Makeup Artist Cristina Bartolucci saw a gap in the market along with hair stylist Laura Deluisa and founded DuWop, innovative cosmetics brand. She talks to us about what inspires their products and shares with us some of her makeup secrets.

How was the idea for DuWop makeup line born?
DuWop’s other co-founder, Laura DeLuisa, and I were working together backstage on Hollywood sets (Laura worked on hair and I did makeup). One major problem I constantly came across was dealing with the actors’ and actresses’ puffy eyes. Trying to solve this problem using gauze soaked  in ice water created a mess backstage, so we began mixing up a cooling gel concoction with essential oils that became our first product, I gels.

Our next idea was for our infamous lip plumper that revolutionized the beauty industry – Lip Venom. Working on the set of the hit NBC show “Felicity, ” I noticed that after love scenes, my actresses would come to me for touch-ups and have these beautiful flushed, plump lips. We wanted to create a product that mimicked the same effect as kissing, so we went to work mixing up ingredients that would increase the circulation to the lips, like kissing, to plump them up. We tried cayenne pepper, crushed mustard seeds, and anything else we had in the cupboard. Once we had a formula that worked, we would bring it to set and test it on Jennifer Garner and Keri Russell, who starred in the show, and get their feedback. After several tries, the formula for Lip Venom was created.

After the success of I Gels and Lip Venom, we saw that we really had something going and decided to take tricks of the trade and start our own
company.

What is DuWop’s philosophy?
“We are creating what’s missing from your makeup bag.” At DuWop we
believe that you cannot do everything brilliantly. We strive to create innovative color cosmetics and tools that can be used with DuWop makeup or any other line. We are sensitive to the fact that beauty shoppers no longer stick with just one brand. They cherry pick the best of everything and we are working on making cherries..

DuWop Lip Venom has won many beauty awards and is a celebrity favorite, why does this lip gloss get so much attention?
It is a combination of things I think. First of all, we were lucky enough to have the support of the entertainment community. We knew who to give the product to and their enthusiastic responses are what kicked everything off. The press has always been so supportive as well. They really seem to get what we were trying to accomplish with Lip Venom right off the bat and have been incredibly supportive of our other products as well.

What tips can you give us for applying lip liner correctly?
I have a couple of little secrets. First, you must apply the liner to the entire lip and then buff it sheer with your fingertip. You should be able to see a bit of lip through the lip liner, that way it doesn’t look cakey or
thick. Secondly, if you want to slightly overdraw your lip for maximum volume, wrap your lips tightly over your teeth, stretching the skin. Draw right up to the edge on the top and bottom lip. When you release the tension you will have maximized your lip size without it looking fake.

Which celebrities are fans of DuWop?
We love that Lindsay Lohan seems to be our unofficial spokeswoman – she’s a huge fan of Lip Venom and always attributes her gorgeous pout to our lip plumper. Corinne Bailey Rae uses our I gels to help her relax before any performances. We also get so many requests for Revolotion around awards season. Makeup artists have constantly mentioned how their clients can’t live without our little tinted body moisturizer in the blue bottle.

How do you get your muse for your work?
I am a pretty dreamy person to begin with. I spend hours up in my head just thinking about what I would want to have in my cosmetic bag that isn’t out there already. it’s a bit of an obsession really. I also get very inspired by practicing makeup artistry. There is nothing like making someone feel beautiful. My daughters Ruby and Eva are also my little muses. They are their most beautiful when they are delighted by something.

What is the most enjoyable aspect of your work?
I love that I’ve been able to make a career out of something I’m incredibly passionate about. Every day is a creative experience whether I’m working on the first stages of developing a new DuWop product, in the labs mixing color, or doing makeup backstage at LA Fashion Week.

What passions do you have besides makeup and DuWop?
My amazing family. When I’m not busy running around the office or traveling across the country, a day spent at home just lounging with my two girls and husband is the perfect retreat. I feel so lucky to have them in my life.

It was a pleasure to interview Cristina to find out more about her amazing company visit their website at www.duwop.com