Water is a primal force, at once part of the body and apart from it, mutable, sensual, and a reflector of emotions: this element is one of Lucia Pica and Ben Gorham's key starting points for their reimagining of Byredo Makeup. Embracing an idea of stripped-back simplicity and elegance, focusing on and enhancing the person without a mask of artifice, Pica's conception of makeup begins with a statement of understatement: Liquid Lipstick. Utilizing a neutral palette of high-pigmentation flesh tones – from the total transparency of Fantome, via rich beiges and browns such as Auburn to subtle reds like Scarlet River â€" Liquid Lipstick invokes the power of delicate transformation for the wearer. Neither as brash and fleeting as a gloss nor as immovable and inviolable as a stain, in the Vinyl mutability is sought that lives and flows with the wearer, becoming part of them through the day. A fluid yet creamy vegan formulation enables the melding of makeup with the body, becoming a more personal signature. Here the power of simplicity, nudity, and the self is drawn upon. Application has both instinctive ease and precision through a sharp, lightly flocked wand that delivers color and shine in one stroke. Agency and amplification are given to the wearer – who can also apply the transparent Fantome, to highlight the eyes if so desired. All is realized in Byredo's characteristic totemic and talismanic packaging, designed by Ben Gorham. Here, a new totem is added that emphasizes transparency, subtlety, and strength – a timeless object that could be from the past, present, or future. "It all starts from clear; there is purity, rawness, and the feel of the person, a vulnerability through transparency. At the same time, there is a sophistication in this neutral palette – I like that tension." - Lucia Pica, Creative Image and Make-up Partner
