Just under a year ago, Lady Gaga announced her eagerly anticipated beauty brand Haus Laboratories, collaborating with longtime make-up artist Sarah Tanno who was announced as the brand’s global artistry director.
Since then, the pair have begun building the foundation for a long-lasting beauty brand, one that’s not just another short-lived celebrity pastime. “We’ve done make-up together a thousand different ways over the past 10 years,” Tanno tells Dazed Beauty. “We want to take the things we’ve learned being on stage, red carpets, or creating music videos. Taking those things and the products that didn’t work great for us and applying the tips and tricks that did work for us to create products that have them built into it.”
The newest offering from Haus Labs is EYE-DENTIFY, a gel pencil eyeliner that dares you not to be inspired by it’s 20 shades and variety of matte, shimmer, and metallic finishes. “When Gaga and I were looking to make this product, it was one of the very first things we ever talked about doing because it’s very true to the way her and I like to wear make-up,” Tanno explains. “Doing colour liners and wearing your eyeliner like you would eyeshadow is such a faster, easier, and more effortless way of wearing your make-up. It’s cool that it’s a little punk and a little messy and it’s not perfect.”
Despite this, the intense product development process – which makes the pencils glide without skipping and smudge-proof even on hooded and oily lids – means that perfection (however you define it) can be achieved with whatever look you want to create, something the make-up artist is really proud of. The most rewarding part for Tanno though is seeing fans use them to create looks. “When I create looks for Gaga’s music videos, tours, or covers, seeing fans create the look is just, oh my god! The ‘Rain On Me’ (look) with the white eyeliner, I think, was bigger than the Superbowl. I think it was because it’s so easy for people to do,” she says. “It’s literally like the biggest compliment, and seeing people step outside of their comfort zones, especially right now when we all need a little extra self-love and colour – this is the best way to express that!”
While make-up and beauty might not be everyone’s priority right now, Tanno muses on how creativity has helped ease her anxiety while in lockdown. “It has been quite a struggle for me to be completely transparent,” she says. “It’s different and something that’s been difficult for me, but I turned it into something that’s more positive and pushing myself to new parts of make-up and enjoy creating things for myself. I can stop and escape whatever I’m thinking of and not think about COVID-19, Trump, or whatever else is going on in the world and breathe a little – I feel like that’s a lesson we could share with everyone: slow down and pretend nothing else matters, you come first.”
“We encourage you to break the rules and feel empowered when you’re wearing your make-up. Just have fun and throw everything you’ve learned out the window” – Sarah Tanno, global artistry director, Haus Labs
As we still figure out when life might return to some sense of “normal”, Tanno and Gaga have their sights set on continuing to grow Haus Labs and its impact on the beauty industry. “Over the next few years, you’re going to see some amazing things. People are still finding out about us now and don’t know who Haus Laboratories is. We want to educate them and hopefully get them to trust us. It’s so exciting, we’re just cracking the surface as to what we’re doing,” she explains.
And who is Haus Laboratories exactly? She explains simply: “We encourage you to break the rules and feel empowered when you’re wearing your make-up. Just have fun and throw everything you’ve learned out the window!”
The EYE-IDENTIFY gel eyeliner pencils are available now.
-218x150.jpg "This Stylist, Producer & Model Has Been Re-Creating Mesmerising Runway Make-Up Looks During Lockdown")
