The new white is black
If you are dressing up for a party, make sure your make up does not overshadow your outfit
Before we get on to this week’s beauty advice, let us remember (this sounds like a sermon!), that beauty comes from within as much as from surface appearances. At this time of year we seem to find it easier to be kinder and closer to people and generally have a better affinity with those around us. Add to that a few days’ break, parties, dinners and gifts and we seem to morph into more cheerful versions of ourselves.
Without putting the world to rights, we’ve got New Year’s Eve dos coming up, whether cosy, at home get-togethers or full blown dress-up out-on-the-town jobs.
If you want to do your own make up, remember you don’t have to do anything too specific or heavy just because it’s New Year. If your hair is nicely done, and you’re wearing a sexy dress (or not) and accessories, and your nails are neatly manicured and polished, you should do your make up in a manner that subtly complements your outfit rather than takes over. If you opt for coloured eyeshadow, like plum, aubergine or the new greens that are around, use them subtly to create a hint or hardly-there effect of that colour, perhaps mixed or blended with brown eyeshadow for a smokey look just above eyelashes, or use black eye pencil to draw a line above upper lashes and then blend the coloured shadow over the pencil to smudge the line and give a dark smokey effect.
If you’re not sure what colours to use on your face, or you’re trying to co-ordinate outfit colours or a new hair colour with your face, I have some good news for you. You really don’t have to! Quite honestly, the only way a make up artist can give someone accurate and honest information is to actually see your outfit, hairstyle and face and then give you specific colours and tones that would work well for you, but luckily, to look gorgeous and up to date, it’s just as fashionable, if not more so, to stick to neutral warm tones on the face, which will look good with anything. The trick is to make sure that:
1. The skin looks smooth and glowy (use medium or light coverage foundation)
2. The eyes are adequately defined (mascara, eye pencil and some slightly pearlescent ivory or gold or pale pink eyeshadow over lid to give a glow and maybe a dark brown eyeshadow near to the lashes to enlarge eyes if necessary).
3. Lips are moist looking using one of the many transparent, diamond sparkle effect lippies or a neutral soft russet brown slightly glossy texture.
4. Cheeks are ever so slightly enhanced with a very soft looking, pale brown/peach or pink/dusty rose shade.
Very dark nail polish is very in at the moment and, strange as it may sound, is actually acceptable to wear with almost any outfit, as it is considered to be the new neutral or replacement for the French polish, the new white is black, so to speak. It has to look almost black to work though and is best on fairly short nails. Look for shades that are very dark blue, brown, red-brown or purple-brown possibly with a subtle gold or multi-toned fleck in it.
Happy festivities! And remember, blind drunk is not a good look!
