By Imelda Ladebo With this year’s London fashion week seeing artful and arresting looks on the catwalk, there is no doubt that this season’s makeup is sending out “loud” and clear messages. A lot of the looks had that 80s album cover eyes and strong coloured lips on of which was created by beauty expert Pat McGrath who placed much emphasis on the eyes by creating that 80s style look for the Issa show at this year’s London Fashion Week. Last year, Milan, New York, London and Paris fashion week saw models’ made up in all the colours of the rainbow especially, Fahri and Dior who went all out with shades of blues, greens and purples. This year, green and purple seem to be the main colours and they looked absolutely gorgeous on the models. However, bright colours are not just limited to catwalk; you could go bold by experimenting with bright and daring shades. It is time you stop being safe and predictable and start taking chances with your looks. Illamasqua is one of the makeup brands that specialize in bold eyeshadow colours giving you a wide range that will enable you to express yourself with your look.
THIS SEASON’S HOT NEW MAKEUP PICKS Benefit’s Sugar Bomb blush £23.50 comprises of rose, shimmering pink, soft plum and peach shades, all of which when applied together brighten the cheeks and produce a soft peachy glow. If you’re up for accompanying the rich pink glow with bright pink lips then YSL’s NEW ROUGE VOLUPTÉ, £21.00, would do the trick. If the luxurious and elegant outer packaging does not win you over, it’s rich colour and smooth glossy feel is bound to do the job. So indulge in one or more of these items and transform your makeup bag into a bag filled with all the goodness of spring.
A few other brands are going “bold” with more colours, like Urban Decay’s Show Pony shadow kit and Hi-Fi 24/7 pencil set, which is aimed at helping produce a more vibrant and creative look to go with the sunny weather. The highly pigmented shadows encourage you to play around with colours and can also be used with the selection of pencils as an alternative to the generic black kohl pencil that we are all so fond of.
Lancôme coral flirt blush compact £32.00 is infused with tangerine and coral shades, which go well with tanned skin tone and a subtle bridge between the cliché pinks and heavy reds. The gold hints will help highlight any areas and add that extra bit of shimmer to create the glowy spring look we are all after.
It’s time to erase those winter blues and get in the brighter mood of spring. Spring 2010 is going to see a lot of colours with most brands launching new shades for the season. Bobbi Brown and Lancôme are a couple of the brands whose spring collection sees a lot of coral and orange shades to help create that subtle yet outstanding glow. Bobbi Brown’s Cabana Coral’s Lip and Eye Palette (£48.00) is one of my favourites with the combination of coral lip shades that complement the eye shadows.
CELEBRITY MAKEUP TRENDS Long upturned eyelashes not only make the eyes look bigger but also create that youthful look every woman tries to achieve. There are a number of ways to achieve the illusion of long voluminous eyelashes. One celebrity that is known for her gorgeous eyelashes is Cheryl Cole. No matter what look she goes for, Cheryl Cole makes her look pop with the long lash effect. Take a look at the list below for some inspiration.
TOP 3 MASCARAS FOR CREATING A FALSE LASH EFFECT Alternatively, you can use 'natural looking' false lashes.
These are the top 3 choices: 'Tis the Season to look good! By Imelda Ladebo With the festive season just round the corner, flawless make up should be at the top of the Christmas list. Whether it’s the office Christmas party, or Christmas day with family & friends, the holiday season calls for a hot new look. From the basic simple looks to the more glamorous and elegant looks, in the hope of making every night of this season much more special. With the current sales on most cosmetics, you don’t have to spend alot to get the look you desire. Your eyes are usually the first thing people notice about your appearance, so the aim this season is to capture everyone’s (or indeed that special someone’s) attention with your alluring eyes. Nude lips are best suited with strong/ heavily made up eyes, but opting for bright and sassy lips is just what you need.
Creating Smoky eyes is a good way of changing your day time look to a glamorous evening look. Without spending too much on individual eye shadows and kohl pencils, Urban Decay has put together the perfect "smoke out" kits (£22.00) armed with all the tools you"ll need to create perfectly smokey eyes in no time.
This amazing kit contains four eyeshadows all colour- coordinated for the eyelid, crease, liner and highlight, accompanied with full instructions and a face chart to help you through the process of achieving that exquisite and sexy "smoky eye". The great thing about this kit is that you can wear any of the shadows alone with the creamy waterproof pencil and the fabulous skyscraper mascara. Smoky eyes don't necessarily have to be black, which is why these compact little kits come in three different shades of black/greys, brown and dark green.
This season, go with purple smoky eyes using M.A.C"s eyeshadow in "contrast" (£11.00) with the other tools in the YERBA (deep green) kit.
Vibrant red lips are a must this festive season and it’s a great way of completing the look and it’s Christmas, you might as well go all out. Be as sexy as you can with your red lips by lining them in order to create a curved effect, giving it a less angular finish. You could go for the traditional bright red Christmas lips (try Estee lauder’s Signature lipstick in Terracotta or Ruby) if you’re feeling a bit high-spirited, M.A.C’s Soft Pause Lipstick (£12.00) with the Love alert Dazzleglass (£14.00) on top will bring out that glamorous side (as suggested by one of MAC’s senior makeup artists). What better way to get attention with Hot Red Lips!
Top tip
With the current offers on cosmetics everywhere I couldn’t resist sharing what I think is essential for the holidays. Here are a few of my top best buys this Christmas:
With purple being back in season, Clinique has put together a fabulous kit with shimmering shades of purple (from plums to lilacs) for the cheeks, eyes and lips. Making it a must have for this Christmas season. Available at www.clinique.co.uk
This gift collection brings together favourite shades from some of our best-selling formulas, all in a red satin keepsake box:
Five deep shades of Lipglass/Lustreglass presented in a magical silver cube gift box. A series of circular perforations echoing our holiday dot pattern allow you a glimpse of the sparkling wonders within. Brings on the shine in favourite shades of Pinkular, Magnetique, and Gitane Lipglass, and Angel Wing and Instant Gold Lustreglass
GET THE LOOK: Cheryl Cole
By Imelda Ladebo
L'Oreal Double Extension Mascara (With renewal serum) £9.35
7 Lash by M.A.C £8.50
We Love Smoky eyes
Luscious Lips
Carry a few essentials in your bag for quick top-ups during the evening. Blotting sheets, concealer and your favourite lipstick will see you through the night.
Christmas Must Haves
6 intense shimmery glosses in sparkling raspberry, clear fuchsia, copper penny, golden nude, golden pink shimmer and pink grapefruit. All the shades you need to get your sexy on and with so much shimmer and intense gloss, you’ll be more than happy to kiss and tell this Christmas. Available at larger Boots Stores.
CLINIQUE’S PARTY GLAMOUR KIT
Lavish her lips with 5 full-size lipsticks.
• Sugar Honey (A)
• Rubellite (A)
• Hot Kiss (A)
• Autumn (A)
• Soft Amethyst (B)
Available at www.esteelauder.co.uk
MISBEHAVING DEEP MINI LIPGLASS/LUSTUREGLASS
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