The Very Good Reason Gwen Stefani Doesn't Use a Makeup Artist

The Voice Coach Gwen Stefani has been a style icon since the late '80s. From her early days as a rocker in No Doubt to her glam solo career, Stefani has made an undeniable impression on the world of music, fashion, and most recently, beauty.

Stefani launched her GXVE Beauty line in May 2022. Her passion for beauty started when she was a self-taught Makeup Artist working at a department store.

“I was a fake Makeup Artist in the sense that they never trained me, and I didn’t ever report to anybody,” Stefani recently told Glamour. “I found magic in the makeup. It’s not even about how people look; it’s how they feel. Once that makeup goes on, the confidence that comes with it is what stayed with me.”

To achieve that confidence for herself, Stefani does her own glam; she doesn't use a Makeup Artist. "I never worked with a Makeup Artist my entire career, really, other than one here or one there," she said. "I had a bad experience when I was doing [an early] No Doubt record. This guy came and did my makeup for the artwork, and I remember thinking I looked ugly."

This led to an important realization that served as Stefani's guiding glam principle. "I was like, 'I look prettier when I do my makeup,' but I was too scared to say something," Stefani said. "I still look at those pictures and I’m like, 'Ugh.' After that I took it into my own control."

The result? Decades and decades of stunning, memorable makeup looks. And you can see more of them this fall when Gwen Stefani returns as a Coach for The Voice Season 22.