In 1937, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was gaining notoriety for the Parisian fashion house she pioneered and welcoming 16 years of the radical scent she’d conceived to reflect the codes of the house itself. Requiring an ambassador to advertise CHANEL N°5, she carefully selected herself, posing for François Kollar’s camera in a glamorous suite at the Ritz. Uniquely feminine, elegant and with an air of mystery about her, who better to front a campaign for a fragrance that breaks all the rules than the visionary founder herself? Chanel was the first woman to become the face of her own fragrance and as CHANEL N°5 turns 100 this year, the revolutionary spirit lives on. As the final chapter in its year of celebrations, the house of CHANEL shares a special HOLIDAY 2021 makeup collection that draws inspiration from N°5 and allows the wearer to explore the fragrance, its timeless beauty and its enigma.
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NEW LOOK
“The holiday collection has always got an element of fun in it,” says Victoria Baron, the official makeup artist for CHANEL in Australia, who created these custom looks on model Victoria Lee. “This year, the collection pays tribute to CHANEL N°5 so there’s an underlying tone of celebration of history and longevity.” A truly spectacular piece in the HOLIDAY 2021 makeup collection is a reinterpretation of the Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow palette to pay homage to N°5. Each colour in the palette is embellished with N°5 motifs, including the minimalist bottle—a tribute to the luxury of simplicity—and the iconographic 5 itself. “That's the beauty of Les 4 Ombres—you can use one colour, or you can use four.” Among them is a shimmery golden white, a pearly white, a matte black and a satin amber tone; each complement the two exclusive shades of liquid eyeshadow in Ombre Première Laque Glitter for the holiday season. Le Volume Révolution De Chanel in Noir completes the look.
BOLD TYPE
This season, the ROUGE ALLURE N°5 lipstick is available in five shades of red, including two new releases, Emblématique and Légendaire. “There is that classic association with having a beautiful red lipstick on,” says Baron. “In this collection, there's different tones that you can choose from that can give you the idea of a finished lip, but you don't have to go full bold. You can have something that's a bit more peachy, or with a little bit more pink in it, and create that same look.” Baron advises selecting the tone based on the lighting—a glamorous candle-lit dinner calls for a powerful red hue like 147 Emblématique. “A really good trick is to apply the lipstick and then take a cotton tip and rub the edges down on the edge of your lip. It gives it a really nice softness.”
GOLDEN HOUR
For HOLIDAY 2021, there is a focus on a luminous complexion, inspired by the gold and amber tones of N°5. “This particular collection is all about the golds, and the sheen and the luminescent skin,” confirms Baron. “There's these little flecks of light-reflecting pigments throughout the collection and it creates a beautiful sheen on the skin that isn't too glittery.” The Fluide Enlumineur, a golden ivory highlighter, melts into the skin and provides a shimmery glow that’s perfect for the party season. As part of this new collection, Baume Essentiel comes in a new Or Beige shade, for finishing the look with a touch of radiance on the high points of the face.
NIGHT SHADES
“I think because the holiday collection is exclusive, it does feel really special—just like the fragrance.” The instantly recognisable golden hue of CHANEL N°5 has been transformed into a radiant base for the face and eyes, while lips and nails are painted in the perfect festive red hue. LE VERNIS by CHANEL in Rouge Intemporel is an exclusive deep red shade and a highlight of the 2021 holiday collection. “Similar to the lipsticks, it’s that classic CHANEL red on the nails.”
