At 82, Catherine Deneuve pulls off this anti-ageing makeup trick on the Deauville red carpet
A smoky charcoal eye paired with an iridescent raspberry lipstick: that is the makeup trick Catherine Deneuve chose when she stepped onto the red carpet at the Deauville Film Festival on 12 September 2026. A bold choice that immediately caught the internet’s attention, and for good reason.
Why the eye area ages first
Before unpacking the significance of this makeup choice, it helps to understand why the eye contour is where the signs of time tend to gather first. The skin surrounding this area is naturally thinner and more delicate than the rest of the face. Years of smiling, squinting, rubbing and sun exposure leave visible marks there long before they appear anywhere else.
With age, collagen and elastin also change, directly affecting the firmness and texture of the skin. Fine lines, crow’s feet, dark circles, puffiness and uneven tone: all of these shifts can rob the skin of its radiance and bounce. As a result, it is often the eye area that gives away the passage of time first.
Catherine Deneuve’s smoky eye: a strategic makeup trick
At 82, the French cinema icon arrived in a black trouser suit, her signature blonde blow-dry carrying unmistakable Old Hollywood energy. But it was her elaborate makeup that drew every eye. She wore a blended smoky eye in shades of grey and taupe, applied in a way that restored contrast and structure to her gaze.
This makeup trick addresses a very specific challenge: with age, the natural crease of the eyelid tends to droop or appear heavier. Placing an intense shade slightly above that crease creates depth, ensuring the shadow remains visible when the eye is open. The result is a defined, more contrasted gaze that draws attention away from fine lines or irregularities and directs it squarely to the eyes themselves.
In this way, the technique delivers a rejuvenating effect without any treatment whatsoever. Because while no skincare can halt ageing, the right combination of good products and thoughtful makeup can make the eye area look fresher, more luminous and visibly rested.
The beauty rule Catherine Deneuve broke
The star of Belle de Jour did not stop there. She pushed the look one step further by pairing her charcoal smoky eye with an iridescent raspberry lipstick. This combination is a makeup trick that many would consider controversial, as it flies in the face of one of beauty’s most entrenched rules.
Conventional wisdom advises against combining a dramatic eye with a bold lip. Catherine Deneuve chose to ignore that diktat entirely. Far from overwhelming the face, the decision had the opposite effect: it lit up her whole look with effortless grace, lending her an air that was visibly younger.
- A smoky eye in grey and taupe tones to define the gaze
- An intense shade placed above the eyelid crease to maintain contrast
- An iridescent raspberry lipstick worn alongside the smoky eye, against convention
- A black trouser suit and a blonde blow-dry for a chic, minimalist look
What this makeup trick actually changes
What Catherine Deneuve’s look at Deauville demonstrates is that the right makeup trick can concretely transform the appearance of the face. Structuring the gaze through strategically placed shadow means restoring dimension where time has flattened it, and redirecting the eye away from imperfections towards what you actually want to highlight.
As for pairing a dramatic eye with a bold lip, it proves that beauty rules are not absolutes. Applied with the right balance, this so-called controversial makeup trick can in fact bring light and youth to the entire face. Catherine Deneuve, at 82, offered a striking demonstration of exactly that on the Deauville Festival red carpet in 2026.
