Bring on a winter-fresh load of textures and colourways
Words Tania Grier
There’s something rebellious about Autumn/Winter make-up. Exit summer’s barely-there textures, enter pigment-rich lips and dramatic eyes. This season, that means Seventies disco glitter, flashes of neon and sumptuous metallics.
On the AW19 runways, lids and lashes were awash with colour. Blusher ranged from oh-so-subtle to fresh-from-the-dancefloor flushed. Lip-looks were just as varied, with matte velvet textures, intense cherry glosses, and sheer balms elevated with a hint of sparkle.
Over on the beauty counters, exciting new textures are making it easier than ever to recreate backstage looks, such as top coats for eyes and a new wave of high-shine non-sticky glosses. Here’s our pick of the most inspired new-season looks and the products to help you recreate them at home.
Tom Ford AW19
THE NEW SMOKEY
Black is back. The classic smokey eye gets a modern twist with Chanel’s stunning ‘Noir et Blanc de Chanel’ collection. Les 4 Ombres in Modern Glamour allows you to switch from matte to satin with black, white and grey shadows. For a polished look, just add mascara, and in the evening add a slick of Ombre Premiere Top Coat in Penombre for glossy gold-flecked lids. Flip from film noir to modern sixties goddess with the white eyeliner, or an edgy graphic black eyeliner and pair with Rouge Coco Gloss Laque Noir, a surprisingly wearable black cherry, a trend that was seen at many of the shows.
Helmut Lang AW19
MATTE VELVET
Whether it’s a deep red lip or a burgundy shadow, velvet finishes are big this Autumn-Winter. Plum hues are everywhere and ticking the box for speed (no brush needed) is TRINNY LONDON’S Lovers eyeshadow, £18, which can be layered up quickly to produce an intense shadow that flatters all skin tones. Also very current is her Lip Love in Dalia, £24, the perfect claret tone with a dash of rose gold shimmer.
PALETTE & BRUSH
Masters of subtle shades SUQQU are launching their UK Holiday Collection, a plethora of pretty pigments including limited edition palettes, blushers and lip colours, sold exclusively at Selfridges from October 3rd. The textures blend like butter, from khakis, mushrooms, mauves to russets with a mix of mattes and metallics – all very wearable. I predict the Eyeshadow Compact 102, £59 will be a make-up artist must have, and Designing Colour Eyes, £46 is the ideal winter quad for those who want to move away from neutrals.
Chanel AW19
BUFFED BROWS
Across the shows, brows in general were more groomed and polished. Other than a few sightings of ‘bleached brows’ the punk brow has been replaced with a more natural shape. It’s a case of filling in any gaps and a quick brush to tidy. Good timing for FENTY BEAUTY who just released the new FENTY BEAUTY Brow MVP, 14 shades of long-lasting, waterproof brow pencils with a super fine tip and unique paddle brush to style into shape.
Christian Dior AW19
MOD LASH
The ‘Twiggy’ trend is back with a nod to the ‘mod’ and even more extreme – as seen at Dior. It looked cool on the runway, but how do we tweak the sixties mod lash for daily use? The easy route is to use 2-3 coats of mascara on top and bottom lashes and stop when they start to clump. Another option is to draw on the bottom lashes with a black liner for a bold take. Not everyone suits this dramatic look so if you can’t pull it off try a product that gives you a spidery lash and doesn’t smudge, such as CLINIQUE Fit Workout 24 Hour Mascara, £20.
If mascara application is not your strong point, try Eylure’s Pro Lash No.040 (£4.95 from Amazon) reusable bottom lashes for a perfect 60’s lash every time. The bonus is you won’t need to wipe all that mascara off!
And if you really want to embrace the look, try adding a heavy black liner such as Diorshow Pro Liner Waterproof in Pro Black, £22.50, but make sure not to smudge it out, the line should be precise and defined and as opaque as possible.
PURPLE REIGN
Masters of top quality travel-size polishes Mavala have nailed it with ‘Karachi’, the perfect deep hue to compliment the plums and mauves we’ll be wearing on our lids. If you’re looking to upgrade your nail wardrobe, The Retro Collection is a travel set of six shades including a warm nude, metallic silver, off white and the above Karachi. No need to worry about chipping, these are small enough to stay in your bag if and when you need to refresh! Available from September in singles or as a set.
Georgio Armani AW19
