Every Monday here at ITG, we publish the Top Shelf, an intimate look at someone's beauty routine and medicine cabinet. And at about halfway through each Monday, Editorial Director Emily Ferber gets a slack from Kate Caputo (formerly of Bibliotheque and the "Accutane scrub" fame—and also the founding member of Glossier's Business Insights team) with a list of the new Top Shelf-inspired lipsticks she's bought since reading the latest interview. At this point, if a Top Shelf publishes and Kate doesn't buy a lipstick, the editorial team scrambles to make sure the site is still live. Kate has amassed enough lipsticks to not want to count them up, but she did agree to write about her favorites. What are yours? She'd probably like to know...
Mondays for me are always made better with a new Top Shelf. I’ve been reading since 2011, far before I worked here. It gives me the same feeling I get when connecting with a friend over beauty rituals, except instead of my college roommate, it’s Victoria Beckham. Not all of us can call Wendy Rowe our trusty confidant and personal makeup artist, but we're all free to buy the exact same lipstick shade she uses on Posh for a night out. (VB prefers nude—most likely from her Estée Lauder collection).
Nude isn't my speed—I have a weakness for berry shades. Any mention of something in the plum/wine/currant family and I've lost all sense of impulse control. Like when Michelle Monaghan (my favorite Top Shelf of all time) recommended Serge Lutens Water Lip Color in Chardon. Her words: "The color is so beautiful—it just truly enhances your natural lip color and makes it look like you have a little bit more depth, so that’s really the best. I’ve used it on the red carpet so many times, and it's my go-to when I'm doing more of an eye look. I don’t leave home without it in my little makeup bag.” At this point, neither do I. Then there's my personal style icon, Emma Watson. Hermione hangups from childhood aside, I had to have what she uses, so I got the Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner in Arabian Knights.
I like to think that my slightly more daring alter-ego would be that of the inimitable Liv Tyler. A bit of rockstar DNA and Givenchy Rouge Interdit-saturated lips, which as she aptly describes, is “different on everyone, but always the right color for how you’re feeling.” For wearability, sustainability, comfort, and gentle tint is Olio E Osso No. 4. It’s also Goop-approved, enough said. I wish there was a query I could run that would tell me how many Top Shelves mention Tom Ford lipstick. The one that made me cmd+click was Caroline Issa’s mention of Cherry Lush. Maybe it’s because I also “collect loads of red lipsticks and then never use them,” or because Mr. Ford really knows what he’s doing. The most high-maintenance of the bunch (for the love of all things Olivia Wilde) is the Rodin lipstick in Red Hedy. It’s stunning to look at both on and off. Now if someone could just mention her coordinating lip liner, I'd be all set.
—Kate Caputo
Photographed by the author.
