Convention dictates
that everything
about Lucia Pica’s
make-up on Ugbad
Abdi is wrong.
Who puts blush
(it may even be eyeshadow!) on the
chin and forehead? Or shimmering
gloss on the face and lips at once?
For those familiar with Pica’s work,
though – and, indeed, that of any
of the truly great make-up artists,
who like to play with colour and
texture rather than follow tradition- it’s all par for the course. Pica, who is Chanel’s global
creative make-up and colour designer, believes in keeping
the job fun and inventive. “It’s important to not think that
something is a mistake,” she says. “You don’t have to contour
your nose. And if you want to put lilac between your eyes,
you can. This is about freedom.”
Yes, freedom. But with guidelines, such as the perfectly
executed elongated black eyeliner or the evenly placed glossy
red lip colour on these pages. Rules without which freedom
could mean erring into child’s play, rather than an appealing
child-like approach; or descending into one big hot mess,
rather than keeping on the right side of crazy.
So, how do you find the sweet spot? Throw out the step-
by-steps, the paint-by-numbers, the “you must do it this
way” approach so favoured by YouTube tutorial hosts. Pica
suggests identifying your mood as a starting point. “I tend
to go with how the woman in front of me is feeling, working
with what is happening at the moment, rather than creating
any set, predefined look. You need to let go a little – not
necessarily every day and not necessarily in as big a way as
this – and if you start following your feelings, overall your
make-up will look a little less structured and a little bit
more dreamy, inviting and beautiful. With all these different
looks, for example, I started with one idea and let it evolve
into the other images, shot by shot.”
We also need time and the mindset to enjoy ourselves,
to be present and to play. As well as a degree of technical
know-how. “It’s important to understand how texture
works, because this will create depth. Take the shimmering
eyes that you see here, that’s not just gloss, there’s a layer
of shimmering eyeshadow underneath.”
By varying the pressure of your fingertips, brush or any
other tool you use for application, you will also create a
different mood. “The red lip colour I used was almost the
same texture as the watery eye colours, but I used the red
in a much more heavy-handed way and achieved a very
different effect as a result.”
Perhaps the hardest thing is to learn when your look is
complete. “To recognise the moment when you stop is in a
way to recognise yourself, your own concept of what is
beautiful,” says Pica. “And then you know it is finished.” Or
as the saying goes: free yourself, and the rest will follow. nPARALLEL LINES:
CREATE YOURS WITH
CHANEL STYLO YEUX
WATERPROOF IN
NOIR INTENSE AND
BLANC GRAPHIQUE,
THEN ADD COLOUR
WITH THE OMBRE
PREMIERE LAQUE
COLLECTION IN
DESERT WIND,
RISING SUN AND
RAYON. FINISH
WITH MASCARA
LE VOLUME.
STYLING: JULIA
SARR-JAMOIS.
PRODUCTION:
ART PARTNER.
DIGITAL ARTWORK:
STUDIO RM. MODEL:
UGBAD ABDI22104-20-WELL-Beauty_1975171.indd 221 10/02/2020 13:03