Lady Gaga.
“When I became Lady Gaga when I was younger, it was because I discovered makeup. It means so much to me on a deep visceral level - the power of makeup to change how you feel when you’re at your lowest,” she said.
According to Lady Gaga, there were times early in her career that she doesn’t think she would have had the courage to step on stage, due to anxiety and the hectic pace of touring, had it not been for her team of makeup artists, including Sarah Tanno.
The singer recalls how Tanno would “pick me up off the floor” and dry her tears while assuring her that she was going to “put on your face now”.
“Sarah would do my makeup, Freddie [Aspiras] would do my hair, and they would hold me and say: ‘Look at yourself. There’s Lady Gaga. You can do this. Now go do it,’’’ she revealed.
It inspired Lady Gaga to create her own brand, which she hopes will make people feel “completely liberated”, whether they wear a little makeup or a lot.
In the interview, Lady Gaga also discussed the importance of creating a line that is accessible to anyone, no matter how they identify, explaining that she wants all gender identities “to know very clearly that they are included, and never exploited, ever”.
