Kristen Stewart for Chanel Beauty Talks
French atelier Chanel is showing that red is much more than a color in the latest installment of its Beauty Talk series.
Chanel’s Beauty Talks video shows Lucia Pica, global creative makeup and color designer at Chanel, in personal and candid interactions with the frequent brand ambassador Kristen Stewart. The episode concentrates on the dominant properties of the color red, a favorite hue of Chanel’s founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.
“Watching how Ms Pica connects with her work as a makeup artist, allows us to see her passion naturally and ensures that she will bring her love to this brand,” said Kimmie Smith, co-founder/creative director of Accessory2 and co-founder/style director of Athleisure Mag. “Through the power of the video, and thanks to Kristen calling it out, we see how she gets lost in creating the look and how easy it is for her to share her makeup tips in a conversational way.
“Observing her transform Kristen in a way that is different but empowering allows the viewer to get excited for additional interactions with her,” she said. “For those of us that are a fan of the brand and specifically, the beauty portion of the collection, I am a fan of the lip and nail assortments, it makes consumers excited to see how she will continue to evolve the brand through the blend of the brand’s heritage as well as her own aesthetic.”
Ms. Smith is not affiliated with Chanel, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Chanel did not respond by press deadline.
Red power
Part of an ongoing episodic video collection, Beauty Talks’ third session brings Ms. Pica and Ms. Stewart together for a second time.
Ms. Stewart, a frequent campaign choice for Chanel, was also featured in the tutorial created to announce Ms. Pica’s first beauty collection for the house. Using Ms. Chanel’s favorite color as inspiration, Ms. Pica created Le Rouge Collection N°1, a line of lipstick, nailpolish and eyeshadow.
This collection reflects a modernization of a house code, enabling Ms. Pica to leave her mark while keeping within the boundaries Chanel consumers are familiar with (see story).
Still from Chanel’s Beauty Talks Red Power with Kristen Stewart
For Beauty Talks “Red Power” shows Ms. Pica and Ms. Stewart in a “stolen moment,” where they share a dialogue of private inspirations, emotions and beauty secrets, all of which relate to the color red.
The three-minute film begins with Ms. Pica applying Ms. Stewart’s makeup ahead of a film premier. As Ms. Pica applies cream eye makeup in red shades, the pair talk to the misconceptions and advantages of wearing the color, because many assume the hue will make the wearer look ill or tired.
As the talk, the conversation is intimate, touching on the anticipation of walking the red carpet when a project is exciting and worthwhile, and the dreaming state that takes hold of Ms. Pica as she applies makeup.
The episode ends with Ms. Stewart being photographed against a red background, and shown in red lighting as each flashbulb.
Chanel Beauty Talks: Episode 3 Red Power with Kristen Stewart
On Chanel’s Web site created to house the third episode of Beauty Talks, consumers can read a brief blurb on both Ms. Pica and Ms. Stewart. A behind-the-scenes gallery also breathes authenticity into the digital content.
The dedicated page also includes a shoppable shopping list of must-have reds, as well as Ms. Stewart’s personal favorites. All of the products included are shown in hues of red.
Shorter videos delve into Ms. Pica’s inspirations for the Le Rouge Collection N°1 and the iconic style of a classic red lip.
Filmed for you
Continuous beauty video series are common as the medium allows for increased engagement, especially tutorialized content that recreates the in-store experience.
Beauty series also provides consumers with a behind-the-scenes understanding of why a product or look was created and how it can be included in her beauty routine.
Chanel kicked off its series by teaching consumers how to achieve makeup mastery with the help of supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
In the first Chanel Beauty Talks, the model sat down with the brand’s global creative makeup and color designer Ms. Pica to share beauty secrets to “Free Your Glow.” Compared to other makeup tutorials, the designer and model have a natural conversation, allowing their personalities to come through along with their tips and tricks (see story).
For its second installment of Beauty Talks, Chanel sat down with brand ambassador Keira Knightley, transforming the actress into a “modern vamp.”
The episode took place in a London dressing room with a “mysterious boudoir-like atmosphere,” and featured Ms. Knightley with Ms. Pica candidly discussing tricks of the trade, such as using their fingers as an applicator to create a more “lived in” look. Ms. Knightley shares that she hardly uses application brushes, preferring her fingertips because it reminds her of finger painting (see story).
“Chanel does a great job with picking muses that showcase the next progression of the brand while also being relatable individuals that you would want to know more about,” Ms. Smith said. “Having a behind-the-scenes video that has a chat between a celebrity makeup artist and the muse allows the viewer to not only feel like they are in the midst of the conversation, but also hearing questions that they would ask if they were there.
“Talking about beauty myths (red) and how it can be broken – was an interesting nugget to take away as well as to reinforce the importance of the color choice within the iconic house’s color palette,” she said. “It also shows that even a brand ambassador who wears the brand, continues to take a journey and unveil new information about the brand.
“This authenticity is very telling for those that are familiar or are just learning about the fashion house.”
