WHO: POPPY KING
WHAT: THE LIPSTICK QUEEN
WHERE: NEW YORK
VISIT: www.lipstickqueen.com
FFF LOVES… Lipstick Queen’s super-sexy Chinatown Glossy Pencil. Her autobiography Lessons of a Lipstick Queen is a fabulous and fascinating read too.
POPPY’S LIST:
SHOP: Lyell, a tiny boutique clothes store on Elizabeth Street in New York for wonderful pieces.
FFF notes: fabulous vintage as well as Lyell’s own exquisite pieces including silk dresses, hand embroidered knitted sweaters, sweet silk velvet shrugs, tailored trousers and lace blouses.
SHOP: Alfies in London for vintage finds.
SHOP: Fred Segals in LA for just about everything.
SHOP: Camberwell Market in Melbourne for trash and treasure.
SHOP: Joyce boutique in Hong Kong for edgy upscale fashion.
SHOP: Kirna Zabete store in SoHo, NY for designer and fashion cravings.
FFF notes: we love it for a good selection of Balenciaga, Balmain, Giambattista Valli, Givenchy, Alexander Wang and Thakoon.
SHOP: Azzedine Alaia sale shop (18 rue de la Verrerie, 4e, + 33 1 4272 1919), behind the full price boutique in the Marais in Paris.
FFF notes: stock up on last year’s leftovers including leather trench coats, cigarette pants and accessories…fantastique!
STAY: Montefiore Hotel in Tel Aviv for a chic experience.
SHOP/VISIT: Marion Goodman Gallery in New York for art lust.
EAT: Freemans Restaurant for cool New York dining.
FFF notes: the place to go for classic, old world American fare and great cocktails.
About Poppy King (in her own delightful words!):
“I started my own lipstick brand in 1992 in Melbourne Australia when I was about 6 months out of high school and had just turned 18. I did this not because I was a chemist, a make up artist, a designer or anything else (I was barely an adult and sometimes wonder if I am one yet!) I did this because I couldn’t find any lipsticks I liked. They were all thin, slimy and too greasy feeling. Plus there were no deep colors or browns and most reds went pink. I wanted lipsticks that gave me the look of the 1940’s. Rich, opaque and filled with pigment. So… On a whim I found manufactures to mix up some lipsticks, a business partner and the nerve to approach a few stores. It became a runaway success! For 12 years I had a brand called Poppy that specialized in all sorts of lipsticks and lip glosses (I am obsessed with the lips and every possible color, texture, finish and technology there is to make your lips look amazing). During those 12 years I experienced many of the ups and downs involved in running a business so when I was approached in 2002 to move to New York and join a large cosmetic company I decided it was time for me to try something new.
Which I did… However my fascination, obsession and borderline insanity regarding specialized lipsticks and lip products would not leave me. So last year I decided once again to return to having my own business and the obsession that has been with me since my school days. The obsession for designing unusual lipsticks infused with all the glamour, the fun, the style and the cheekiness that is inherent in being female. Lipstick Queen is not your average brand…. Everything you see, feel, touch and experience with it comes directly from me to you. I am still not a chemist, make up artist or anything else. I am just like you… I am a customer and as a customer I want something truly special… So that is what I put into every shade, texture and finish. A very special eye and a very committed soul!”