Having mined such rich territories as colour, deconstruction and artifice in her nine Chanel beauty collections thus far, Lucia Pica considers texture for the Autumn / Winter 2018 Collection. Tapping the emotional depth and visual intensity offered by matte surfaces, the selection of eye and lip colours in Apotheosis, Le Mat De Chanel evokes a uniquely feminine sensibility- one of inner quietude, serenity and self-possession.

Harmony between a woman’s internal and external worlds is captured in a colour palette that brings earthy, autumnal shades for sculpting together with emotive colour tones to be applied in washes or layered like vibrant oils. Their light-absorbing formulations seem to control and soften the force of their surroundings. At the same time, technical innovations provide comfort, elevating the matte products to the state of velvet and allowing them to retain their moisture as they become one with skin.

As always, Pica’s signature reds act as both counterpoint and provocation, more vivid than ever in their matte extremity. With each of her collections, Lucia Pica fixes upon a new area of the beauty vocabulary, identifies an unexpected, untapped aspect for exploration, and then revises and refines that idea to its limits.

In the Autumn / Winter 2018 Collection, extremes of texture and colour collide in a series of matte eye and lip products that go straight to the heart of the woman with whom Pica’s soulful, intelligent mindset resonates most. “Starting with such an abstract concept as matte connected me directly to the woman who would wear this finish and to how that would make her think and feel,” Pica explains. “I imagine her as confident, sophisticated and elegant; intellectual but still daring. She’s completely unapologetic- my favourite kind of woman!”

Duality is bedrock to every collection by Lucia Pica, whose strategy of pairing products with contrasting visual effects serves to bring depth, emotion and modernity to the face. In the Autumn / Winter Collection, a reimagined conception of matte is expressed via new translucent, moist finishes that nourish the skin rather than mask it. Their delicacy is emboldened by a rich palette of earthy shades, coloured tones and vivid reds, which is further intensified by the light-absorbing textures.

Impactful and courageously contemporary, the crowning touch of this collection is its take on the classic black Chanel packaging, which comes as elegantly matte as the contents inside. “In autumn and winter, you’re more covered up, wearing more clothes perhaps. So, you get to play with colour once again, to bring the face back into prominence.” – Lucia Pica.

Discover more about Le Mat De Chanel, here.