Byredo's latest makeup line is just what we need for upcoming holiday parties

According to Lucia Pica, the creative image and makeup partner of Byredo, everything the Swedish beauty behemoth does is rooted in emotions – be it scents, cosmetics or the brand's assorted 'Byproducts'. "This collection came about after a conversation with Ben [Gorham, the founder of Byredo] about the scent Bal D'Afrique," says Pica. The scent is one of Byredo's earliest ones, and at the time of its formulation, Gorham was obsessed with translating memories into fragrance.

The notes of Bal D'Afrique – African marigold, bergamot and buchu, grounded in cyclamen, violet, Moroccan cedar wood, and vetiver – are a love letter to the continent and Gorham's father, whose diaries chronicling his travels in Africa inspired the scent. "The fact that he [Gorham} was attached to a place he had never been to, just through the memories of reading his dad's writing, it kind of clicked," shares Pica. "I could also imagine a world and have an emotional attachment and transform that experience into makeup and colours."

The result is Byredo's latest line of colour cosmetics: Self-Illusion. "The idea was to create this world of smoke and mystery," says Pica, detailing how she translated the idea of "remembering someone else's experience" into "in-between" shades of grey, blue, gold and brown, a terracotta red lipstick and a steely mascara which – perhaps – best reflects the theme, shifting between grey-tinted blue and misty black depending on the light and how long you look at it.

A curated collection consisting of five eye shadow shades, the brick-coloured lipstick, a chubby khaki-coloured eyeliner, the steel blue mascara and the brand's classic clear liquid lipstick with a vinyl effect offers vast opportunities in terms of creating a variety of makeup looks. For the campaign, Pica "pushed" the collection to its limit, packing metallic pigments onto eyelids, laying glossy lipstick on thick, or carefully carving out a pristine red lip.

In terms of working with makeup, the texture is critical to Pica, who often uses her fingers when working with the products. "I am obsessed with textures, and I'm obsessed with the experience of the texture and the experience of the colour," she says.

She notes how it is "difficult to make a mistake with" the eyeliner. "It's very soft. You can use it through the lash line and elongate the outer corner." The same goes for the metallic pigments. "You can pick it up with your fingertips and add a really generous amount onto your eyelid or use a brush on the inner corner of your eye for a light accent," Pica explains. "There are so many ways of playing with it, like creating what's going to be the star of the show. Is it the silver? Is it the mascara, is it the lipstick, is it the eyeliner?"

But how is Pica planning on wearing the collection? "Personally, for everyday use, I think I'd focus on one hero product," the makeup maven advises. "Like a clean face, a layer of the mascara and a little gloss on the lid finished off by a statement lip," she says without missing a beat.

Byredo's holiday collection is now available on byredo.com and at select retailers.