Beauty & Fashion | Beauty

Be an autumn beauty

Turn over a new leaf and update your make-up bag with autumn’s key colours. Lisa Haynes reveals the must-have products of the season

By Lisa Haynes, Friday magazine
Published: 14:03 October 22, 2012

Image Credit: Supplied picture
This autumn, the mood is one of Gothic elegance, all dark eyes or lips teamed with pale skin – choose your favourite feature and amp up the drama.

Changing your entire wardrobe for the new season can be a daunting and expensive prospect. But overhauling your make-up routine doesn’t have to be so drastic and needn’t cost the earth. A gradual shift from nudes and pales to dusky and dramatic can have the effect of transforming your appearance with a simple slick of lipstick or swift sweep of eyeshadow. This autumn, the mood is one of Gothic elegance, all dark eyes or lips teamed with pale skin – choose your favourite feature and amp up the drama. When it comes to party time, feel free to go even wilder with full-throttle fashion looks. It’s officially time to evolve into a beautiful new season!

Purple power
A quick perusal of beauty’s new seasonal shades and eye-popping purple is ‘the’ standout colour. Lips, eyes and nails, there’s no feature escaping this purple reign. For an accessible look, use purple to update a classic smoky eye. It’s a colour that complements all complexions and is especially wearable with a hint of metallic for evening glamour. From vibrant violet to sultry amethyst, there’s a shade for everyone.

Glossy glamour
Forget matte and give your pout a new season twist with high-gloss. It’s grown-up, decadent and deliciously bold teamed with on-trend dark berry colours - a look described as “noir beauty” by Max Factor’s Pat McGrath. You don’t have to invest in a new gloss colour. Try a deep burgundy or claret lipstick and add a layer of thick, clear gloss to instantly transform your lips. The overall effect should look as though you’ve just polished off a delicious bowl of.

Line up
Eyeliner has never been out of fashion but architectural dramatic sweeps are big news for autumn. Catwalks experimented with cute kitten flicks, soft smudged edges and bold sharp spikes as a means of creating different impressions. Smoky eyes were achieved using multiple levels of black for a winged out graphic, feline effect. Go back to the drawing board and pencil on thick lines along the lower and upper lash lines with a liquid eyeliner, but always remember to flatter your eye shape.

Baroque beauty
Decadence is a key trend for new season fashion and the look extends to faces. Get a gilt-edged glow, golden eyelids or even a gold leaf lacquer on nails to look über-expensive. Chanel even used heavily embellished crystal eyebrows on the catwalk. To go extra subtle, use a hint of gold as a highlighter on your cupid’s bow to give your lips a touch of luxe. If you’re opting in on the lavish look, keep your skin fresh and modern, and hair chic and simple.

Bleach babe
Ditch the dark eyebrow pencil for this futuristic trend. Eyebrows have gone pale and interesting. No drastic action with the bleach bottle or tweezers is required. Brows can be paled down with a pencil that blends the hairs so they almost fade into your skin tone. ‘Removing’ your eyebrows takes away one of your face’s key features, moving the emphasis onto others like cheekbones, lips or eyes for added drama.