Lana Del Rey's Makeup Artist Is Launching a Makeup Brand For Lip Gloss Lovers

Makeup artist Etienne Ortega has spent his career working with celebrities like Christina Aguilera, Lana Del Rey, Demi Lovato and Kris Jenner. And now, he's channeling his 17-plus years of industry experience into an eponymous makeup brand: On Wednesday, he unveiled Ortega, a lip-focused assortment that he's already been using on his A-list clients.

The product lineup includes lip oil, lip gloss, lip liner (in 10 shades), a "color stick" (a chunky crayon lip color in eight shades) and makeup wipes, with prices ranging from $12 to $22.

"Lips have always been my signature thing for many years. I have done the ombré, three-tone lip colors with a strong liner and a juicy gloss," Ortega tells Fashionista. "My audience on Instagram and my platforms are always asking, 'What lip color is that? What lip combo is that?'"

With Ortega, the artist is offering up the tools to re-create his mix-and-match lip looks at home. The creative wanted to inspire a playful approach to makeup with the line, he says. He likens the product offering to "giving you a little box of crayons."

In addition to the obvious focus on lips, Ortega also wanted the brand to honor his Mexican heritage and pay homage to his family: The Guadalajara-born artist highlights Spanish shade names like "Beso," "Para Siempre" and "Musa," as well as the inclusion of certain ingredients, like blue agave, that were sourced in Mexico.

"Everything I do in my life is always about family, at the end of the day," he says. "My grandfather came to the U.S. and left his whole family in Mexico. He sacrificed that to come here and try to live the American dream. It's like a tribute to my grandpa and to his struggles and sacrifices that he made. If I'm in this position, I want to do something with it. I want to highlight my last name and Mexican culture."

The brand, which was five years in the making, is deeply personal to Ortega. In addition to the challenges associated with developing the products during the pandemic, the artist was also diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2021, he shares. "That put a big pause on what was happening on the business side, but also just on my personal side. Your life kind of flashes right in front of you, and you're like, okay, now I have another chance."

The debut campaign video, which features Ortega himself under water, then coming up for air, symbolizes his "rebirth" over the past few years while facing health issues and the challenges of building the brand.

"For five years, I felt like I was underwater. I was sick. I wasn't able to talk about my brand. I wasn't able to work on it the way I wanted to, and the partnerships didn't always work out," he says. "At the end of the video, I come up for air and a deep breath. That represents the now, this very moment in time of me finally getting to breathe and let out this thing that I've been holding in for so long."

Keep scrolling for a first look at the full Ortega debut product lineup.

Ortega Liquid Icon Hyper Gloss (Shine On), $18, available here

Ortega Blu Nectar Lip Oil (Condition), $21, available here

Ortega Agave Glow Color Stick (Color), $22, available here

Ortega Soft-Contour Lip Liner, $22, available here

Oretga Striptease Makeup Remover Wipes, $12, available here

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