10 Minutes With Givenchy Beauty’s Artistic Director Nicolas Degennes

Lindsay Judge   |   25-07-2020

Nicolas Degennes, Makeup and Colour Artistic Director at Givenchy Beauty sat down with A&E to give his tips, tricks and trends for the upcoming season.

 

 

How have you been spending your time during lockdown and what is a lesson you’ve learnt from this period?  

I spent a lot of time in my workshop, working with my team on new complexion and lipstick products. It was the first time we had worked in this distant way but we succeeded! The lockdown experience taught me that you have to take care of yourself when you live in confinement.

 

Do you think women’s attitudes towards make-up have changed during this time?

I think that women have rediscovered something essential, which is to take care of their skin with fewer products, but more moisturizing, more protection. For example, Teint Couture City Balm is exactly the type of foundation that protects the skin from both the sun and the blue light of the screens. They have also used more mascara and eyebrow products because they have been doing these themselves, rather than visiting salons. Women have had to re-learn how to give a certain freshness to their make-up look and I think it’s great!

 

 

What can we look forward to from Givenchy make-up from the second half of the year?

You are about to discover Le Rouge Deep Velvet. I am extremely proud of this texture for its mattness, suppleness, sensual and protective side; like an armour that you can feel for a long time.

 

What beauty products should we invest in for the upcoming season?

Definitely Le Rouge Deep Velvet lipsticks.

 

How is Givenchy inclusive with its beauty products when it comes to catering for all skin types and colours?

I’m constantly working with the Marketing and Research departments. Givenchy is a brand that is sold worldwide and I have to listen to understand the needs of each and every consumer all over the world. This is in terms of their skin colour and type. I really need to have consumers and experts in front of me, who will help me to go beyond my own thoughts and that’s what matters to me most in creation.

 

 

What are the trends that you are most excited about for fall/winter?

All colours that are a little grey. I find them beautiful, luminous and at the same time a little “disturbing”.

 

What do you think women are looking for from make-up today?

Care. I hope that women will look more and more into the quality of the product, moisturisation and protection.

 

What’s something you would like to do with Givenchy make-up that you haven’t had the chance to do yet?

I’m already working on it, but I can tell you a few things. You will soon discover new products focused around the skin and new application gestures.

 

Who is your beauty muse and why?

All the women of the world are muses for me because, because of their differences, they are all very inspiring.

 

 

What is your first memory of make-up?

It goes back to my earliest childhood. When I was 6 years old, I wanted to put makeup on my mum.

 

What inspires you to be creative?

Art, images, words and sounds… And finally, aren’t the five senses there to inspire us? Questioning is also, in my opinion, inseparable from creativity.

 

Fresh-faced or full glam?

Both of course! It all depends on what we want at the time.

 

Bold lips or bold eyes?

Both, for exactly the same reasons.

 

Big bushy brows or groomed brows?

I like them both at the same time! Bushy brows are much more modern but at the same time the groomed side is very nice too. Somewhere in the middle is perfect!

 

What’s your professional motto?

Tomorrow.  Moving forward. Yesterday doesn’t interest me anymore.

 

If you weren’t working in beauty what would you be doing?

I would have gone to Art School to study painting.