17th September 2013
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Location LOCATION: France

Recreate the look: Lancôme Hypnose Doll Eyes Palette in Fraicheur Rose and Bain Du Minuit / Lancôme Artliner / Lancôme Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara / Lancôme Teint Visionnaire / Lancôme Genifique Advanced / Lancôme La Vie Est Belle Fragrance

It’s been so hard trying to keep these photos a secret for such a long time. Back in July, Luke and I flew to Paris to join Lancome in celebration of their new Lancome x Alber Elbaz collection. The following two days were spent shooting this, a creative collaboration to celebrate Lancome’s new Hypnose Eye Palettes revolving around their one key message – “La Vie Est Belle”, which means “Life is beautiful” in French.

Since beginning my blog I have been continuously asked countless times what shade of red lipstick it is I’m wearing in my photos. If you scroll back to some of my first interviews ever back in 2009 you’ll notice that even back then I was, and still am, using the same lipstick by Lancome (it used to be Color Fever Shade 151 until they discontinued this line which is now replaced by Rouge in Love Shade 181N Rouge St Honore). This is a brand I genuinely love and have been using for years, so to be approached by an international beauty house like Lancome to work exclusively together on a creative collaboration (and in somewhere none other than Paris and France!) is honestly a dream come true for me.

The name “Lancôme” was inspired by the ruins of a castle, Le Château de Lancosme in Central France, while the roses in the area inspired the company’s symbol of the single golden rose. Luke and I took this as the core inspiration for our shoot, as well as portraying my version of “La Vie Est Belle” moments. We decided to not only shoot in somewhere as iconic as Paris, but in places like Central France which added a subtle sentimental element by paying homage to Lancome’s French heritage. I also wanted to keep Lancome’s iconic rose symbol a cohesive theme throughout the shoot with the use of florals seen in colourful and ethereal landscapes we scouted in Provence and Central France. And honestly, these photos don’t even do them justice. The lavender fields were perhaps one of the most serene landscapes I have ever seen, and I’m still dreaming about them.

I shared a few behind the scenes images with elle.com.au so if you’d like to see more (and perhaps one of my favourite photos I’ve shot with Luke ever…) you can see them here.

So enjoy my tiny glimpse into the romantic world of Lancome, where the colours seem more vibrant, the sun is always shining and the possibilities seem endless. A place where you can fall in love and a place where you can dream. “La Vie Est Belle” or “Life is Beautiful”, and so are you…

Photos by Luke Shadbolt
Creative Direction & Styling by Nicole Warne