Beauty Nostalgia: Reminiscing With…Gucci Westman

Beauty Nostalgia is a new, weekly column on Beauty Counter in which we ask influencers, tastemakers, and some of our favorite industry experts to wax poetic on the sticks, salves, and sprays that helped shape who they are today.

The Pro: Gucci Westman, global artistic director for Revlon

The Product: “When I was 18, I was au pair to a family in Switzerland. I took care of two children, who were 2 and 9 years old, and I lived in the bedroom above the garage. I didn’t speak much French but the mother was a fashion journalist and she was always giving me products. I was just getting into skincare around this time, and I remember she gave me Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. The texture felt rich and luxurious, like a real cream. It had a peach color and smelled a little fruity with a floral undertone. This was my cream and it made me feel like a European woman. After that summer I moved back to Sweden and all my girlfriends wanted it. Anytime one of us was traveling we’d give each other money to buy it at Duty Free. We called it Baume Beauté Eclair to feel more French. Smelling it now reminds me of being 18 again and the feeling of putting it on before bed and having the scent waft around my face when I hit the pillow.” —As told to Kari Molvar