September 2014|Harper’s BAZAAR| 229ASK CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN what he
prioritises in a woman, the right make-up or
the right shoes, and you might be surprised by
the answer, given that the designer has become
a household name on the basis of his fantasy
footwear creations. “It’s a torturous question
for me, but it’s the right make-up,” he says.
“If you create a portrait of a woman you start
with the face for sure.”
Thus, his foray into the world of beauty is
a more natural progression than it may seem
on fi rst impression. When the rumours of
an impending swerve into the beauty
sphere started circulating, many assumed that
a Christian Louboutin perfume was on the
cards. But does a name synonymous with shoes
really suggest sweet-smelling? Christian and his
partners wisely decided not. Rather than
simply apply the brand name to a lucrative
product category such as fragrance, they have
scrupulously mined the company’s DNA,
determined to approach beauty in a way that is
absolutely authentic. The initial result?
Christian Louboutin nail colour.
It was back in 1992 when Christian was
working on a shoe called Pensée that a simple
nail polish transformed his destiny. “I couldn’t
put my fi nger on what was missing,” he recalls,
“My assistant was painting her nails red next to
me, so I grabbed her polish and proceeded to
paint the soles of the shoes red.” Hence, the
fi rst Christian Louboutin beauty product is
a nail varnish – specifi cally, a red nail varnish.
“The red sole was born from red nail polish.
I am giving back to nails what the shoe took
from the nails many years ago.”
This month, Rouge Louboutin – a nail
polish the exact red of a Louboutin sole – goes
on sale in the brand’s boutiques across the
region. It is the fi rst in a full spectrum of nailcolours, which will arrive in
stores this October. Presented in
a glass bottle, easily the equivalent of
anything housing a luxury fragrance, the
ombré container of Rouge Louboutin is
topped with a striking 20.5cm cap, the same
height as the Ballerina Ultima, the highest
heel Christian Louboutin ever designed.
So far, so ideal for displaying on the most
expertly curated dressing table. But
it’s what is inside that has got beauty
editors really excited. With the highest
percentage of pigment in the industry,
two coats gives the equivalent effect of
20 layers of traditional lacquer. The
brush, bristles, quantity, cut and
length are precisely tuned so that
when you dip the applicator into
the polish there are no air
bubbles, resulting in an even
fi nish that doesn’t chip. Ever.
Bazaar’s pedicure remained as
perfect as the day it was
applied for weeks on end.“THE R ED SOLE WAS
BOR N FROM R ED
NAIL POLISH. I AM
GIVING BACK TO
NAILS WHAT THE
SHOE TOOK AWAY”
Christian Louboutin
➤
Where it all began...
Christian Louboutin
recreating the moment
he polished the sole of
his Pensée shoe
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN BEAUTÉ