Eye spy: latest make-up trends

It’s time to tone down your bohemian ensembles and neon make-up.

From bold brows to dark lips and flawless skin, winter trends are strutting their way onto the runways of designers like Alexander Wang, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Oscar de la Renta. The designers celebrated the transience of summers to winters with semi-neon colours, dull shadows mixed with bright dust and other combinations that juxtaposed the shine of summer with the mist of winter.

One of the biggest make-up trends this season is the retro look. Eyes dusted with shades of purple and burnt orange were a hit, and so were darker hues mixed with golds and metallics. Following the general rule of make-up, strong eyes were accompanied by nude lips and glowing skin, as designers strived to attain a pure and angelic look for their models. According to ourvanity.com, pops of colour worn on the eyes as well as the lips will also be making a return this season, as a buffet of colours was seen on models ranging from reds and greens to purples and oranges. Winged cat eyes were paired with red lips — paying homage to Cleopatra’s era.

Coloured smoke

Deep, smokey shades — purple, navy blue and charcoal grey — are big this season. Forget the typical black powder you have been using to darken your eyes and go for a jewel-toned teal or even orange and mix the shade with grey or navy blue to create a soft mix of vivid and dull instead. Winged cat eyes are also making a comeback and even if you are not very dexterous at making the wing, try extending the shadows a little out of your eye lid, giving you a messy, slightly-catty look.

Spider woman

Forget the name, we still like this trend because it doesn’t crawl on you nor does it make you scream the roof down. Spaced out and combed eyelashes are the thing of the ongoing fashion parade. Whether you are a fan of falsies (seriously?) or have your own set of lashes to flutter, we suggest you do not miss out on the drama in the lash department. A good tip is to comb your lashes around the root area while you’re applying mascara, this makes shorter lashes around the root area to stand out and makes your eyes look wider.

Think thick

Bid farewell to thin over-plucked brows as now thick natural, sometimes even boyish eyebrows are ‘in’. As much as you fear what aunty x will think, you will have to obsess less about your eyebrows if you want to keep up with the ‘wolfy’ trend. Designers like Alexander Wang have also suggested defining eyebrows with black pencil and making look stronger and bolder. However, bolder does not mean rounder, the arch should not be compromised in any case. Actors like Demi Moore and Jennifer Connelly have given this trend a shot already.

Make a line

From thin winged eye lines to weird thick lines covering almost all the lid, you’d be surprised to know the number of different looks you can create with just a twist of your eyeliner wand. You can go for a classic version, like the one that was spotted on the runways of Giorgio Armani and Gianfrance Ferre Winter 2011-2012 fashion shows, or you can opt for more drama and pay a tribute to Amy Winehouse.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2011.