Byredo introduces Vesuvio, a limited-edition 18-colour eyeshadow palette shaped by the creative direction of its Creative Image and Makeup Partner, Lucia Pica. Rooted in 19th-century Neapolitan painting, the palette traces a visual and emotional journey from the stillness of the Mediterranean landscape to the charged spectacle of Mount Vesuvius in eruption.
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Pica, a Neapolitan native, draws from both art history and personal memory. The palette captures contrast as a central theme: calm and eruption, romance and realism, softness and intensity. The shades reflect the expressive depth found in period oil paintings while translating those tonal narratives into contemporary colour.
“The beauty lies in the observation of this place, of its contrasts, both in calm moments and extraordinary ones. It’s almost like life, isn’t it? When an extraordinary moment coexists with stillness.” – Lucia Pica, Byredo Creative Image and Makeup Partner
The 18 shades unfold in a progression that mirrors this duality. Gentle pastels, lilac, watery green, smoky blue, pale yellow, and soft pink, sit alongside shimmering greys and muted off-browns. From there, the palette shifts into magma orange, volcanic pink, and deep purple, grounded by mineral tones of burnt umber, copper, and bronze. The result is a chromatic dialogue that moves between restraint and intensity, allowing colours to blend into one another with tonal nuance.
The campaign, photographed by Johnny Dufort, situates the palette against vivid, off-colour modern backdrops. The imagery explores movement and stillness as inseparable states. On the model’s face, quiet washes of pigment give way to sudden bursts of saturated colour, punctuated by deliberate accents. The visual language reinforces the palette’s central tension: softness and force operating within the same frame.
Texture plays an equally important role. Vesuvio’s soft, creamy powders deliver an ultra-sensorial application, gliding across the skin with a luminous, weightless finish designed to last up to 12 hours. The formula allows for buildable coverage and intuitive blending, whether applied with a brush or fingertips. Rich pigmentation ensures that each shade holds its clarity, while the blendability encourages experimentation without sacrificing control.
The palette arrives in Byredo’s signature mirrored case, reimagined with a modern, abstract interpretation of Vesuvius. A rainbow motif arcs across the surface, translating volcanic energy into graphic form. The compact functions as a substantial, convertible object, reinforcing Byredo’s focus on design as part of the beauty experience.
Vesuvio 18-Colours Eyeshadow Palette will be available from February 12, 2026, through selected Byredo stores, retailers, and online at byredo.com.
