At KULLI Atelier, I believe beauty can carry a story. A fragrance can hold a memory. A piece of jewelry can represent a chapter of your life. And now, a single shade of red lipstick can connect two cities, two generations, and the places I call home.
Introducing 502 Rouge Natural Artisan Lipstick, a small-batch, made-to-order lipstick inspired by Louisville, Kentucky, my Lebanese heritage, and the relationship between my mother, my art and my community.
The Story Behind 502 Rouge
The idea for 502 Rouge started somewhere very personal: with my mom.
When we began creating our Muse Sessions for my fragrance Kulli Parfum my mom and I would do makeup together. Before each session, she would ask me what color lipstick I wanted.
My answer was almost always the same:
Rouge
There was something about it. Red felt confident. Dramatic. Classic. Alive.
Those little moments with my mom became part of the creative ritual. What seemed like a simple question about makeup eventually planted the seed for something bigger.
I wanted to create our own Red color
And because so much of what I create is connected to memory, heritage and place, this couldn't simply be another lipstick. It needed to tell a story.
From Lebanon to Louisville
I am Lebanese, and Lebanon continues to influence the way I see art, beauty, community and resilience.
Red immediately brings me back to Lebanon. It is a color woven into the visual identity of my homeland, but for me it represents something even deeper: passion, love, courage and resilience. It's also found on the Lebanese flag.
Lebanese people know something about rebuilding. We know how to create beauty even when circumstances aren't beautiful. We gather. We celebrate. We make food. We make art. We open businesses. We tell stories. We keep going.
That spirit has shaped the person and artist I have become.
And then there is Louisville—the city where I've continued building my life and my creative work.
That is where the name 502 Rouge comes from.
502 is Louisville's area code. Red connects me back to Lebanon.
Together, 502 Rouge represents where I am and where I come from.
Beauty With Intention
I didn't want 502 Red to feel mass-produced or disconnected from the hands that created it.
Each 502 Rouge lipstick is made to order by an artisan in small batches, allowing us to approach the product with the same intentionality that defines the work at KULLI Atelier.
The formula is made with thoughtfully selected ingredients including jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, beeswax, vitamin E and cosmetic-grade mica pigment.
The result is more than a red lipstick to me. It represents my belief that everyday objects can still have meaning.
There are thousands of red lipsticks in the world.
But there is only one 502 Rouge
A Red Lipstick About Resilience
KULLI has always been about bringing all of yourself to the things you create.
My Lebanese heritage. My life in Louisville. My mother. My creativity. My love of beauty. My belief in community. Even the difficult chapters that taught me resilience—they all eventually find their way into my work.
502 Rouge continues that story.
I want someone to put it on before a date, an important meeting, a celebration, a performance, or simply an ordinary Tuesday when they need to remember who they are.
Because sometimes beauty isn't about hiding anything.
Sometimes beauty is armor.
Sometimes it is celebration.
Sometimes it is memory.
And sometimes it is simply the confidence of putting on a beautiful red lipstick and walking out the door.
502 Rouge Natural Artisan Lipstick — $55.55
Handcrafted in small batches and made to order.
Louisville inspired. Lebanese rooted. Born from a mother-and-son memory. Made for anyone who believes in passion, beauty and resilience.
Pre-orders are open through August 22, with pickup And shipments plan for early October at KULLI Atelier in Louisville, Kentucky.
502 Rouge. Beauty is Resilience. ❤️
Styling and photography: Elias Feghaly
Models: Christie Perez Cheyanna Hughes Skylar and Cleo Heine
Filmed at Mellwood Art Center and KULLI Atelier
Cleo Dress is by Lebanese Fashion Designer Pamela Comair
Jewelry WUSAH DESIGNS and KULLI ATELIER
Hat by Dapper James
Veil Kulli Atelier
