Even if you’re a taupes and browns girl throughout the year, the holiday season is the perfect moment to experiment with colour. We ask Victoria Baron, CHANEL Makeup Artist for her best makeup tips to blend the classics with a seasonal twist to help get us into the spirit these holidays.
How To Add Colour Into Your Makeup
Marie Claire: Colour feels right at this time of year. What are some shades you recommend?
Victoria Baron: “Colour is such a simple and easy way to express mood, personality and festivity. When experimenting with colour, I always recommend starting by slightly adjusting shades or shapes of your current makeup bag or routine.
“If you usually accentuate your eyes, trade your usual shades out for something a little different. Instead of a neutral palette, try a deep smoky grey-blue or shimmery purple. It gives definition and dimension but still feels wearable.”
MC: If we want to focus on lips?
VB: “If you love to keep your lips in focus, try a colour like the Chanel Rouge Allure Laque Liquid Lipstick in Nébuleuse, a pearly crimson purple matched with glowing skin and a coat of mascara for definition.”
“The holiday season has always been a time where makeup becomes less serious and every day and leans into a more celebratory and expressive place. It’s about having fun, feeling renewed, and welcoming change as the year comes to an end and a new one begins”
Victoria Baron, CHANEL Makeup Artist
MC: If we want baby steps, what can we do?
VB: “Even a small change, like exchanging a black (or brown) eyeliner for a coloured one, can completely transform the feeling of the makeup. I particularly love the bluish-grey CHANEL Noir Allure Mascara in ANTHRACITE. It still defines the lashes beautifully, but it feels softer and more subtle than a traditional black. A slight variation in tone of a mascara can really play with the tone of your eye colour and diffuse into or pick up unexpected tones in the eyeshadow.”
A Good Place To Start
MC: If we’re colour-shy, where on the face do you recommend we start: lips, eyes, or cheeks?
VB: “Experimenting with colour can feel daunting, especially if you’ve tried it before and it didn’t quite work out. But colour can suit everyone, it’s all about how you apply it. It’s easiest to start with the feature that you are the most comfortable with and go from there.”
Eyes: “For eyes, I like to keep the colour close to the lash line and resist the urge to go too big with the shape. A soft wash of coloured shadow or a touch of eyeliner as an accent, perhaps a flick on the outer corner or a hint of brightness along the lower lash line, can offer a fresh perspective without overwhelming it.”
LIPS: “For lips, if a bold bright lip is overwhelming, use a cotton tip to diffuse the edges, stain the lips with your finger or blot down the colour with a tissue. The beauty of a CHANEL Beauty collection is that everything is designed to work in harmony. If you’re drawn to a new eyeshadow palette, the coordinating lipsticks and nail colours have been created as part of that same story, so the guesswork is taken out of it.”
NAILS: “Leaning into colour doesn’t have to mean a total transformation. It can be as simple as an unexpected nail shade like metallic orange Le Vernis Alchimiste or a slightly unexpected tone on the lips like CHANEL Rouge Allure Laque Incandescent that creates a multi-coloured dimension to the lips. It’s about small, confident steps that don’t feel like a departure and still feel like you.”
“A pigmented bold lipstick will always feel modern and timeless, it never goes out of style. The modernity comes from how you wear it.”
Victoria Baron, CHANEL Makeup Artist
Take Inspiration From The Classics
MC: What in your mind is the most classic holiday makeup look, and how can we change it up and make it modern?
VB: “When I think of a classic holiday look, I instantly think of a red lip or a light reflecting gold eyeshadow. Those two elements have always seemed to define the season. There’s something about sparkle, warmth, and light that we are all drawn to at this time of year.”
“A pigmented bold lipstick will always feel modern and timeless, it never goes out of style. The modernity comes from how you wear it. Pairing it with luminous, natural skin or a softly diffused eye keeps it feeling fresh and effortless rather than overdone. It’s less about chasing trends and more about shifting the attitude, keeping it relaxed, confident and lived-in.”
MC: Can you talk us through Chanel’s Holiday 20925 Collection?
VB: “What I love about the CHANEL Holiday 2025 Collection is that it captures that festive spirit but does it in a more unexpected way. It’s not the predictable reds and golds. Instead, it’s inspired by the night sky, with blues, violets and subtle shimmer that feels romantic and reflective, combined with accents of metallic oranges and luminous hues. It still celebrates creativity and playfulness, but with a sense of quiet elegance.”
How To Get That Holiday Glow
MC: We all want flawless, glowing skin, but how do you achieve an editorial-worthy complexion?
VB: “Skin preparation has always been such an essential part of any makeup application for me. It sets the tone for the entire look and creates a moment to pause, connect, and do something for yourself. Makeup isn’t just visual, there’s intention behind it, and that begins with how you treat and prepare the skin.”
“When skin is well-prepared, your foundation can be minimal. It’s less about coverage and more about the natural health of the skin. Before any makeup, I start with a simple cleanse with CHANEL L’Eau Micellaire for a quick and easy refresh or a deeper cleanse with CHANEL L’Huile Cleansing Oil to remove any impurities.”
“I follow with a hydrating serum, eye cream, lip balm, and a moisturiser suited to the skin’s needs. Massage is one of the most transformative steps. It moves any stagnant fluid, brings vitality and glow to the skin, reduces puffiness, and helps the skin absorb product beautifully.”
MC: If we want to highlight but we’re worried about accentuating lines. How can we get around this?
VB: “Traditionally, highlighting means adding an iridescent, light-reflecting powder to the tops of the cheekbones, but that can sometimes draw attention to fine lines or texture. The key is all in the placement and the texture of the product. If you want that luminous finish without the shimmer sitting on the skin, I’d reach for CHANEL Baume Essentiel in Transparent. It gives a fresh, healthy glow without emphasizing lines because it melts with the skin rather than sitting on top of it.”
MC: Is placement important?
VB: “Highlight doesn’t always have to live on the cheekbones either. Think of it more as playing with light. You can bring radiance to the inner corners of the eyes, the bridge of the nose, or the top of the brow. And if you’d prefer to keep the focus away from fine lines, shift the attention elsewhere. A beautiful lip or illuminated eye can create that same sense of glow and vitality.
Essentially, highlight what you love most about your face, not what you’re trying to disguise. It’s about celebratory, clever placement and drawing attention to other areas and features.”
MC: This time of year brings joy. What makes you feel joyful and look your most radiant?
VB: “These days I’m much more considered about what I buy. I don’t like mindless purchasing. I’d rather invest in pieces that feel meaningful and intentional. That’s something I love about the CHANEL Holiday Collections. There’s always a story behind each creation; a sense of artistry and purpose that makes every product feel special.”
“I also find so much joy in lipstick. Because I spend my days perfecting makeup on others, there’s something very personal about my own small ritual. A lipstick in my bag, a colour I reach for when I need to lift my mood or signal the end of a long day. That small act of putting on a vibrant lip feels like a moment just for me.”
CHANEL Holiday 2025 Collection is available now.
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