Winter make-up: Positive colour changes

Press, 27 April 1983, Page 11

Winter make-up: Positive colour changes

In vogue

Paula Ryan

In makeup, the current change is a real move to a more sophisticated, dramatic look. A look with strong focus and more finish.

The looks to go for now are an eye that’s rounded, in smudged, neutral shades; pale, pale cheeks; a strong mouth in red, berry shades, violet, magenta or orange — all with a lighter touch — tissued down to a natural stain. Especially for day.

More texture is also news — often in a mix of matte and shine. Colour news covers the new neutrals, such as silvered-greys and tealblues which shape a rounder eye. Then there are the dramatics — velvety mauves and strong navy blues. Emerald is also seen, used to create a deep-set allure around the eyes. Iridescence is an important option. It is sometimes built into the basic product, but often applied separately and always subtly. It creates texture, sparkle, and finish, particularly at night. What plays an important role in attaining a bold colour-scape is good skin, and learning to control what you apply. The secret for today’s looks is that they never look overdone or painted. Start with a good base and tend towards a pale matte foundation.

A dampened sponge helps — regardless of brand. It regulates the application to a smooth, sheer finish.

A light dusting of translucent loose powder cuts any shine and aids a flawless matte effect. Blush in soft rose or burnished coral shades, and apply hign on the cheekbone. It should be barely noticeable. At night brush a touch of iridescent powder high on the cheeks. For the eyes the most prominent shape option is the rounded eye, which is younger looking and appealing. This season’s darker tones may appear (at first glance) difficult to apply,, but if you confine them to a minimum, using a pale (never cream

or white) highlighter from the eye crease to the brow — an open eye shape is created.

Mellow champagne shades should be the palest for this purpose. Always balance with some colour into the lower lashes, and be generous this winter with mascara.

For a natural, soft, smoky

look, this example, using just one of the many optional colour combinations, is worth trying. Use mid-brown as a base eye shadow, touched with a hint of berry mauve on the outer eye lit area and amongst the lashes. Highlight the brow bone with a gold highlighter. Finish with a steel grey eye

liner or a softly smudged black pencil. The pink lip family, even touched over with iridescent mauve, will suit this look. Greys work well with mauve or navy blue, but this season’s deeper shades are used to add a smoky finish to the overall effect rather than stand boldly alone competing with tone.

One of the biggest steps forward in colour on the eyes is the important graduation of tones from warm to cold, and from soft through to the deeply smoky. Eyebrows can make or break a look. Their shape, size, and colour all contribute to the final effect. Today they are never overplucked and severe. A touch of gold or silvery lights through the brows add evening sparkle. Try working your brows into shape with a toothbruth after any colour or shine has been added.

With black, deep, or bright evening shades of fashion more dramatic emphasis is needed to balance the total P.M. look. Use iridescent shades. Be sparing and blend their additional shine carefully into the matte shadows you wear. The iridescents create contours, absorbing light and creating exagerated bone shadows.

However, because they reflect light, they also emphasise imperfections so confine them to good qual-

ity skin areas — over brow bones, across eyelids, tops of cheeks.

If your eyes are lined, use an ivory foundation first and keep all iridescent products away from the lined areas.

Black or deep clothes lathe evening also work well with standout patent leather lips, loaded with shine, but here again, not on everybody. Best results are gained with experimentation with colour, but don’t overdo the mber tf shades - lip

number of shades on ips and eyes, otherwise the result will always end up a dull heavy brown — a nonshade.

Try mixing emerald with lilac, mauve with silvergrey, brown with sea-blue, and blackcurrant with coral.

The list is endless. Best results are usually achieved by mixing on the eyes or lips rather than pre-palette mixing. Eye liners have a place this winter, but if you want to launch into them this season work with soft, steely shades of grey, keeping your subtle application within the confines of the eye itself. Never widen or extend. Extended eyes using liners are on the horizon for next summer and winter ’B4. Meantime, work with colour that suits your choice in clothes through to your complexion. And the safest advice for those who find colour mixing difficult — purchase cosmetic duos or trios of colour. They are designerplanned and designed to work as a complete colourscape.