trend911

Monica Belluci, who has collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana for over 20 years, became the inspiration and muse for the brand’s lipstick collection that features six new shades all named after the sensual Italian actress.

Monica Belluci believes that lipstick is the “most valuable weapon in a woman’s makeup kit. It has the power to transform the appearance and mood of the person wearing it, and, at the same time, arouses the admiration of everybody else.”

The limited edition lipsticks, which were co-designed by legendary makeup artist Pat McGarth, are highly pigmented and were made with skin conditioning ingredients that leave lips voluptuous, looking plump and feeling soft. The collection includes six lipsticks named using attributes to honor Monica Belluci. These include:

• Italian Monica (Voluptuous Lipstick 160) – hot cherry red
• Natural Monica (Voluptuous Lipstick 60) – creamy cappuccino
• Only Monica (Voluptuous Lipstick 80) – soft petal pink
• Magnetic Monica (Voluptuous Lipstick 120) – glossy plum
• Chic Monica (Voluptuous Lipstick 100) – rose petal pink
• Attractive Monica (Voluptuous Lipstick 140) – dark crimson (which Monica says was her favorite)

Belluci has been a close friend of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana for years. She said of the collaboration: “I’m delighted to be collaborating with Domenico and Stefano. I’ve always adored the aesthetic of Dolce & Gabbana and it’s so exciting to be involved with their creative process.”

The 47-year-old Belluci admitted that she wasn’t “in the lab” when creating this collection, but she was involved in developing the shades. She explained, “Women choose colors depending on the mood of the day, how we feel, our state of mind—and that’s why we created each of the different shades.”

Each Dolce & Gabbana The Makeup Monica Lipstick costs $32 a pop and is available online at http://www.dolcegabbana.com/, www.saks.com, and in department stores worldwide.

Photos by: Dolce & Gabbana