Chanel’s New Red Featuring Kristen Stewart
In honor of Chanel’s new makeup collection, house artist and color designer Lucia Pica creates a high-definition look on actress Kristen Stewart.
Written By CHRISTINA HAN
(Photo Courtesy of Chanel)
Blushing can be a nuisance, particularly when your current flame takes notice. But that rosy complexion (also a side effect of brisk morning jogs or restorative soaks in a bathtub) also caught the attention of, and ultimately inspired, Lucia Pica, Chanel’s impossibly cool global creative designer for makeup and color (she wears a black patent leather skirt as comfortably as a pair of jeans). “Red is a color that your face naturally produces, but for this collection I subverted it a little bit,” explains Pica of Le Rouge Collection N°1, an 11-piece makeup line that includes blush, velvet-matte eyeshadow (a new texture for Chanel), and even eyeliner in bewitching and surprisingly wearable shades of crimson. “You use red on your lips, but you can also put it on your eyes or wear it as a blusher,” she adds.
The house of Chanel has never shied away from a good rouge. As Coco Chanel once declared, “Red is the color of life, of blood, I love red.” Her affinity for the daring hue extended into her cosmetic wardrobe: The style maven mandated the inclusion of a lipstick compartment within the design of the classic flap and 2.55 bags. Her own signature shade was a vibrant true red (best translated in today’s Rouge Coco in Gabrielle), and she rarely left home without her lip lacquer. “I was inspired by Coco Chanel and her quote ‘put on lipstick and attack,’” says Pica. “Red exudes power, vulnerability, and warmth; it’s a celebration of women.”
To prove her point, the Italian-born artist, whose expert skill was honed under the tutelage of Charlotte Tilbury and who is frequently showcased on magazine covers (Vogue Paris, Vogue UK, Another Magazine), artistically executes an impactful, all-red look on actress and Chanel muse Kristen Stewart. “When I was working on the campaign with Kristen, she told me that actors sometimes apply red eyeliner to make their eyes appear more intense,” Pica notes, referring to Eros, the universally complementary burgundy-brown eyeliner. “But don’t forget to have fun; mix and blend the shades, get playful.” Read on below for Pica’s tips for how to play with the shade on your visage.
Get Kristen Stewart’s look & shop the full CHANEL Le Rouge Collection at VIOLETGREY.COM