Red alert: Fast, festive, fearless
Who ever thought we could be so elated about Malice during the holiday season? That’s the latest, must-have nail lacquer from Chanel — a deep, shimmery bordeaux. The rich wine tone hits somewhere in that space between Dorothy’s ruby slippers in “The Wizard of Oz” and Chanel’s cult classic nail color Vamp, the blackish oxblood hue that debuted in 1994 and took the world by storm, creating the first nail lacquer wait lists on record.
Bordeaux is the season’s “It” color, offering a fast, festive way to update your look for the holidays. Slipping on a burgundy jacket or a coat of wine-colored nail lacquer is one thing; applying this sultry new neutral on eyes and lips can be a whole lot trickier. Lucia Pieroni, makeup creative director for Clé de Peau Beauté, did it expertly when she created the soft, sophisticated wine-toned beauty look seen at the Rochas fall-winter collection in Paris.
“It’s all about the accents when creating a burgundy eye,” Pieroni said, explaining that she layered bordeaux eye shadow (Clé de Peau Beauté Limited-Edition Satin Eye Color in 116) over neutral cream and gold shadows, then blended it into the eye creases and toward the outer corner of each eye. “This is a beautifully soft and traditional smoky eye look that complements every skin tone and eye color.”
To achieve dramatically deep burgundy pouts, Pieroni first outlined and filled in moisturized lips with Clé de Peau Beauté Lip Liner Pencil in 104 to prevent bleeding and fading. Then she applied the brand’s Extra Rich Lipstick in R10, a dark mulberry, with a lip brush. “My trick for creating a super-long-lasting, matte finish is to blot the color with a tissue and then dust on a layer of loose powder,” she said. “Following the powder, reapply the lipstick once more, again using a brush.”
Not all of us have that much patience and precision. For an easy option that tones the bold look down a notch, try a semi-sheer bordeaux-colored lip gloss, such as Vapour Organic Beauty’s Plumping Lip Gloss in Bitten. The hydrating formula adds color, volume and shine without high maintenance.
Another simple way to get in on the look of the season: Swap out your usual black mascara for a wine-colored shade, such as Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking in No. 7 Cassis Obscure. Who says drama can’t be understated?
