Beauty Therapy: Westman Atelier, the own-label range by make-up artist Gucci Westman

I can’t get enough of this brilliant new pared-back range   

Attention, please: this is a seriously good new beauty brand alert. Correction: a seriously good new CLEAN beauty brand alert. Welcome Westman Atelier, the own-label range by make-up artist Gucci Westman, beloved by magazines and Hollywood stars alike.

Full disclosure: Gucci and I are friends. Not friends who go on holiday together. I’m not godmother to her children. But friends nonetheless. Still, I wouldn’t recommend a product range because of that.

Although some may describe Gucci first and foremost as make-up artist and friend to the likes of Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston, I describe her as a woman of conviction. So it is that her clean ethics – she lives a very wellness-focused lifestyle – are central to her line of cosmetics-come-skincare.

It’s a simple, pared-back affair: foundation that doubles as concealer, blush, highlighter, powder and contour all in ultra-chic, stick-form packaging, plus a powder bronzer. Her Japan-made brushes have shorter handles than regular ones so they’re easier to control. It’s what Gucci calls a make-up ‘wardrobe’, a system, and one that delivers a very natural-looking finish. Or, as she puts it, skin that ‘looks intact but enhanced, amplified’. Developing it and getting the textures right took four years of (self-funded) hard work, especially because she didn’t want to use silicones. 

‘We’re all so accustomed to how silicones feel,’ she says, ‘I had to create something that was close to that of my competitors but was also clean and beautiful – thank God for camellia oil.’ The textures still glide on to the skin and feel silky. Coverage is good but looks life-like.

Gucci is clear about what her brand is: natural options first and free from ‘nasties’ including parabens and phthalates; and what it isn’t: organic. When she can’t use natural ingredients it’s because she won’t compromise on the feel, finish and effect that she, as much as any of us, wants from her make-up. Westman Atelier products also have skincare benefits. Gucci suffers from rosacea, so she has included ingredients such as phytosphingosine, a plant extract with anti-inflammatory properties, so products are ‘healing and therapeutic’. Clean, luxurious, multitasking, stylish – it’s as much a description of Gucci herself as the range.

Find Westman Atelier at Net-a-Porter from early June; prices from £44. To get on the waiting list, go to net-a-porter.com/Shop/Designers/Westman_Atelier

Make mine a Whippy

Coconut & Monoi Oil Nivea Body Soufflé

For a boost of lightweight body hydration I’m really enjoying using the new Nivea Body Soufflés. They have a light, whipped texture but still feel pleasingly rich to the touch. They’re infused with oils without being greasy and give a slight sheen – nice for freshly exposed limbs in warmer weather. Choose between Coconut & Monoi Oil (my favourite) or the spring-fragranced Cherry Blossom & Jojoba Oil (£7.99 each, boots.com).  

Self-tan, mess-free

Here’s another helping hand to ease the transition to bare limbs – and add glamour to the messy arena of the self-tan. These Velvotan self-tan mitts (£2.99, tesco.com, amazon.co.uk) are really silky and make application easy. Made in the UK, they’re washable and reusable and are a massive step-up in the style stakes from the usual drab styles. I love the leopard-print version but the snakeskin is pretty snazzy too.