Every legendary match begins with a silent, unpredictable move. Rouge Noir is born this way, from an instinctive gesture. We are backstage at the CHANEL Fall–Winter 1994/95 show when Karl Lagerfeld, together with the CHANEL make-up creative directors, mixes red and black nail polish until he achieves an indefinable, deep, magnetic shade. A red so dark it looks black. Or a black that, under the light, reveals garnet reflections.
Inspired by the inner lining of the 2.55, from that moment on Rouge Noir has always been more than a beauty detail. Turned into a vernis in 1995 and initially renamed Vamp in the United States, it immediately became a global icon, embraced by cinema, music, and fashion. A colour that defies conventions, paradoxical by definition, able to move between red and black without ever fully belonging to either chromatic world.
Today, thirty years after that first bold strike, CHANEL brings Rouge Noir back onto the chessboard, transforming it for the first time into a complete make-up collection.
The game is on.
Complexion: opening
It starts with the base. On the cheekbones enters ROUGE NOIR CONFIDENCE, applied with the Pinceau Retouche Teint N°104. An eye and face palette where shades converse like pieces on a chessboard: magenta, mauve pink, Siena earth red with rosy undertones, all the way to a pearl white highlighter.
To finish, a touch of BAUME ESSENTIEL in the shade Cute: a desaturated mauve pink with a pearly finish, to be applied to the high points of the face. Because light, like a winning idea in chess, arrives only at the right moment.
Eyes: controlling the board
The gaze becomes the playing field.
The nuances of ROUGE NOIR CONFIDENCE meet and blend: intense magenta, mauve pink, Siena earth red with rosy reflections. Blended along the lash line and across the lid with the Pinceaux Ombreur N°203 and N°204, they create depth within a perfectly balanced architecture.
A touch of pearl white pink highlighter lights up the inner corner, while STYLO YEUX WATERPROOF in Rouge Noir defines and elongates the eyes, adding intensity.
The move is sealed with NOIR ALLURE Mascara Rouge Noir: one click is enough to reveal its applicator and volumising formula, in a magnetic limited-edition shade.
An unpredictable weapon.
Lips: the strategic strike
On the lips, this iconic shade becomes a statement, to be chosen à la carte among the nuances of ROUGE ALLURE VELVET. It sublimates Rouge Noir in its purest form, turning it into lipstick. It also offers three variations, in a palette of different saturations: from the mauve of Irrévérente to the purple-pink of Effrontée, up to the brick brown of Audacieuse.
For those who prefer a glossier, more sensual finish, ROUGE ALLURE LAQUE Ultimate dresses the lips in an intense, lacquered pink, while Rouge Noir envelops them like a cherry-coloured glaze.
Each texture tells a different personality, yet all share the same attitude: absolute confidence.
Nails: checkmate
The final gesture can only be on the hands. Enter the icon: LE VERNIS Rouge Noir, in the Moderniste, Performer, or the legendary Rouge Noir versions, seals the look with graphic precision.
It is the checkmate of a collection that doesn’t follow rules — it creates them. Because at CHANEL, as on the chessboard, the winning move is never improvisation.
It is depth of vision.
Photos by Johnny Carrano.
Thanks to Chanel Beauty.
What do you think?