Lucia Pica is an Italian makeup artist known for her use of bold, bright colors and for creating looks that push the boundaries of what we can call makeup. She moved from her home country of Italy to London at the age of 22. At the suggestion of a publicist friend, she enrolled in a course at the Greasepaint School of Makeup. She was supposed to stay in the city for only three months — but she fell in love with makeup artistry and decided to stay. “As it often happens, life takes you in a completely different direction,” she says. “It’s the same with my makeup.”
During the course, she participated in test shoots and worked on extras in the James Bond movie Die Another Day. A few years later, she began assisting Charlotte Tilbury. After spending several years on the team, she went freelance and worked on runway shows, advertising campaigns for brands like Louis Vuitton, and editorial shoots for magazines like Vogue Paris and i-D.
In 2014, she landed her contract with Chanel, where she was the fashion house’s global creative makeup and color designer for six years and curated one iconic collection after another. About two years later, she became Byredo’s creative image and makeup partner. Her latest design, the new Bibliophilia palette, drew on the perfumery’s Bibliotheque fragrance and the feeling of reading a book in a library. “I was inspired by old books: the burgundies of certain leathers, the blanched, yellowed pages, the gold on the edge of the pages, and the writing inside,” she says.
Below, she shares how she uses the palette, her extensive beauty routine, and how she grounds herself every morning.
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A.M. Routine
I try to wake up around 7 or 7:30 a.m., but I can’t always promise that. I love sleeping. It’s one of my favorite things. I find that I’m better when I wake up earlier, as it gives me more time for myself before interacting with the world. First, I have water and lemon. Then, I have an espresso that I make myself. I don’t like to go out to get a coffee. I like to have it at home. Then, I like to do a little bit of meditation. I have a crystal sound bowl that I play. Sometimes it’s five minutes, sometimes it’s 20 minutes. It depends on what I’m doing, but I do try and do it before stepping out, so that I have even just a few minutes of grounding. Then, I have a shower. I wash my hair every day. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. At the moment, I’m using this Redken Acidic Color Gloss shampoo and conditioner. Sometimes, I use Rahua’s shampoo and conditioner, which I really love. But the Redken is better for colored hair. I use the Byredo Mojave Ghost bodywash and the Bal D’Afrique body cream. I like Susanne Kaufmann’s body butter and arnica oil as well as the Mount Sapo oil.
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For my skin care, I use the Vintner’s Daughter cleanser and the serum. I’ve been using that serum for over ten years. It’s the one thing I haven’t changed. I also like the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum. Then, I use the Sisley Hydra-Global cream moisturizer, which I keep in my kit as well. I also like Augustinus Bader’s Rich Cream, because I love a glow, and the Susanne Kaufmann cream. I like to put a little bit of the Mount Sapo balm on top to add some glow. For eye cream, I use the MyBlend eye-care concentrate.
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I like the SkinCeuticals Ultra Facial Defense SPF 50. It’s very light, and it doesn’t leave white residue on your face. I also have the Dr. Barbara Sturm Sun Drops SPF 50. Sometimes, I do a mask. I like this Susanne Kaufmann mask and the Sisley Radiant Glow mask. You put the Sisley one on for five minutes, and it literally brightens up your skin. The 111Skin Cryo mask is amazing too. I use the Laneige lip mask. I also really like to use the Foreo FAQ 402 Dual Microcurrent Red LED toning device, and sometimes, I gua sha in the morning.
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P.M. Routine
I take my makeup off with Victoria Beckham Beauty’s cleanser or the 111Skin Deep cleansing oil. Afterwards, I use the Vintner’s Daughter cleanser again. I use this prescription cream, which contains a little bit of zinc, which helps me with some of my blemishes — I wake up with slightly clearer skin. For my serums, I have the 111Skin Repair Serum NAC Y², Susanne Kaufmann serum, and the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel. Otherwise, I use the MyBlend cream or the same moisturizers and eye cream as in the morning. If I mask, I like the Aesop Parsley Seed cleansing mask. When I’m really tired at night, I often have baths with the Āman Purifying Quartz soak and essential oils before I go to bed. I really love it in winter.
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On everyday makeup products
I’ve been using this By Terry Hyaluronic Serum concealer that I really love all over my face and under the eyes. I also like Victoria Beckham Beauty’s concealer pen. I’ll do a lip balm, and then I do the Byredo lipstick in Attached. I put a little bit of that on my cheekbones too. I like the Victoria Beckham Beauty Bronzing Brick. Then, I would use a clear eyebrow gel — sometimes, the Charlotte Tilbury brow gel, sometimes the M.A.C Pro brow gel, sometimes the Victoria Beckham Beauty brow gel. I use the Byredo Ultra Definer brow pencil because it has a very thin point. I like to draw my eyebrows in where it’s needed, but I don’t like to define them too much. I use the Victoria Beckham Beauty eyeliner in Cocoa, and I’ve been using the Dior Diorshow 24h Buildable mascara. For eye shadow, I use more of a taupe-y color from the Bibliophilia palette in my crease. Sometimes, I go a bit cooler, sometimes a bit warmer, and I put a darker brown through the lash line to intensify the eyeliner and elongate it. This all seems like a lot, but it’s done in a very subtle way. It’s indicative of an idea, but it doesn’t look super makeup-y.
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On fragrance
A lot of people ask me what perfume I’m wearing. I use Byredo’s Blanche. I don’t like to change fragrances too much. I will stick to one for a few years, and I might change it depending on what’s happening. In the summer, I like to use Byredo’s Palermo, which is light and more citrusy.
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On hair essentials
I use the Ouai Leave-in conditioner and the Oribe Supershine moisturizing cream. For hair oil, I like Lazartigue’s Huile des Rêves and the Moroccanoil treatment. Sometimes, I’ll mask with the Dr. Barbara Sturm mask, and I also use the Color Wow Dream Coat spray and the Mason Pearson bristle and nylon brush.
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On beauty treatments
I get mesotherapy, where they inject hyaluronic acid and things like that. I’ve done laser, and I’ve done PRP, where they take your blood and they inject the plasma into your face. But at some point, I thought that I looked a bit too puffy in pictures. I don’t like to look too plump — I feel like I’m not myself. I just like anything that deeply hydrates and makes you look like you’ve slept ten hours. At home, I use the CurrentBody LED red-light mask and Dermalux Flex MD LED device.
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On supplements
I take the Lyma supplements. My hair starts getting thin at a certain level, but this is really helping. I also feel like it helps with your joie de vivre. Sometimes, I see Rosemary Ferguson, and she gave me the Ape Nutrition Beef Organs capsules. At night, I take the Pure Encapsulations digestive enzymes ultra and magnesium glycinate. I also take the Bio.Me Mind + Mood capsules and the Seeking Health vitamin D Drops.
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On wellness practices
I have a yoga teacher I go to, I have a gym I go to, and I try to do some weight lifting. I’ve just downloaded the Melissa Wood Health app, which has mindful movement and meditation, and it’s very good for Pilates.
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