London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2011 Beauty Update
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My eyes were steadfastly glued to the happenings of London Fashion Week last week. I’m now consider myself to be pretty clued up on the biggest and best beauty looks from the week – so from the extremely easy to wear to the tricky to pull off, I’ve compiled the absolute star looks of the week for you to perfect long before they hit the high street. If you can’t wait for Autumn to try these trends out, they translate perfectly into a super-glam evening look. Have a bit of fun and experiment, and if you go on to try the black lipgloss, you’re my hero!
Perfect Porcelain skin
Seen at: Christopher Kane, Giles, Nicole Fahri
Porcelain skin is big news for AW11. Almost every designer (with the very colourful exception of Dame Viv Westwood!) sent their models out with the most flawless of complexions. In many cases, there wasn’t even a hint of colour on the face whatsoever: Christopher Kane’s troupe were extremely fresh-faced, with ultra-perfect complexions and no trace of lip or cheek colour to be found. Over at Giles and Nicole Fahri, this uniformity was enhanced only with a stark matte red lip that looked even bolder when paired with the impeccable complexion.
Get the look: Too Faced Amazing Face Foundation. An airbrush-like oil-free foundation that will help you to achieve a doll-like, porcelain complexion. Finish with a dusting of powder if you’re prone to oiliness, as this look is all about uber-perfection!
The Spectrum of Reds
Seen at: House of Holland, Julien Macdonald, Temperley
Red lips are another major trend that has been prevalent on the catwalks this week. It’s not just a perfect red that has been spied, but a whole spectrum of textures, hues and finishes gracing models’ lips. From House of Holland’s classic 70s-inspired blue-red, to the warmer-toned orangey red hue spotted at Temperley’s 20s-inspired show, to the decidedly gothic plum-red that graced the lips of some very pale models over at Julien Macdonald. This is one trend that will suit absolutely everyone: House of Holland’s blue-toned shades will suit pink-hued skin tones, Alice Temperley’s warmer red will suit warmer skin tones, and Julien Macdonald’s darker plum is perfect for darker-skinned ladies.
Get the look: Clarins Rouge Prodige Lipstickin 113 Mystic Plum (plum-red), 117 Sunset (orange-red), 121, and 121 Red Prodige (blue-red) are the perfect colours for this look, with their creamy consistency and deeply nourishing textures. Slick on for a fashion-forward pop of colour at any time.
The New Goth
Seen at: Felder Felder, Holly Fulton
From a trend that will suit everyone to one that you’ll have to be a bit braver to try! Where many chose red to offset their pale complexions, Felder Felder and Holly Fulton chose an edgy, almost black hue to make the skin appear even more ethereal. A few dabs of dark colour just won’t do for this look – a full pout of vinyl-like darkness is what it’s all about. For a quick fashion fix, try this DIY trick – use a well-sharpened eyeliner as a lipliner, and then fill in all over the lips. For the less brave (including us), apply a port wine shade of red to lips, and follow up with a sheer black gloss such as Dior’s Black Lame to create a less scary black-red pout.
Get the look: DIOR Dior Addict Ultra-Glossin 992 Black Lame will darken your existing lip colours beautifully, or wear alone for an intensely dark lip with a luxe super-shiny gloss.
Neutral Understatement
Seen at: Topshop Unique, Burberry Prorsum, Sass & Bide
The complete antithesis to those edgy dark lips, beige-toned neutral lips were a popular choice this week. This laidback, low-maintenance look was worn pale at Topshop Unique, pink-toned at Burberry Prorsum, and peachy at Sass & Bide, and was almost always paired with a fresh-faced peachy cheek. The neutral hue perfectly complemented the bright and voluminous shapes worn by models at Burberry and Sass & Bide, and worked to highlight the seriously cute painted mouse noses at Unique.
Get the look: Givenchy Rouge Inderditin 01 Only Beige (peach-nude), 02 Beige Champagne (rose-nude), and 26 Voluptuous Nude (pink-nude) are perfect neutral hues to suit even the staunchest of anti-neutral protesters. The blends are super-soft, ultra-flattering, and the packaging is just so covetable.
Peachy Freshness
Seen at: Paul Smith, Mulberry, Matthew Williamson
Though there was very little blush knocking about the first half of this week, when it was used you could be sure it was peach-toned! The essence of a fresh-faced and brightened complexion, peach blushers set the tone for the casual sophistication at the Mulberry and Matthew Williamson collections, and the preppy cool of Paul Smith’s models. At Mulberry, this wash of colour was worn high on the cheeks for a more youthful look, whereas the models’ cheekbones were sculpted at Matthew Williamson with a helping of rich bronzed peach. At Paul Smith models’ cheekbones were also highlighted, but the blush was extended further down the face to create the illusion of a sculpted jaw and a slimmer, more androgynous face.
Get the look: Too Faced Brightening Blushin Papa Don’t Peach is a richly pigmented peachy hue that is perfect for this look. Illuminating particles make the complexion luminous and disguise any imperfections, and the colour is extremely buildable – perfect for trying out sculpted cheekbones!
The Versatile Dark Eye
Seen at: PPQ, Erdem, Mark Fast
Dark eyes were seen in all manner of textures, shapes and finishes. From winged to cat eye, smudged to smoky, the most notable of these were seen at the quintessentially cool shows of PPQ, Erdem and Mark Fast. PPQ carried on the feline theme of their Autumn/Winter 2011 look with a perfect cat-eye flick – a thick, clean line of black extended across the upper lid only and finished with a distinct tapered flick at the outer edge of the eye. Marc Fast’s AW11 look took it a little further, preferring to make the line smokier and less distinct, with the smudgy effect along the outer half of the lower lashline. Erdem look was the darkest of all, with a thicker, smudgier black that encircled their entire eye.
Get the look: Guerlain Ombre Eclate 1 Shade Eyeshadow in L’Instant Nuit, with the Dior Backstage Eyeliner Brush is just the ticket for a perfect smudgy eye. Start in the center of the eye and extend outwards. Trace the line until you’re happy with the shape, and then carefully increase the intensity of the colour by dabbing on the shadow. Repeat for the bottom lashline and smudge away!