Paint it Blackberry

Ever since Peter Philips joined Chanel Makeup in early 2008 as its global creative director, he has accumulated a hit parade of coveted collectibles—the greige-y Particulière nail polish, the Vamp-like Les Noirs Mythiques lipstick trio, and, of course, those trompe l’oeil tattoos. This month Philips commemorates the reopening of Chanel’s downtown Manhattan boutique with the SoHo collection, a cache of subtle, wearable colors in dusty roses and dark nudes. “I tried to create a combination of intense but easy shades,” he explains. “Pink for pretty; dark for determination.” For nails, Stigma (a shimmering blackberry; shown here with a naturally noir-skinned coq) and Steel (a blue-gray) brush on like liquid metal. Says Philips: “Even the woman who doesn’t really wear makeup isn’t afraid of going for a strong nail.”

Prop stylist: Victoria Granoff/Art Dept.