Ruby Rose to the Occasion

From Down Under to the top spot on our list of girl crushes, we have the reasons why Ruby Rose is the icon of badassery.

- Joceline Yan.

It was a cold night in New York. The weather had been erratic for a few days but as the moon rose into the night sky, it brought with it bouts of biting cold wind. To make matters worse, I must have missed the memo to layer up for the launch of Urban Decay’s new range of Vice Lipsticks and to introduce Ruby Rose as their latest ambassador. Members of the media from across the globe, YouTubers and bloggers gathered at Greenpoint Terminal Gallery in Brooklyn — a complex of old industrial buildings along the East River that was partially burnt down several years ago then restored. It was not glamourous in any cliché way, but its rugged exterior and mysterious interior served all the right purposes for having us there for this momentous event.

As we awaited the arrival of the women of the hour — Ruby Rose and Wende Zomnir, the founding partner and chief creative officer of Urban Decay — it became increasingly hard to differentiate between the cold that had us quivering and the rippling undercurrent of excitement of experiencing the brand’s biggest launch, in the flesh.

Ruby Rose had been on our radar for a while, creating a buzz with her beautiful androgyny and coming out as gender fluid. She was big back home in Australia, but not to the full potential she knew she had. She moved to the States to break free (coincidentally, also the title of her YouTube video that went viral) and landed a role on Orange Is The New Black which slingshot her to stardom. She also just recently wrapped XXX: Return of Xander Cage, filmed with star Vin Diesel and another teen favourite, Nina Dobrev.