Lately, fashion billboards have been conspicuously void of those bold, iconic brows that arguably brought the natural look back en vogue. Happily, the dry period is officially over: In addition to starring in Saint Laurent’s La Collection de Paris and Chanel’s latest eyewear campaigns, Cara Delevingne is the new face of beauty brand Rimmel London, with her first promos due later this year.
For those familiar with the brand, signing Cara seemed practically inevitable. The model/actress is widely dubbed our generation’s Kate Moss, Rimmel’s other leading British lady and star of its ubiquitous early-2000s commercials — that billowing Union Jack and aggressive male narrator will forever be emblazoned in our minds. The brand’s edgy, 80s rocker aesthetic fits perfectly with Cara’s unabashed, self-assured aura.
Cara, too, remembers those ads well: “My first memory of Rimmel, was watching the adverts with Kate [Moss],” the Paper Towns star told WWD. “I was very much a tomboy growing up so I never really wore makeup but I was always fascinated by how edgy and captivating the brand and its ambassadors were. It’s such an iconic cosmetic brand that represents the London girl. It was a natural partnership. The brand philosophy and core brand identity is in line with my own style and attitude. I am proud to be English and jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with such an iconic English brand.”
In the same interview, Johanna Businelli, chief marketing officer of color cosmetics for Coty Inc., which owns Rimmel, echoed Cara’s thought’s on the partnership: “We pick people who don’t need any customization and I think that is one of the key points. Cara Delevingne is a true British woman and she has true British style — a classic beauty and she also has this imitable attitude…She has this quite unique look because it’s always bold, very trendsetting and very personal…she has that individual beauty and her individual way of self-expression, which for us is very important.” Indeed. We wonder if, like us, Businelli’s scrolled through her masterful Dubsmash archives to lighten up a dreary day.
Without a doubt, we applauded Cara’s shockwave-inducing hiatus from modeling due to the effect it was having on her body image and constraints on her acting schedule. That said, we’re glad to have her back and look forward to watching her tear through the streets of London, one hand steering her motorcycle, the other expertly applying mascara.
