Bang Bang!

Sasha Plavsic is the founder of Ilia Beauty, an organic range of cosmetics. All Ilia’s lip and eye products are inspired by song titles, like the bright orange lipstick Voilà from the song by Françoise Hardy.

“Music evokes a lot of emotion and for some reason I always see a color with a song. The music from the past that I grew up with, that my parents listened to, or that old boyfriends obsessed over, has a definite influence on the color stories of Ilia.

To me, David Bowie has been the ultimate color, clothing and makeup icon. He created a pop culture that is unlike any other and crossed so many boundaries in that realm. Rebel Rebel is my rich creamy black eyeliner for the perfect smoky eye. When I was a little girl my other makeup icons were Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Siouxsie Sioux (Arabian Nights: Tinted Lip Conditioner).”

“Many Ilia multi-sticks reference the jazz era with songs like Polka Dots And Moonbeams, and Cheek To Cheek by Frank Sinatra. Bang Bang by Cher is one of my all time favorite songs. It was also the first song title I chose to inspire a product: the best selling red tinted lip conditioner.

For some of the newer editions I have referenced 90s songs like Strike It Up by Black Box which a blue-toned red lipstick that I wear when I go out and crave more color. I switch it with Pink Moon (Nick Drake) which is a punchy raspberry color I created in collaboration with influencer Grace Bonney from DesignSponge.”

“Is there a song title I like, that doesn’t match the product? I can’t think of one, but I have to feel something from the music because if it doesn’t inspire, I don’t use it. Lately I have been listening to Wes Anderson soundtracks a lot, as they have a wide range of songs and artists. There’s a soundtrack for the HBO series in the US called Ballers, which references a lot of hip hop, old and new. 90s hip hop is a genre I used to listen to back in the day. It’s been fun to go down memory lane with Spotify playlists.”

PS. Ilia isn’t named after a song title, it was the name of Sasha’s great grandfather who owned a designer boutique in Yugoslavia. iliabeauty.com Right: Tinted Lip Conditioner - Hold Me Now (Thompson Twins).