Get ready to look as fierce on the outside as you are on the inside with these take-charge hues for your eyes, lips, cheeks and tips.
Get ready to look as fierce on the outside as you are on the inside with these take-charge hues for your eyes, lips, cheeks and tips.
Bold, sexy, and playful – that’s your beauty goal this year end. Forget quiet neutrals and show your true colours with statement makeup. “No-makeup makeup is over,” says Jenn Streicher, celebrity makeup artist and co-owner of Striiike Beauty Studio in Beverly Hills, California. It’s all about smoky metallic lids, moody dark lips, softly sculpted cheekbones, and a pop of funky nail colour (picture turquoise, plum, or burnt orange). Whether you rock one or all four trends, you’ll feel as confident as you would after an hour of kickboxing. Better yet, applying them doesn’t take long to master.
Divine lips
When is it not about red wine during the holidays? From dark lip stains to full mattes, shades of merlot and cabernet look seasonally appropriate now. Condition your lips before trying the trend – remove flakes gently with a mild facial or lip exfoliant, and slick on some balm. “Otherwise, these shades will expose every flaw,” says Toronto-based Maybelline makeup artist Grace Lee. For the cleanest finish, outline with a lip pencil that matches your lipstick, then apply colour with a lip brush from the centre to outer corners of your mouth.
TRY Maybelline Colorsensational Loaded Bold in 05 Chocoholic ($14.90, http://www.zalora.sg), Make Up Store Lipstick in Guilty Pleasure ($32), Nars Audacious Lipstick in Vera ($46) or Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in No Tell Motel Cream ($29).
Chiselled cheeks
Let your skin breathe a bit and forgo foundation. But don’t skip blush, since it can add balance to a vivid eye or lip. While Kardashian-like definition is better suited to Instagram than IRL, a subtly sculpted look is on point. Simply dust an orange (for a deep complexion), a tan (medium tone), or a rosy (fair) blush just below your cheekbones. The goal is to look lit from within – not bathed in colour.
TRY Lancome Blush Subtil Powder Blush in 031 Pepite De Corail ($60), Becca Mineral Blush in Wild Honey ($48, Sephora) or Laneige Pure Radiant Blush in Angel Pink ($38).
That glint in your eye...
Make it a blue, green, or plum shadow. “These add a hint of drama to otherwise muted tones,” says New York City celebrity makeup artist Nick Barose. The new silky textures here let you apply colour with the fingers, and build your desired intensity. Simply dot eyeshadow repeatedly onto lids, working from lash line to crease. Finish with black mascara.
TRY Kat Von D Beauty Metal Crush Eyeshadow in Danzig ($32, Sephora), Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Defining EyeShadow Wet/Dry in Blue Fury ($49, Tangs) or Shu Uemura Pressed Eye Shadow in Metallic Medium Green ($25).
A perfect 10
The dark side of the rainbow is where you’ll want to turn for nail inspo. However, if you’re really going for it on your lips or eyes, you may want to lean towards the subtler side of the spectrum shown here. A soft mauve is the perfect mix of strong yet soft, says Madeline Poole, a Sally Hansen global colour ambassador. “Its hints of pink and white feel similar to face highlighter,” she says. Amp up the colour play by embellishing the cuticle area with a stripe of another of these shades or a fun metallic polish, Madeline says.
TRY Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Mauve Along ($13.90, Guardian), JINsoon Nail Lacquer in Aria ($27.70, http://www.lazada.sg), Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Nail Glaze in 114 Snap! ($30, http://www.sephora.sg) or Missha Self Nail Salon Color Look in BL04 Blue Castle ($14.55, http://www.lazada.sg).
PHOTOGRAPHY CLAIRE BENOIST
STYLING RACHEL STICKLEY/BERNSTEIN & ANDRIULLI
