Lipstick is the one beauty product that has the power to single-handedly amp up your look in ten seconds. It is no wonder that it was Mademoiselle Chanel’s favorite beauty accessory. When you find your perfect shade, it is common to buy it in bulk—to stash one in your handbag, another in your desk drawer, and another in the glove box to ensure that you are never without. Over time, lipstick has become a “stick of confidence.” With the launch of the Chanel Rouge Coco lipsticks, Doha-based blogger Anum Bashir (Desert Mannequin) turned beauty mannequin for five days to show us her top five picks from the 24 shades within the collection. We followed Bashir as she was photographed around the doors of Doha.
What was your first encounter with lipstick?
As a little girl I was fascinated by my mother’s pretty shades of red, pink, and orange lipsticks. I would pretend to apply her Chanel lipsticks in front of the mirror but use Chapstick instead. Today, while makeup might not be my thing, lipstick sure is.
Which lipstick colors work best with your olive skin tone?
I love anything that gives that lip-stained look, but on a daily basis, I typically wear a nude shade. Evenings are all about something a bit more high voltage. I love to pair a reddish orange shade with my olive skin—it works wonders.
Anum Bashir’s Top 5 Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick picks:
Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in 444 Gabrielle
www.chanel.com
US $36; AED/SAR 133
Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in 424 Edith
www.chanel.com
US $36; AED/SAR 133
Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in 440 Arthur
www.chanel.com
US $36; AED/SAR 133
Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in 402 Adrienne
www.chanel.com
US $36; AED/SAR 133
Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in 442 Dimitri
www.chanel.com
US $36; AED/SAR 133
What is your beauty philosophy?
I’ve never been a huge makeup person, but I do believe in good skincare. I recently have become more open to doing beauty shoots on my blog, Desert Mannequin, which is mainly fashion and art-focused. My approach to makeup has always been “less is more.” With the right lipstick, blush, and some mascara, your face is always well-dressed and ready to go.
You recently shot a beauty story in Doha; what was the concept?
“Doors of Doha” has been a dream of mine for some time. I was photographed around Doha in front of beautiful old doors. They are always so intricate and I feel that this is definitely an ode to old Qatari landscape and architecture. Doors often go unnoticed, so, I decided to pick five doors in my neighborhood and choose complementary shades of Rouge Coco Lipstick as my definitive accessory.
How does a week of wearing Rouge Coco lipsticks make you feel?
Lipstick, to me, is confidence wrapped in a small package. It makes a woman feel beautiful, powerful, and incredibly feminine. My personal style always teeters on the androgynous side of the scale. I believe in balancing the feminine with the masculine, and I do that by wearing lipstick and teaming it with a cool suit, of course.
