When it comes to committing to a beauty look, model, musician, and budding chef Gabbriette has nailed it. The multi-hyphenate celebrity has pioneered the recent resurgence of ’90s grunge makeup, with her signature thin eyebrows, black eyeliner, and greyish-nude lip combo. “I started copying makeup from movies and teen magazines, following trends and figuring out what I liked from there,” she says of creating her signature aesthetic. “I don’t mind using makeup to make myself feel better. It’s fun and it’s an art form.”
Last July, Gabbriette even collaborated with MAC on a three-step lip kit featuring her staple products. Now, she’s starring in the brand’s latest campaign for the release of MACStack Elevated Mascara and Dazzelshadow EyeShadow Sticks. Ahead of the launch, ELLE sat down for a conversation about her love for lip liners of all kinds, makeup staples, and beauty tricks.
What is your everyday beauty routine?
It’s always black eyeliner, filling in my brows, and lip liner. I like accentuating my features, so I don’t really do anything too high-coverage. I don’t really like highlighter, and I hate anything too drying. So for me, the most important things are moisture and my lip combo.
Is there a beauty ritual that makes you feel most like yourself?
My lip liner. I have a bunch of them in my bag at all times. Sometimes halfway through the night, I’ll touch up my liner and realize that I’m using the wrong shade. Or if I’m in the dark, I’ll always accidentally put black eyeliner on my lips, but it’s fine. It’s a look.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever done your makeup?
Probably a lot of random bathrooms, but that’s where you’re supposed to do your makeup, so I don’t really think that is weird! Maybe a car. But honestly, I feel like nothing is weird. You just have to touch up wherever you can. But I’ve also never been anywhere that’s super weird. Like, I’ve never been in a submarine doing my makeup—now that would be weird.
What’s your philosophy on eyebrows?
My philosophy is to do whatever looks best on your face. I don’t believe in measuring anything too strictly. It’s really whatever vibe you want. But I look so bad with thick brows, so I tweeze them off. If they were nice, I would keep them. The hairs are just really fine, so they fall all over the place. I can never [find] a gel [that will] keep them up; they’re too feathery.
I saw in a video you recorded that you used to wear a red lip every day. What’s your current combo?
I’m not hating on a red lip, but it just doesn’t look good on me. I did it for so long in high school with this Sephora lip stain. It would get so crusty and I would apply it all day. I just can’t go back there.
My current lip routine is the MAC Stone liner that was in my lip kit collaboration with the brand. Or Endless Cacao by Makeup Forever and then the MAC Squirt Plumping Gloss Stick. At night, I like to use a hyaluronic acid balm, like Topicals, to help with the lines on my lips. But yea, I take my liner, smudge it out, and add a colored gloss on top.
Where, if anywhere, would you wear a red lip?
Probably nowhere. If it were on set maybe, but it’s just not for me. I’m good.
What are five essentials you always keep in your bag?
My lip liner. Maybe some chips or an orange. I’m loving oranges these days. I always have, like, three pairs of headphones in my bag. A camera and a lighter. Oh, and hand sanitizer, of course.
What other makeup product do you consider a must-have?
Maybe an eyebrow pencil, in case I need to touch up. I have my perfume oil or some type of perfume. But I hate when people put on perfume when they already smell bad. It’s one of my pet peeves. When people say, “Oh, I smell bad, let me spray a perfume.” I’m like, No you just need to shower.
What are some of your favorite perfumes or fragrance notes?
I like smokey scents. I like smelling like a fireplace and an old church. There’s one scent from Cire Trudon that I love called Mortel and it smells like a chapel. I can’t really explain it. It’s woody and old.
I’ve also always loved amber, musk, leather, and patchouli—very cozy scents. But I remember someone sent me a bracelet and it smelled so good that I wore it everyday, just so I could smell it. I hunted down the brand of the perfume and bought it. It wasn’t something I would normally go for, but I loved it. It’s the new Comme des Garçons Rouge.
You’re known for ’90s makeup. Do you have a ’90s style icon?
Oh, that’s hard! There’s so many, especially because in the ’90s, most people had tiny eyebrows. But the one that comes to mind first is Mulan, because she was my Disney girl, my princess. Another one I would say is Cate Blanchett. I read an article recently that said she wears a lot of her [own] outfits on the red carpet, and I feel like nobody does that. I’ve always thought she was amazing. And the last one, maybe Susie Cave—they call her “the vampire’s wife.” One time on set, the makeup artist Dick Page said I reminded him of her and she’s fabulous. Especially in the ’90s with her black hair, it was everything.
Do you like to repeat outfits?
Yeah, I think it’s great. My sister is super into sustainability, and I’ve learned a lot from her. We used to shop a lot of fast fashion in my family, just because it was cheaper. But we’ve learned that vintage is the way, and I’ve fallen in love with vintage shopping.
I will buy one thing and wear it for months, until it’s disgusting and I have to let it sleep. But I think it’s stupid that people feel like [they] have to put something away because [it has been photographed]. Sometimes, I feel like dressing in basics with good quality pieces is really special. It’s something I’ve been trying to accomplish with my closet.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.