If you don’t follow Giulia Mosca on Instagram… Then what are you waiting for?!

Giulia is a makeup lover and beauty editor who has turned colorful and creative makeup into her signature look, without limiting herself to “craziness” when it comes to inspirations. Her profile has consequently turned into an explosion of shades and shapes that are pure beauty. As if that wasn’t enough, Giulia is also pure fun: her skinkaraoke sessions get us to do our skincare routine with a whole new spirit, especially in the morning.

Dragged by this hurricane of colors and spontaneity, we wanted to know EVERYTHING about her makeups, with a focus on her must-haves (especially her ColorFixes): the result is a talk about Giulia’s passion for beauty, born when she was a little girl, thanks to her grandmother’s Mustela, an epic-fail that involves too much glue, the process of feeling good in her skin, and the palettes on her wishlist.

Our new Cover Beauty is here with all its colors. 

What’s your first beauty memory?

My first “skincare” product, if we can call it that, was Mustela, a kind of cleansing milk that is my grandmother’s elixir of life. Since I can remember, she has been applying to her face every morning and every evening with a cotton pad; an action that has been with me since I was a child, and that in fact, I would secretly emulate whenever I had the chance haha

What’s the first product that touches your skin in the morning?

I’m lazy, until 11 am, if I’m staying in, nothing touches my skin. But when I decide it’s time to wake up, the first product I use is the cleanser to wash my face; right now I’m using one by Yasae which is very delicate and I really like it.

What makes you stay in bed?

Any excuse is good for me to stay in bed! I’m not a morning person at all: in the morning I have breakfast in bed while watching some Youtube videos of my favorite channels (Mia Maples, The Try Guys, Haute La Mode) and I stay there as long as my “indecency” allows me.

What makes you get out of bed instead?

Usually, business calls or the desire to start working on a new project.

“The first product I use is the cleanser to wash my face; right now I’m using one by Yasae which is very delicate and I really like it.”

What was your first beauty obsession?

I think the first-ever was my grandmother’s Mustela. But if we talk about real beauty obsessions born in an “autonomous” way, I believe the petrol blue pencil in the lower eye rim in 9th grade. I would never go out without it. I still regret it to this day.

Your favorite texture, makeup-wise?

Creams, definitely! Whatever product is sold in the form of a cream, I want it. As someone who loves a makeup effect that is always fresh and light, I find them much more natural and versatile than powders.

What’s the “craziest” makeup experiment you have ever done?

Here we can open a chapter: for me, none! There is no limit to “craziness” and creativity in terms of makeup. For someone, surely it could have been when I used flower petals as eyelashes or when at 19, I went to a friend’s pink-themed 18th birthday party with fuchsia-tinted eyebrows.

“There is no limit to ‘craziness’ and creativity in terms of makeup.”

The perfect song for a skincare night routine karaoke?

My skinkaraoke is always in the morning because singing quietly to avoid waking up the neighbors doesn’t come close to be satisfactory haha. So for the morning, I would go with an energetic song like “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine, for the evening I’d go with “Glory Box” by Portishead.

What does “feeling comfortable in your own skin” mean to you?

It is certainly a process, an ever-going journey of acceptance. Paradoxically, I feel much more comfortable with my skin now that I have found the courage to show it on Instagram without filters to the 1000 people who watch my stories, rather than before when only the butcher and the pharmacist down the block would see it if anyone. Now I’m at a point where I look my best when I “wear” one of my makeup looks, but I also like myself without anything on my face.

A beauty epic fail.

That time of the sewing thread I mentioned above. After filling my eyelids with glue for fake eyelashes to make that damn thread stick, I went to class for a few hours. I could barely keep my eyes open for how much the glue was bothering me!! As soon as I got home, I ripped everything off at the speed of light.

“Now I’m at a point where I look my best when I ‘wear’ one of my makeup looks, but I also like myself without anything on my face.”

What’s your relationship with color?

I live in symbiosis with color! I abandoned black in makeup many years ago. I still wear it when it comes to clothing because I always have to wear it for work. I realized that color can help express how I feel every day without the need for words.

How do you take care of yourself?

Physically, skincare and makeup help me quite a lot in carving out some time to dedicate to myself and to pamper myself. Mentally I am less good at it, I rarely take breaks and I always try to push myself to the maximum of my potential, but it is not always the right thing to do. I have to learn to take better care of my head.

Your favorite face masks combination?

Deep Detox by Honieh Beauty all over the face and purifying mask by Origins only on the T zone. Wonderful for my combination skin that tends to dry.

What’s the product on your nightstand?

My beloved Powerful Honey Balm by FarmToFresh, a kind of ointment in a tin that I use wherever I need to feel the skin more nourished before going to sleep.

“I realized that color can help express how I feel every day without the need for words.”

The beauty product we find in your bag?

I always have tiny bags, I can’t stand big bags so I have the essentials: a lip balm by Clarins, a sanitizing spray and hand cream by Yasae.

The last product you said “yes” to and the one you said “no” to?

I’ve been good lately, I’m not buying a lot of stuff, just the essentials. But I already know that soon I will say yes to the Byredo x Isamaya Ffrench palette haha while I have just said “no” to a purchase order on Zara because I had been motivated only by boredom and sales!

What are your favorite makeup brands of the moment? Or the ones you find yourself using most often?

Surely my obsession at the moment is the ColorFix by Danessa Myricks products: they are super versatile and can be used really anywhere and in a thousand ways on the face, with crazy colors. Other products that I cannot do without are my Wet Liners by Glisten Cosmetics, with which I do all my colorful makeup looks!

The book on your nightstand.

“Invisible Women” by Caroline Criado Perez and “Cromorama” by Riccardo Falcinelli.

Which product is on top of your wish list?

Besides the Byredo palette? I’d say another palette, I know, boring! But I won’t be able to resist the Mothership Mega Celestial Divinity by Pat McGrath, I guess I’ll have to get it as a gift for my birthday.

You have too many of…

Eyeshadows! But they are the product I use the most, so I guess I can be excused, can’t I?

What’s your routine for total relaxation?

I open a random number generator site and extract a number from 2 to 10, based on the result I watch the corresponding “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season on Netflix. (Why from 2 to 10 and not from 1 to 12? Because the first season is really too old, the eleventh I hated it and the twelfth, I’ve just seen it again haha).

The skincare product you cannot do without?

Moisturizer. I could never be without it because of my dryish skin. Specifically, I’m enjoying the Re-Hydrating Cream by Zago Milano, it’s really rich and perfect as a night cream.

Recently, we’ve had a lot of time to think: if you could invent a makeup product which is not on the market yet, what would it be?

Obviously, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time now and it would be my dream to have a makeup brand or to collaborate on products! I won’t spoil too much otherwise everyone could steal the idea from me, but surely we need to find more sustainable solutions in terms of packaging for makeup and skincare products!

The world of beauty is also connected to that of mental health. What are those things you see that bother you or that you would like to change?

Absolutely! For me, makeup has been a real lifeline in terms of not losing my mind, especially during the first lockdown. One thing I can’t stand is those who copy and have no original ideas: it makes me very angry to see how certain characters become famous on social media only by copying other people’s ideas. But I’m sure the universe will find a way to make things right sooner or later 🙂

“For me, makeup has been a real lifeline in terms of not losing my mind, especially during the first lockdown.“ 

“Surely we need to find more sustainable solutions in terms of packaging for makeup and skincare products!”

The last thing that made you smile?

Bernie Sanders’ meme, listening to “If I Ever Feel Better” by Phoenix and the message of a follower of mine.

What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

I would not define myself as a daredevil, but perhaps overcoming my fears and having launched myself on Instagram, sharing a lot and receiving a lot in return.

What’s your favorite body lotion?

Am I a terrible person if I say I barely ever use it? Haha

When do you feel most confident about yourself?

A colorful makeup look and a pair of fun earrings are my armor and then I’m ready to face anything!

Photos & Video by Johnny Carrano.

Follow Giulia here.