Legendary and young: the first makeup collections of fashion houses

Undoubtedly, legendary fashion houses are trendsetters not only in the fashion sphere, but also in the beauty industry. They are the ones who set beauty trends and develop new products that other companies soon follow. We decided to remember how famous fashion houses launched their first makeup collections, which of their cosmetic products are still iconic, and also tell us what brands have pleased us with lately.

Chanel

The French fashion house Chanel had an incredibly powerful influence on the formation of the canons of beauty thanks to its founder, Gabrielle Chanel. She believed that makeup should not just decorate a woman, but make her more beautiful. A continuation of this idea was the first makeup collection, released in 1924 - 10 years after the founding of the fashion house. The main colors of Chanel makeup lines are gold, red and beige with a slight shine.

Gabrielle loved red lipstick and encouraged girls to wear it every day with casual outfits, and her favorite shade was released in 1974 under the name Rouge de Chanel. Another iconic product of the brand was nail polishes, the first collection of which was released in 1972 under the name Vernis. Until now, the Chanel varnish palette serves as a guide for other cosmetic companies in determining the most fashionable shades of the season.

Christian Dior

The Christian Dior fashion house was founded in 1946, and its first beauty products saw the world already in 1950. Christian Dior began his journey in the field of beauty with red lipstick, because this color was the symbol of the brand at that time. In 1955, new shades appeared in the Rouge Dior palette, including orange and pink, and four years later the line already consisted of 18 shades.

To update the makeup collection, in 1967 the House hired revolutionary makeup artist Serge Lutens, who launched the iconic four-color eyeshadow palettes in quite vibrant shades. Another breakthrough is the launch of five-color palettes 5 Couleurs and the redesign of cases under the direction of makeup artist Tien.

Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics have become a continuation of the fashion course followed by the French fashion house. The first makeup collection saw the world in 1978 and it immediately became clear that it was possible and necessary to break the makeup rules of that time. Yves Saint Laurent said: “A woman’s best makeup is her passion.” And he suggested expressing it, emphasizing both the eyes and the lips.

Among the brand's famous beauty products is Rouge Pur Couture lipstick, which has been produced for over 40 years. Its formula is constantly being improved, and the color palette is expanding. Another star product of the brand is the five-color Couture Palette, the design of which is reminiscent of the legendary dresses from the Mondrian collection. You also can’t go past the revolutionary Touche Éclat concealer-highlighter, created in the 90s, when no one was talking about skin radiance.

Valentino

The Valentino fashion house delighted its fans in 2021 by announcing the launch of its first makeup collection, created by the brand’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. Needless to say, the line turned out to be incredibly beautiful, reflecting the spirit of the times, dreams and individuality of each girl.

The debut collection consists of multifunctional products, which is very popular now, with a huge range of finishes and shades, and some of the products are released in refill format - another advantage that speaks in favor of environmental friendliness. The central shade of the line is the famous Rosso Valentino, which reveals itself differently on each one. The collection includes foundations, lipsticks, eye shadows and cushions.

Gucci

The Italian fashion house Gucci presented its first collection of cosmetics relatively recently – in 2014. A distinctive feature of all beauty products are black and gold cases decorated with the brand logo. The debut line, developed by creative director Frida Giannini, included eye shadows, eye pencils, blush, powder, nail polishes and, of course, lipsticks, which quickly conquered beauty Olympus.

When Alessandro Michele became the creative director of the brand, he rethought its style, but retained the brand’s signature features. During this period, cosmetic products began to be packaged in mint, pink and gold cases, decorated with prints in retro and art deco styles. Everyone especially remembered the collection of lipsticks, released in 2019 and consisting of 58 shades, dressed in stylish cases. The brand does not stop there, last year releasing the Obscur Mascara, and new products this year are a primer and foundation fluid.

Carolina Herrera

The first makeup line of the American fashion house Carolina Herrera is a completely fresh way to look at beauty. Last year, the company delighted fans with 36 shades of lipstick, each of which is enclosed in a luxurious case, decorated with one of the prints from the brand’s archive, tassels and keychains, with which each girl can create her own lipstick design.

The debut line also includes powders, a universal mattifying cream, highlighter and makeup brushes. The collection was created by the daughter of the brand’s founder, Carolina Herrera Da Baez, creative director Wes Gordon and Carolina Herrera makeup consultant Lauren Parsons. In 2021, the brand introduced new lacquer lipsticks Vinyl Lip Liquid Lipstick.

Hermes

The fashion house Hermès began producing decorative cosmetics only last year, and the first products of the brand were, as you already know, lipsticks. The first collection included 24 shades that were inspired by the company's leather and silk archive and housed in three-color cases. The brand recommends putting beautiful cosmetic products not just in your purse, but in specially created leather accessories for makeup treasures.

The debut collection is constantly updated with new and new shades of lipstick, and this year the brand expanded the line with the new Rose Hermès collection, which included blush, lip balms and makeup brushes.