The Beauty Inspiration Behind Lada Gaga's ELLE UK Cover

With a trailblazing beauty brand championing make-up artistry and self-expression, and a career that sees the grammy-award-winning pop star metamorphose on stage and on-screen, Lada Gaga is well versed in the art of transformation. For her February ELLE UK cover, however, Gaga leans into a new look. 'I'm just trying to feel as in my skin as possible and not like I'm performing all the time,' the multi-hyphenate revealed in her exclusive interview.

The beauty mood board - fresh, radiant skin, stained lips and soft blush, plus, a departure from her signature blonde roots with bleached brows and jet-black lengths - mirrors this sentiment. 'We were able to photograph her character in a way we haven't ever seen much of before,' leading hairstylist, Akki Shirakawa, tells ELLE UK. 'All the outfits, the make-up, the hair, and the surroundings worked in tandem.'

Eschewing her classic blonde hair was a purposeful move. 'On the day I arrived at the shoot location, the surroundings (the outskirts of Los Angeles) felt so peaceful. When Gaga arrived, I saw her natural, pure expression and her porcelain skin, and I thought simple black hair would look good on her that day,' he shares.

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Though Gaga's hairstyles often reflect her avant-garde, bold and stronger sartorial choices, Shirakawa wanted to lean into something different. 'Gaga once said: "Women are both strong and fragile". This time, I wanted to create a beauty mood that could bring out the pureness and fragility,' he tells ELLE UK.

Created using a wig, Shirakawa still needed the right haircut and products. 'I used haircare from Sisley Ritual, including The Invisible Hold Hairspray and The Cream 230, to help create the tasseled feeling so that it looked natural with a slightly stronger texture,' he explains.

Make-up references also took a softer u-turn. 'As the ultimate muse, Gaga gave the glam team complete freedom to create something truly unique for her,' shares make-up artist, Frankie Boyd. 'The inspiration for the shoot came from the idea of portraying her as a porcelain doll, drawing influence from vintage black-and-white portraits shared by her creative team.'

Haus Labs, Gaga's own, was the natural choice to bring the make-up vision to life. 'I had heard a lot of buzz about Haus Labs and was excited to finally try it. I was thoroughly impressed by the innovative formulas and the foundation has quickly found its way into my make-up kit,' he adds.

How did he create the finished make-up look? 'Her skin was brightened, perfected and given a matte finish with icy highlights, while her lips were stained with a plum fuchsia shade,' he shares. Elsewhere mascara was minimal, verging on bare, with a baroque-style blush which was applied to the apple of the cheeks. The result is soft yet striking, and transformative without being performative.

Sisley The Cream 230

£84 at Space NK

Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation

£42 at Sephora

Sephora Haus Labs Optic Intensity Eco Gel Eyeliner Pencil

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£16 at Sephora

Sisley The Invisible Hair Spray

£82 at Space NK

Haus Labs Le Monster Lip Crayon

Now 25% Off

£17 at Sephora

Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Gel-Powder Highlighter

£41 at Sephora

Lady Gaga's full interview is in the March issue of ELLE UK, on newsstands February 6.

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Amelia Bell

Multiplatform Beauty Director

Amelia Bell is the Multiplatform Beauty Director for ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar, developing beauty strategy, writing, editing, and commissioning, and leading beauty content across both sites. Amelia has a particular interest in wellness and longevity, exploring the skin-mind connection, and decoding the latest treatments, tweakments and runway trends. She also has bylines for Women's Health, Refinery29, British Vogue, Harrods Magazine, and more.