As a former venture capital investor in beauty, Tracy Dubb knew exactly what the world needed (and didn’t need) with respect to another new skincare brand. So when it came time to launch her own line, Dubb’s vision was crystal clear: keep the routine minimal, the products concentrated and efficacious, and the formulas hyper clean. Enter Isla Beauty, a collection of six streamlined essentials that’s winning over skincare obsessives with its clinically dosed actives and refreshing transparency.
Though she’s a skincare ingredient whiz, Tracy admits she’s still a novice with makeup. Sitting down with Gucci at The Carlyle in New York City for a beauty lesson, the two founders instantly bond over a shared commitment to clean formulas and an insatiable love of books. While trading New York Times best-seller and beach read recs at warp speed, Gucci gives Tracy a super tawny look with a hint of 1970s Hollywood glamour—with help from one often-overlooked beauty staple (more on that below). “The best I’ve ever looked!” insists Tracy. The breakdown and full video tutorial, here…
THE SKIN PREP ESSENTIALS
To start, Tracy preps her clean skin with The Elixir—Isla’s bestselling barrier-building toner, which she conceived as a gentler, acid-free alternative to Biologique Recherche P50. Then, Gucci layers on the new Westman Atelier Supreme Bio-Complex Liquid Foundation, a 100% silicone-free dream formula with a hydrated, “real skin” finish to neutralize redness and pigmentation. Both founders acknowledge the lengths they’ve gone to avoid silicones in their formulations—turning instead to skin-nourishing alternatives that do more for the skin while providing an equally luxurious glide. “Silicones are kind of a trick,” says Tracy. “You can take something that’s not that good and make it feel expensive just by adding them.”
THE SCULPTING TRIO
Onto color: Gucci applies Face Trace Contour Stick in Coco, sweeping it across the cheekbones and toward the eye to instantly sculpt features. She applies SunTone Bronzing Crème for a wash of natural-looking warmth and adds Petal powder blush from this Baby Cheeks Powder Duo for a rosy nude flush.
THE TAWNY LIP FINISH
It’s the finishing details that create the most impact—giving a bombshell boost to Tracy’s natural, earthy beauty. Gucci darkens her already-full brows with Bonne Brow Defining Pencil. “Together with your hair, it’s very ’70s,” she notes, approvingly. She then traces just outside of Tracy’s natural lip line with Lip Shape Lip Liner (in TK) and softens the edges with a fingertip before sealing it in with HydroBalm Tinted Lipstick (in Café Crème). I never, ever would have reached for a lip liner on my own!” says Tracy.. The result is tawny, real, and effortlessly defined—with a hint of Ali MacGraw circa Love Story. Perfect for an engagement party that Tracy plans to attend that evening and beyond.
To get the look, watch the full tutorial with Gucci and Tracy below.
