Hit the road with Chanel Beauty this fall

If there's one place that inspires everything from music to art, it's the Californian landscape. As Led Zeppelin wistfully sang, "The sea was red and the sky was grey, wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today." In a similar vein Chanel's global creative makeup and colour designer Lucia Pica was inspired by the sights and palettes of this beautiful state when she embarked on her own road trip. Stepping out of the studio, Pica wanted to experience afresh the lights and colours of the outside world: Think dawn mists, the sundappled coastline and even the city lights and grit of downtown Los Angeles.

She said, "There was the sea, with the sun coming from one side to create this beautiful coppery gold, and then this lighter, brighter blue and a darker blue, and the pavement looked this beautiful beige... it was an obvious palette. It was just right in front of me; I couldn't escape." The result is a soft, nuanced yet versatile palette from nature that can be surprisingly vibrant —  the coral of sunset — and unerringly peaceful — the serenity of blue grey waters. The products include two eyeshadow palettes — one inspired by the sun, sand and sea and the other by the purplish, smoky and petrol hues of downtown Los Angeles — lipsticks and ultra-cool nail polishes. One of the stars of the collection is a face palette that has a blush, contouring and highlight product. Check out the images below to marvel at how Pica got her inspiration for specific products.

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Available from 27 July at Chanel Beauty boutiques