Blushing can be a nuisance, particularly when your current flame takes notice. But that rosy complexion (also a side effect of brisk morning jogs or restorative soaks in a bathtub) also caught the attention of, and ultimately inspired, Lucia Pica, Chanel’s impossibly cool global creative designer for makeup and color (she wears a black patent leather skirt as comfortably as a pair of jeans). “Red is a color that your face naturally produces, but for this collection I subverted it a little bit,” explains Pica of Le Rouge Collection N°1, an 11-piece makeup line that includes blush, velvet-matte eyeshadow (a new texture for Chanel), and even eyeliner in bewitching and surprisingly wearable shades of crimson. “You use red on your lips, but you can also put it on your eyes or wear it as a blusher,” she adds.

The house of Chanel has never shied away from a good rouge. As Coco Chanel once declared, “Red is the color of life, of blood, I love red.” Her affinity for the daring hue extended into her cosmetic wardrobe: The style maven mandated the inclusion of a lipstick compartment within the design of the classic flap and 2.55 bags. Her own signature shade was a vibrant true red (best translated in today’s Rouge Coco in Gabrielle), and she rarely left home without her lip lacquer. “I was inspired by Coco Chanel and her quote ‘put on lipstick and attack,’” says Pica. “Red exudes power, vulnerability, and warmth; it’s a celebration of women.”

To prove her point, the Italian-born artist, whose expert skill was honed under the tutelage of Charlotte Tilbury and who is frequently showcased on magazine covers (Vogue Paris, Vogue UK, Another Magazine), artistically executes an impactful, all-red look on actress and Chanel muse Kristen Stewart. “When I was working on the campaign with Kristen, she told me that actors sometimes apply red eyeliner to make their eyes appear more intense,” Pica notes, referring to Eros, the universally complementary burgundy-brown eyeliner. “But don’t forget to have fun; mix and blend the shades, get playful.” Read on below for Pica’s tips for how to play with the shade on your visage.

BRICK EYES
Dress up the eyes with Les 4 Ombres Candeur et Expérience by blending the top left shade in the palette with the brick red shadow and the bottom right shade. Apply the mixture over the entire eyelid and along the crease using the Chanel Large Eyeshadow Brush N°25.

RED LINE
To further accentuate the eyes, draw a thin line of Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Agapé above the upper row of lashes and Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Eros along the lower lashline. Add an application of Le Volume de Chanel mascara in Noir to the upper lashes to intensify the look.

FULL STOP
Line the contour of the lips with Le Crayon Lèvres in Rouge Profond, following with an application of Rouge Allure Velvet in Rouge Charnel with the Retractable Lip Brush.

ARTIST STATS
Name: Lucia Pica | @luciapicaofficial
Known For: Modern and painterly perspectives
Where to Find Her: London
Clients: Vogue Paris, Vogue UK, Another magazine, Self Service
Years in the Industry: 11
Beauty Essentials: Chanel Crayon Sourcils Sculpting Eyebrow Pencil, Hydra Beauty Serum, Sublimage L’Extrait, Contour Shadow Brush #20 and Concelaer Brush #10
Agent: Ayesha @ Art Partner

Lucia Pica is as meticulous about her makeup artistry as she is playful with her color choices. When the opportunity arrived to create an eyeshadow palette for Chanel’s newly launched, red-inspired Le Rouge Collection N°1—Pica’s inaugural line as the house’s global creative designer for makeup and color—she challenged the product developers to achieve a Chanel beauty first: matte shadow. “It took almost a year to create the new texture because it’s a new formula for Chanel,” Pica explains of the inventive offering, which features a brick red hue nestled among a trio of complementary beige and nutmeg shades. “They’re matte, translucent, and velvety, with a little bit of shimmer.”

Pica’s recent appointment at Chanel is the culmination of more than a decade’s worth of experience in the industry. Upon moving from her birthplace in Naples, Italy, to London in the 1990s, she started her career in theater makeup. Her interests, however, detoured away from the stage toward a more editorial direction with a position as first assistant to the incomparable Charlotte Tilbury. Since becoming an established artist in her own right in 2008, Pica has been steadily building a notable portfolio, including collaborations with photographers such as Alasdair McLellan, Juergen Teller, Mario Testino, and Sølve Sundsbø.

The blunt-banged, blue-eyed talent, whose era of makeup inventions is just beginning at Chanel, will undoubtedly continue to create beauty essentials that appeal to the modern woman. Because, as she says in lilting Italian-accented English, “We’re here to have fun.”