Veronica Chu learned how to do makeup by practising on her little brother: he was obsessed with ’90s supermodels like Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer. They grew up in a household full of professional-quality makeup—her mother was an aesthetician and cosmetic tattooer—and by the time she turned 11, Chu was making pocket money by tweezing eyebrows in her mother’s salon. Now, she’s a professional makeup artist and spokesperson for CoverGirl with a roster of A-list clients, like Dustin Hoffman, Coco Rocha and Shay Mitchell.
While Chu is busy using faces as her canvas, her own approach to style is decidedly more laid-back. Calling herself a “fashion conformist,” Chu’s sensibilities are consistent and pragmatic: she typically wears all-black pieces and is rarely seen without her signature black-frame glasses and bold lipstick.
“I can wear a nude face,” she says, “but as long as I have a popped lip I feel really good about myself.”
Leather Jacket
“I have a leather jacket in every imaginable style. Moto jackets, slouchy jackets, jackets with grommets.”Acne jacket, $2000.
Big Slouchy Bag
“I use my bag as my home office.” 3.1 Phillip Lim bag, $1050. Saks Fifth Avenue, 176 Yonge St.
Silver Jewelry
“I love layering rings and necklaces and wearing as many as possible.” $219. Alynnelavigne.com.
Lipstick
“I’m wearing CoverGirl Katy Kat matte lipstick in Kitty Purry. It’s a neutral purple colour.”$8. Select Shoppers Drug Mart locations.
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Isabel Slone is a fashion and culture journalist living in Toronto. She writes for Toronto Life, the New York Times, the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest and more. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia Journalism School.