Sparkly highlighters, glittering eyeshadows, and ultra-reflective lip glosses — while all shine brightly in the light, not all are created equal. One product can make you look dewy while another can transform your cheekbones into a display of fireworks appropriate for the Fourth of July. So figuring out how to achieve that in-between — just the right amount of glimmer for day to day — can sometimes be tricky. Somehow, Chanel Beauty managed to find that delicate balance of shimmer and shine in its Fall-Winter 2019 collection.
The line — named Noir Et Blanc — was inspired by black and white, the symbolic (non) colors of Gabrielle Chanel’s life, as well as the in-between shades found throughout Paris. During a presentation for the collection in the same city, Chanel Beauty’s Global Creative Makeup and Color Designer Lucia Pica (who developed the line) shares that she found inspiration in the chilly light of the Tuileries Garden, the gleaming water of the Seine, and the cool white marble of the statues found throughout Paris. Pica also wanted to play with the “feeling of light and shadow” that she noticed while exploring the city, as well as the textures so that the products would have both austerity and softness. The result? A literally brilliant collection whose shine is bold, but natural, and will have you twinkling in a chic, Chanel way.
There are 16 different products in the Noir Et Blanc De Chanel collection and each possess the elements of "transparency and intensity" and the presence of black, white, and the colors in-between, which Pica wanted to capture. While this may sound extremely difficult to do — the act of harnessing opposites — you can really see it once you start to play with the makeup. You'll notice it immediately in the The Noir Supreme eyeshadow palette, a favorite of Pica's, which features four cream-to-velvet shades that can be found between the black and white spectrum — shimmering gray, beige, and bronze hues. You'll see it in the Carte Blanche Ombre Premiere Top Coat, which looks like a typical white glittery shadow at first, but once applied, boasts an almost wet, glimmering ocean effect that can be subtle while still making a statement.
But among the 16 are two stand-out products that you will absolutely need in your beauty arsenal this fall. First, the Laque Noire Rouge Coco Gloss, a gorgeous black lipgloss with hints of cherry that has won Kristen Stewart's heart. During the launch party for the Noir Et Blanc collection, the Chanel brand ambassador tells me that she is obsessed with the product and how versatile it can be.
"I love the black lipgloss. You can put it on really thick and it can be very intense, [or you can] put a little on — it’s like 1 to 100 and everything in-between is up to you," Stewart explains.
This was no easy feat to accomplish, Pica tells me of her creation. "It was hard to find that balance between the cherry, the red, and the black, and not make it gray," she shares. "I didn’t want it to go gray or go too black or be too thick — I wanted it to stay chic." Like Stewart describes, the gloss can either create a sheer, deep red shine or an intense black glaze on your lips, but neither will leave your pout looking gaudy or feeling tacky. Thanks to Pica, the sheen is just right.
My personal favorite product of the entire collection is Le Gel Pailleté, a clear shimmering gel highlighter that delivers a luminous glow and will make it seem like you're naturally just sweating diamonds. Stewart is also a fan of the product, telling me she put it on earlier that evening without telling Jillian Dempsey, her makeup artist, first.
"I just put it on at the showing. I was literally looking at [Jillian Dempsey] and was like, 'Sorry to ruin your work. I don’t look sweaty right?' And she was like, 'To be honest, you’re kind of shining,'" says Stewart.
Unlike other highlighters that are immediately flashy, the Gel has a soft luminosity that is unassuming until it catches the light. It's glamorous and will make your cheekbones and decoletté glisten, but doesn't obnoxiously demand attention like other highlighters. For this reason, you can wear it on almost any occasion on any day. A pro-tip from Stewart on how to wear it:
"[If] you keep it on the outskirts of your face, you look sort of just kissed. [Like] it came out of you somehow."
Like Le Gel Pailetté, the entire collection is simple to use. There's no right or wrong way to apply it. You'll never feel too overdone or too dewy, no matter how many coats of gloss or eyeshadow you apply. It's fairly fool-proof, which Stewart says is all thanks to Pica's creative ingenuity.
"All of the stuff that she makes, an idiot can use. Even if you’re not good at putting on makeup or even if it’s not your first interest, everything is very tactile — you can do it all with your hands. She can obviously elevate it and make it better than I can, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t take it and use it myself which kind of represents her in general," explains Stewart.
As an ambassador for the brand and the face of beauty campaigns, Stewart has had the opportunity to work with Pica closely over the years and says she has learned so much about makeup, thanks to her.
"Lucia is not who you would think orchestrates the entire makeup department at a company like Chanel. She feels so relative and in no way do I mean normal. She just feels like a friend of mine that is extremely compulsively creative," she adds.
There is one thing that Pica does want you to remember when using products from the Noir Et Blanc collection, however. While she loves an all dewy look — dewy eyes, dewy cheeks, dewy lips — be sure to minimize shine in your T-Zone. "As long as you powder the center of your face so it doesn’t look greasy, then it’s nice," Pica cautions. Otherwise, go forth and shine bright like a diamond, mes amis.
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