How To Do Fall Makeup, The CHANEL Way

If you were to have accidentally wandered into Pier 59 Studios early on a spring day, you might have caught a glimpse of Ammy Drammeh, Valentina Li, and Cecile Paravina being interviewed for NYLON’s fall beauty shoot. Though they’re all wearing the requisite makeup-artist uniform — head-to-toe black and comfortable shoes — the three of them also give off “girl group on a press tour” energy: Li is bubbly and chatty; Drammeh is calmly introspective; and Paravina exudes a cool-girl charm. On camera, they finish each other’s sentences and say things in unison. But after the video wraps, they break form and beeline back to their makeup chairs, where they dust models’ faces with colorful pigments and glassy highlighters from CHANEL’s Fall 2024 makeup collection. That’s when the real magic happens.

The trio’s unique approaches to makeup artistry and global perspectives are just some of the reasons CHANEL came calling more than two years ago with a unique opportunity: a chance to be a part of the luxury house’s first-ever makeup-artist collective. Together named the Cometes Collective, the three artists lead the charge for new makeup collections, consult on shades and textures, and usher in a new era at CHANEL Beauty, fueled by creative collaboration and an invitation to rethink the classics for a modern, diverse audience.

So far, it’s worked out. CHANEL’s Spring 2024 makeup collection, dreamed up by Li and inspired by her love of holographic, aquatic hues, sold out instantly. Drammeh’s Summer 2024 followed suit, with a certain acid-green shade of the brand’s Stylo Ombre et Contour receiving rave reviews in makeup-artist and beauty-editor group chats. And today, the Cometes Collective put their own spin the biggest makeup trends using CHANEL’s Fall 2024 collection from Paravina — and it turns out, there are plenty of unexpected ways to play up your features that don’t involve a smoky eye.

From a pale lavender eye shadow to ombré blush, keep scrolling to see five fall makeup looks from the creative minds of CHANEL’s Cometes Collective — and get to know them along the way.

Fall Romance

Created by: Valentina Li

Key products: CHANEL Les 4 Ombres in Initiation, Les Tarots De Chanel Matte Powder Blush in Lavender, Rouge Allure Liquid Lip Colour in Énigmatique

What inspires your approach to makeup?

I’m from Guangxi in the south of China. It was really rural, so we didn’t get a lot of information from the outside world. I’m a nature girl. I love to go out for a walk to get inspiration in the forest and imagine the colors of the leaves on the ground. I climb in the mountains, and I swam in the river. I know all kind of plants and animals; my [blue] hair tells you that I love the ocean. I spent 17 days in the Maldives, and I went into the water every day to say hi to my friends.

What inspired this look?

I wanted to create this idea around the romance and mystery in fall, and I also wanted to add some texture. Imagine the colors you see in nature, and things that [make] you feel mysterious, comfortable, and warm — a mysterious romance.

Do you have a favorite era of makeup?

The ’70 to the ’90s — is that too long? But I think that at that moment, people really expressed themselves through makeup, and there was so much fun in makeup. People really celebrated their individuality through makeup. They wore color in their own way.

Graphic Gloss

Created by: Valentina Li

Key products: CHANEL Le Crayon Lèvres in Rouge Brique, Rouge Allure Ultrawear Intense Matte Liquid Lip Colour in Passionnante, Baume Essentiel in Moonlight Kiss

You’ve called yourself a face painter instead of a makeup artist — can you expand on that?

I think that the reason I call myself a face painter is because I really love to paint, and my dream when I was a little girl was to become a painter. I think as a painter, you paint on a blank canvas. But as being a makeup artist, you get to paint on a living individual. Actually, it’s much more fun, and it’s much more challenging — it’s a communication between you, the color, and that individual.

The reason I don’t call myself a makeup artist is because I think it’s a little bit too soon. ... I have this theory that when you are working in the field five years, you’re putting one foot in that spot. Maybe in 10 years, I can slowly call myself a makeup artist.

Your work is very science fiction and mangai nspired. What’s your favorite science fiction movie?

Mars Attacks. It’s just so fun and cute. I watched it when I was 8, and it blew my mind.

What about manga?

My favorite manga is difficult. I basically love everything but... OK, I’ll say Sailor Moon.

How do these inspire the way you do makeup?

I think it’s really about mixing and matching elements I like. For example, I saw this bluish-looking skin in a movie, and I’m like, “Why don’t I use this skin in a makeup look?” But instead of making it really blue, I can make it a little bit transparent. And you can see a lot of aliens have very interesting features — extremely long lashes and transparent skin.

I just love to kind of push myself because I really enjoy doing the handcraft. I love to spend the time to study and ask, “How do I put things together?” And if I fail, I will try it again. It’s so much fun. Instead of just using color, I like to mix different kinds of materials, like flowers or plastic. I have my own project about recycling plastic bottles to try to [make] the waste into makeup to make it beautiful again. I just like to experiment.

Lavender Haze

Created by: Cecile Paravina

Key products: CHANEL Les 4 Ombres in Divination, Mascara Noir Allure in Améthyste, Rouge Allure Liquid Velvet in Énigmatique

What inspires your approach to makeup?

Rebellion is a big part of my approach to beauty. I think it’s a liberating act to shave my eyebrows every morning. I know that it might not please everybody, but that’s not really what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to create a look that is unique and striking.

Was there someone or something that led to your decision to bleach your brows?

I started bleaching my eyebrows in high school because I saw this one Prada show. I remember Pat McGrath was doing the makeup for this shoot, and I started zooming on these pictures to see what was on her table. I’m like, “What was she using to bleach the eyebrows?” I bought the same thing.

I grew up in an 1,000-inhabitant village. So no one was vibing with this idea of having no eyebrows, but I just pulled up to my high school and was like, “Hey, this is my new look.” Everyone was just like, “What changed? Something’s weird.”

What inspired the creation of your Fall 2024 collection with CHANEL?

My collection is very mysterious — it’s called Clairvoyance, and it touches on subjects like astrology and mysticism. I feel like the imagery of astrology is very inspiring in terms of colors, in terms of shapes — it has to do with the sky — and, of course, Miss Gabrielle Chanel was obsessed with astrology, so I wanted to honor that aspect of her personality in my collection.

How would you describe this look?

I wanted to give my model today a mysterious aura. I’m using purple, which I think is the most spiritual color.

The New Punk

Created by: Cecile Paravina

Key products: CHANEL Les 4 Ombres in Divination, Rouge Allure Liquid Velvet in Énigmatique

You did makeup on yourself before becoming a makeup artist. How did you start?

I was actually studying fashion design in Antwerp, and I think makeup came at a moment for me where I needed a power boost. I wasn’t doing so well in school, so makeup gave me a lot of confidence. I found a lot of pleasure in painting my own face. So I think this kind of energy that makeup gives me stayed with me after I started doing makeup on others.

How would you describe your approach to makeup?

What I like is tension ... exploring tension between two ideas, like extreme glamour and sensuality and then something weirder. ... I also love putting references that maybe should not be in beauty ... and kind of mix them together and obtain this very strange balance.

What eras of makeup do you find influence your work the most?

I’ve always been obsessed with Flemish Renaissance paintings, like the ones by Jan van Eyck or Rogier Van der Weyden. I think these have somehow subconsciously influenced me to enjoy this kind of beauty where women look like a blank canvas — like a boiled egg, with a perfect huge forehead, no eyebrows, and just channeling this cold gaze. If you apply lipstick or eyeshadow, you can only see the makeup. ... I also love Old Hollywood, ’50s kind of makeup, or even the ’30s, like Marlene Dietrich with skinny eyebrows — that film noir, intense makeup. This is where I think a lot of the craft and the artistry became super sophisticated and interesting ... I love ’60s and ’70s avant-garde movies from Japan — the makeup looks are amazing and a big reference for me.

Jewel Tones

Created by: Ammy Drammeh

Key products: CHANEL Stylo Ombre et Contour in Dream Leaf, Rouge Allure Liquid Velvet in Ensorcelante

What inspired this look?

I got inspired for this shoot by the face of my model. I like to do things that are very specific for each person, and I think it’s great to start creating when you know who your canvas is going to be.

What are some of the biggest influences on your makeup approach?

I have many, but I think because I grew up in the 2000s, that was my era. I stared at TV and music videos for hours and hours when I was a kid, and I think that really had an effect on the way I do makeup and the way I perceive beauty. I love the metallic textures they used to use in the late ’90s and early 2000s, the mix of matte and glossy. Also, how individual it was for each artist and how much creativity they could pour into those looks.

You’ve talked before about the importance of giving credit to Black artists. How do you pay homage in your own work?

It’s not me just playing homage to Black makeup artists but also Black creators at large. And also not even that — just your regular African auntie who wears fierce lipstick shades. I want to take that further; I want to take it to the world, because they are the epitome of elegance and flamboyance, and it’s beautiful. I love it.

How does your background and Spanish-Gambian heritage affect the way you do makeup?

I think growing up in Spain and being different [from] everyone else makes you look outside the box because you are outside the box, too. It just makes me appreciate culture way more and have this curiosity for “the Other,” because I was “other” for many, many years until I moved to London, and then I realized, “Oh wait, there are a million people like me. I’m not the only one.” It’s amazing. So I think when I create makeup, it makes me consider everyone.

You’ve said before how your makeup style is “real,” not natural. Can you expand on what that means?

I think there is this expectation of doing “natural” makeup — like, “Oh, if you wear lots of makeup, it’s not chic.” But I think each person can wear whatever amount of makeup they want, and it’s more about communicating something that feels real and authentic. I want people to feel seen, to say what they want to say with makeup, to express themselves with a color or a texture. And it’s almost like a great accessory to your personality.

Top Image Credits: Chanel necklace

Models: Lameka Fox, Faith Chang, Wayne Booth

Photographs by Mikael Shulz

Styling by EJ Briones

Hair: Jerome Cultrera

Makeup: Ammy Drammeh, Cecile Paravina, Valentina Li

Manicure: Honey

Production: Cassidy Gil

Video: Devin O'Neill, Marshall Stief, Jasmine Velez

Photo Director: Alex Pollack

Executive Beauty Director: Faith Xue

Editor in Chief: Lauren McCarthy

SVP Fashion: Tiffany Reid

SVP Creative: Karen Hibbert