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Make-up trends tend to come and go – smoky eyes one minute, a red lip the next with the occasional bold statement sneaking in which rarely makes it beyond the catwalks and coffee houses of Soho (blue lips and wet-look hair anyone?) But never in the last few years has a make-up statement endured or been as far-reaching as the big brow. A far cry from the thin, tadpole brows of the 90s and 00s, everyone from my 17-year-old sister and her friends to fashionistas in the Far East have been getting their pencils out and scribbling on arches – with some resembling Rita Ora, others Groucho Marx.
But if it’s neat, square Hepburn-esque arches you desire, Dolce & Gabbana’s first ever Shaping Eyebrow Pencil (£32.50, Harrods) is your best bet. Not a “pencil” per se, it’s more of a crayon with a slanted nib, which can create neat arches in a few fell swoops, or draw precise individual strokes to mimic eyebrow hairs for a more natural effect. Conveniently, it also has a spiral grooming brush on the other end to tidy the brows beforehand.
Shaping Eyebrow Pencil, Soft Brown
A colourful lip is the perfect accessory to accompany a statement brow and Tom Ford have created the ideal shade for spring. Sweet Spot (£36, Harrods) is a creamy coral with the hydrating formula containing shea butter to keep your kisser content. While Chanel’s new Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick in La Diva (£25, Debenhams) is the sweetest, delightful sugary pink we’ve ever beheld in a rich matte texture.
Illustration by Karolina Burdon
Also on our radar is make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze & Glow (£49, Selfridges) from her debut make-up collection. It comes in a squeal-inducing “vintage Hollywood”-style compact and comprises two shades to contour and highlight with a formula so easy to blend, the kit may as well be called “contouring for dummies”. Another “cheat” product is Tilbury’s Colour Chameleon Pencil (£19, Selfridges), which allows the wearer to draw on a smoky eye in minutes – we’re rather partial to the Amber Haze shade, a gorgeous golden brown hue which looks dazzling and stays put.
And speaking of shadow, another eye-opener in every sense of the word is Chanel’s Illusion D’Ombre in Impulsion (£24, Debenhams), a gorgeous pearlescent pink in a cream-to-powder texture, which bestows product so lightly, you can make it as subtle or bold as you desire. Burberry’s Sage Green Complete Eye Palette (£40, Burberry) is another winner with both a pale grey-green and a bolder emerald, paired with soft brown to define and a shimmering pollen yellow to highlight.
Burberry Beauty SS14 – Complete Eye Palette – Sage Green No.15
When it comes to base makeup, we’re turning to powders to prepare our complexions for the sweat-inducing heat. No longer the dry, cakey formulas of old, their micro-fine particles bestow colour lightly and evenly, with less risk of those dreaded tide lines. One recent handbag staple is Laura Gellar’s Balance n’ Brighten Face Powder (£28.05, qvcuk.com), which comes with a detracting brush, meaning bristles can be compacted closer together to hold more product for those requiring a heavier coverage. And for eliminating shine, Dolce & Gabbana’s finely milled Perfection Veil Pressed Powder, (£44, Harrods) is perfect for keeping complexions matte yet radiant whilst out and about. Last but not least, MAC have recently launched a range of colour correcting powders Prep + Prime CC Colour Correct (£20, maccosmetics.co.uk) to diminish fine lines and even the skintone.
And finally, from our face to our talons, currently adorning our nails we’ve been rotating the leafy-hued Burberry Beauty’s Nail Polish in Sage Green (£15, uk.burberry.com) with the popping pink Tom Ford Beauty Nail Lacquer in Indiscretion (£26, Harrods). Simple, classic spring hues which never go out of style.
Burberry Nail Polish SS14, Sage Green No.42
by Viola Levy
Illustrations by Karolina Burdon