October’s beauty news has a clear message: colour is back. After several seasons dominated by barely-there nude lips, the new launches round-up from Vanity Fair Italia points to bold red lipstick and imaginative fragrances as the stars of the month, with a few unexpected ideas along the way.
The return of the red lip
The headline launch is Rouge Victoria, a semi-matte lipstick from Victoria Beckham Beauty with a soft, velvety finish. It first appeared on the runway at the recent Paris Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2027 and is now available to buy. The range comes in six shades of red, from bright classic tones to deeper, moodier versions, each designed to give full colour in a single stroke. Victoria Beckham has described red as a colour that always signals confidence. According to the brand, the formula uses a new-generation polymer without microplastics so that the colour glides on evenly and resists fading. A useful tip from the magazine: trace a little concealer around the edges of the mouth for an extra-crisp line.
Fragrance with a story
Perfume launches this month are about more than a spritz. Officine Universelle Buly has created a refillable scented ballpoint pen that you glide across the wrist, the nape of the neck or the décolleté, with a choice of three concentrated oils: Madagascan amber, Mexican tuberose and Maltese iris. Acqua di Parma has teamed up with pastry chef Luca Bernardini on Il Profumo della Pasticceria, a range of candles and diffusers inspired by three Italian desserts (cassata, tiramisù and panna cotta) that the perfumers tasted before composing the scents.
Prada has introduced Paradoxe Sweet Chemistry, a fruitier and softer take on the original Paradoxe, opening with blackcurrant and finishing with a creamy neroli accord. Aesop, meanwhile, has added Unforeseen Aer to its literature-inspired fragrance collection, a fresh fougère built around geranium, lavandin and rosemary that is meant to evoke clean mountain air.
Finishing the look
A red lip is a statement in its own right, so let your jewellery support it rather than compete with it. Warm gold earrings catch the light beside a bold mouth, a delicate pendant necklace keeps the neckline elegant, and a couple of slim rings look lovely when you reach for that new perfume pen.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, Alice Rosati, “Le novità beauty di ottobre 2026” (11 October 2026); brand announcements from Victoria Beckham Beauty, Officine Universelle Buly, Acqua di Parma, Prada and Aesop as reported there.
