Back to Rouge Noir

As we step into 2026, it feels like we’re collectively pressing pause, taking a moment to reflect, and in turn, to be inspired. Fashion has already done it. Music never really stopped. And now, with the launch of the Chanel Rouge Noir Limited Edition Collection, make-up is having its own embrace of nostalgia.

For the last few years, beauty has been defined by restraint. No make-up make-up, clean skin, barely-there colour, an aesthetic perfected to the point where looking effortless became the ultimate goal. And while that language of beauty still holds relevance, it’s beginning to feel complete. Not over, but finished in the way a chapter closes naturally. What we’re seeing now isn’t a rejection of minimalism, but the beginning of a new cycle.

Make-up, like fashion and music, moves in rhythms. When one era reaches its peak, another begins to resurface, familiar, but reimagined. In 2026, that resurfacing feels distinctly 90s. Dark burgundy-lined lips softened with gloss. Shadowed eyes that feel worn-in rather than pristine. Colour used with intention, not excess. The 90s were defined by confidence and contrast, and those codes feel especially relevant now, as beauty begins to lean back into character after years of subtlety.

Few shades encapsulate this moment quite like Rouge Noir. Deep, decadent, and forever tied to late-night glamour, the colour first made its mark in 1994 at Chanel’s Autumn Winter ready-to-wear show. Created backstage by makeup artist Heidi Morawetz, mixing black and red on the spot. What began as a fleeting moment quickly became a cult beauty reference and in 1995 became official with its release within the Le Vernis collection.

That same spirit runs through the Rouge Noir Collection today, reimagined for eyes, lips, face and nails. It taps into a renewed appetite for depth and drama, offering rich burgundies, mauve-pinks and shadowy reds that feel both nostalgic and modern. The collection plays in contrasts: softly blurred lips paired with defined lines, rose-toned eyes offset by deeper shadows. From velvety mauves and lacquered rosewood lips to smoky greys and vivid magentas on the nails, each shade offers a nostalgic edge.

So as 2026 unfolds, make-up isn’t abandoning the future. It’s simply beginning the cycle again, and this time, it’s lined in Rouge Noir!