Elle_Australia_Sep_2019

ITMAYSEEMPREDICTABLE,evenborderingoncliché,

thatthelatestmakeupcollectionfromChanelis inspired

byParis.Thebrandis,afterall,a nationaltreasure,and

Parisisthefashionindustry’smostbelovedmuse.But

Chanel’sX factoris LuciaPica,globalcreativemakeup

andcolour designer, and her MO is anything but

ordinary.ForgettheclassicParisiantrope–there’sno

redliparoundhere.Instead,Picafindsinspirationinthe

nuances,andforthenewAW19-20NoiretBlancde

Chanelcollection,shewasinspiredbyblackandwhite–

theliteralabsenceofcolour.How’sthatforunexpected?

“Istartedwiththeblackandwhiteconcept— which

is,ofcourse,the pillar[palette]ofthe house— but

I wantedtobringmoreofanurbanfeeltoit,”saysPica.

SoshesetoffaroundPariswithaduoofcreatives,

photographerMaxFaragoandvideographerClara

Cullen,takingin thedetailsofthecitythrough their

respectivelenses.“Wewereinthestudioandoutside

foraboutfourdays,documentingParisina freshway,”

saysPica.“It’sa verymonochromaticcity,withthegreys

oftherooftopsandcreamsandwhitesofthebuildings.

Itbecame clearthat black and white represented

twouniverses:thelightandthedark.Soshadowand

light became a huge inspiration throughout the

collectionaswell.”

Born in Naples, Italy, Pica

movedtoLondonwhenshe was

22 and trained under British

makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury

(perhapsyou’ve heard of her?).

Picawastappedforthe coveted

roleatChanelin2015,andever

since,shehasbeencreatingcolour

collections each year, and she

nowhelmsthebackstagebeauty

atthehouse’ssixannualfashionextravaganzas.

It wasattherecentcruiseshowinParisthattheNoir

etBlanccollectioncametolife inallitsmysterious,

monochromatic glory. The pièce de résistance?

Adramatic“expensive-lookingpunk”pout,whichPica

createdbylayeringtwoofthestarlipproducts— Rouge

AllureVelvetExtrêmelipstickinRougeObscurunder

a healthydoseofRougeCocoGlossinLaqueNoir.

Meetingherwouldbeintimidatingif sheweren’tso

damnnice.Shehasaninnatecoolnessintertwinedwith

a warm, welcoming nature that has us instantly

enamoured.Shetreatsyoulikeaclosefriend,letting

youinonlife’sbestsecrets—soif shesaysa black

gloss is happening, who are we to argue?

How didyouincorporate black and white across

thewholeface?

I decidedtokeepthestaplecoloursofblackandwhite

wheretheyaremostacceptable:ontheeyes,withliner,

and thenails, forexample.Andthen I playedwith

theideaofshadowandreflectionforotherareas.The

eyeshadowpalettesarereallycreamy,velvetyshades

ofgrey,brownandburgundy,andI’vecreatedtwo

shimmeryshadowsthatcanbeusedasatopcoat

acrossthelid.Theyarequitetransparent,soit’slike

puttingaveiloflightontotheeyes.Eventhoughit’s

amonochromaticpalette,it’sstillvery feminine and

glamorous,butdoneina modernway.

CanyoutellusaboutLe Gel Pailleté? A glitter gel is

newforthebrand.

It’sinspiredbythewaylighthitswater,soit’sasubtle

shimmerinageltexturethat’sdesignedtomeltinto

skin.Youcanalsouseit as a highlighter or dabbed

ontothedécolletage.

Andthelipshades?

I certainly wasn’t going to do a white lipstick,

soIthoughtabout[old]black-and-white photographs

wherethemodelsarewearingredbutit comesacross

as mauve – I triedtofocusonthisfamilyofrosewood,

burgundy and mauve. The Laque

Noir gloss is black with a red

undertone.It’sstillapproachable— it

canbealightstainorlayered into

a dark,glossylook.

Texture is also a big element of

thiscollection.

It’ssomethingI payalotofattention

to.I wanttocreateamediumthat’s

easytouse.I wantwomentohave

fun playing with a single product,

or layering themto create depth. Even though the

conceptis quitestrong,therealsohastobewearability.

Whatexcitesyouabouttheindustryrightnow?

I likethatthereisspaceforeverything.Thereisspace

fornaturalmakeupandspaceforwhatI’mdoing,as

wellaswhatPatMcGrathisdoing[withhermakeup

brand,PatMcGrathLabs]andwhatCharlotteTilbury

is doingwith herglamorous bombshellthing.What

I don’tloveiswhenit becomesallaboutonelookto

follow. Over-contouring and highlighting, forgetting

aboutthetextureofskin— I liketoseethewomanbehind

themakeup.I preferthemodernityoftransparencyand

textures that allow you to feel glamorous without

weighing you down or putting in too much effort.E

“BLACK

and WHITE

REPRESENTS

two UNIVERSES:

the LIGHT and

the DARK”

DOPARIS

LIKE PICA

Themakeup

maestroshares

herhotspots

HOTEL

L’Hotel,onthe

LeftBank

BISTRO

Tapasbar

AuxDeuxAmis

WINEBAR

LaCrèmeriein

Saint-Germain

BOOKSHOP

7L,foundedby

KarlLagerfeld

CULTUREHIT

MuséeRodin,

inthe7th

arrondissement

FOODSHOPS

Thefromagerie

Barthélemyand

organicmarket

Marché Raspail

NATURAL

WONDER

JardinDesPlantes,

with its 11 gardens

BEAUTY

Lucia Pica

155

Additional photography: Courtesy of Chanel