Kaia Gerber Shares the Best Beauty Advice She's Ever Gotten From Cindy Crawford

The model is gearing up for Hot Girl Fall with YSL's new lipstick.

There are several universal signs that mark the arrival of fall: changing leaves, cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, and of course, darker, richer shades of makeup. Kaia Gerber undoubtedly has the latter down pat as the YSL Beauty ambassador and face of the brand’s new The Bold Lipstick.

"I love a red for the fall,” she tells InStyle over the phone. "I like to do a red with very little [other makeup] on — I think it can be really beautiful to just have a red lip.” Gerber credits the brand’s new high pigment lipstick The Bold for helping her create a vibrant, autumnal, and long-lasting color.

“It's super pigmented and you don't have to pile it on,” she says. “You can just do a quick swipe and get the full color. I love the shiny finish of it — it feels quite soft, and it's more reflective than some of the other lipsticks.”

And while, in so many words, the model encourages embracing the basic tendencies that come along with the seasonal change, she admits to missing out on a few of fall’s most popular fads. For starters, Los Angeles lacks autumnal foliage, but the model has also never had a PSL “despite the stereotypes.” Regardless of her surroundings, though, Gerber says she’s ready to adopt a “fall aesthetic.”

“I love a fall color palette and those warmer tones,” she says. “There's this brown-gold color that's really beautiful. I don't wear a ton of makeup, but I definitely feel like in the winter I do a red lip or a darker eye. I like to play around with things, especially depending on where I am.” For example, you can expect to see a crimson lip on the model during Paris Fashion Week as she says Parisian beauty inspires her to reach for the red.

In addition to a change in seasons, Gerber says her wardrobe also influences her makeup — and vice versa. “If there's a makeup look that I really want to do, then that'll go first and then [I'll] pick an outfit that goes with that,” she explains. “Usually, that means I tone down what I'm wearing. It depends on what is more inspiring to me at the moment, but I definitely try to make [everything] work harmoniously.”

As a result of the mask-wearing phase of the pandemic, many people perfected geometric liner and the art of at-home lashes. However, as we collectively move away from the mandate, Gerber questions if beauty trends will go in another direction. “We've all gotten very good at doing our eyes over the pandemic and now it's time to give our lips attention,” she insists. “I've always been very into lipstick, but I'm not good at keeping it on. That's why The Bold is good for me because it has movement and is foolproof.”

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No matter the current trends, Gerber has some tried-and-true makeup hacks she always relies on, like using the same product for several things (which simplifies packing and traveling when you’re a globe-trotting supermodel). Gerber swears by YSL’s cult-favorite Touché Eclat Brightening Pen, which she uses all over her face as highlighter. “It has this really pretty, dewy finish and is also very long-lasting,” she says.

Another multi-use trick Gerber has up her sleeve is interchanging blush and lipstick for lips, cheeks, and eyes. “I use my lip color for everything. I put it on my cheeks or on my eyes and nose — I love the kind of sun-kissed look and when all the shades kind of match.”

Having been in the industry for several years now, it’s safe to assume that Gerber has garnered much of her beauty knowledge from working with some of the best makeup artists in the world. Of course, having an iconic supermodel as a mother — with generational beauty advice — helps as well. She says her mom Cindy Crawford has passed down some of her wisdom, citing her number one rule as “less is more.”

“Two of the biggest pieces of advice my mom gave me was to never touch my eyebrows and to lean into more natural looks,” she says. “Because of that, I feel the best when I am wearing less and embracing and loving my natural beauty.”

The Bold lipstick is available now in 12 shades for $39 each on yslbeauty.com.