I can never decide if I’m a summer or winter kind of gal. I love the layers of winter and the rich, moody colours, but then when it comes to summer I can’t help but go crazy with colour. This summer (which arrives in three days time !!) this is the look I’ll be playing with: a bold lid with a pop of sunshine in the inner-v’s and bright lips.

As you can see here, I love a blue eye and this is such a cool way to mix it up. In my kit I’ve got Shu Uemura’s pressed eye shadow in bright yellow as well as Ben Nye’s Cream Colour in yellow that’s been used here. Pair with a plait or a cute fringe and there you have it, bird of paradise eyes. Love!

If we’ve ever met you’ll know that I love a good dress up party. This is definitely going to be my next outfit. Slick hair, MAC Lady Danger Lipstick and a bat mask created with Ben Nye Black Cream Colour and pressed with a translucent powder. Eeep!

And another thrown in for awesomeness!

Coco Rocha shot by Craig McDean for Vogue US May 2008.

Starting with the ever popular rock chic look, dark smokey eyes were sported at Nina Ricci and Lanvin.

Nina Ricci’s girl was quite angelic but with a darker side. Beautifully glowing skin (mix in a little Giorgio Armani ‘Fluid Sheer #2′ with your foundation) and a lined top lid (MAC ‘Fluidline’ in Blacktrack – see this post for hints) achieve that angelic aspect, now, just add a touch of golden brown shadow or cream to the inners of the eyes for a dramatic effect (but one that isn’t too harsh). If you want you can use a brush but it’s up to you! On my eyes I like messily rubbing in shadows for a grungier look.

Speaking of dark and grungy, Lanvin (above) rocked it! Once again, a clean, glossy palette (foundation and ‘Fluid Sheer’ on the skin) was the base for a tough, dirty eye. Apply the black shadow in whatever shape you like and to make it really rock, dab a tiny amount of Paw Paw ointment (or any clear eyegloss) in the centres of your lids, smudge it a tad with a cotton tip, and voila! Using Paw Paw ointment (or clear eyegloss) will make your lids super shiny but can become super messy around your eyes (especially if you’ve got a long fringe). So if you want to rock this look make sure you’re willing to do touchups every few hours. Just take some cotton tips in your makeup purse and wipe the build up from the inners of your eyes and any fall down. And don’t forget, make sure you put on lots of black mascara!

Another fun, Spring-friendly makeup look was seen at Gaspard Yurkievich. Models’ right eyes and cheekbones were sprinkled with gold glitter. Maybe so not good for days spent doing chores, but for a girly night out or special occasion this could be quite fun! Use any colour and pick a nice complimenting lipstick and you’re ready to go! I recommend the Ben Nye glitters, they’re affordable and designed to be used on the face so are superfine so it’s okay if it goes into your eye. There’s no need to use glue, just press the glitter onto your face with your fingertips. Who knew it was so easy to sparkle! Isn’t that what every girl wants?

You know that the Mod inside of you can’t wait to wear this half-moon look as seen at Junya Wantanabe. Sometimes I see makeup looks on the catwalk and wish I had come up with them. This is one of them. It’s simple but so cool!

And I couldn’t talk about pretty makeup looks without mentioning the beautiful faces at Christian Dior. Inspired by Lauren Bacall, the look was updated with vibrant hues on the lids. The purple-blue (above) and light-orange (below) are colours most girls generally wouldn’t consider, but pared with a red lip (my favourite is Bobbi Brown ‘Lip Color Red 10′), it’s insatiable!

Now go and have fun!

Anni xx

(all pics from http://www.style.com/fashionshows/)

The last three days at LFW were all about good bases and focal points. Having studied art history obsessively for three years at uni I’m all about focal points. So when my fringe was short is was all about my brows, and now that my fringe is hovering over my eyes it’s all about my lips. I kind of get excited when looks are quite focused and a feature of the face is emphasised. I feel that it allows for more creativity in the choice of colours and designs. Although, if you ask me to be creative when I have ten minutes to get ready, good luck!

The following looks all have these focal points, which are actually really easy to do in ten minutes! As long as you’ve got the base right, you’re set! You really need to invest in a good foundation and to apply it thoroughly with either fingertips or a foundation brush. The most popular one I’ve seen on shoots and recommend to people is the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. It gives a good amount of coverage, has a gorgeous finish, and is perfect for the ever-popular dewy-look, although can easily be matted-down with a touch of powder. It’s not oily or drying, and is really gorgeous over a moisturised face.

Erdem had one of the simplest and prettiest looks at London Fashion Week. A flawless base, mascara and a touch of lipgloss perfectly matched the multi-coloured pansy prints, black lace and china-blue silks. Use a light pink lipgloss and check out this post for mascara hints. Don’t forget to curl those lashes!

To another focal point… lips! Here at the House of Holland and below at Paul Smith, models were given all different shades of lipstick and gloss. The purple above would be amazing with a cute dress on a balmy night. Skip lipstick and head straight to ‘Dirty Shame’ lipgloss by Nars. It’s not sticky, has enough pigment to create the above colour and has a wet-shine so would look super chic at a cocktail party by the beach or pool. The colour below would also be amazing by the pool or on the beach, although this time during the day whilst wearing a bright bikini or one-piece. I haven’t seen a baby blue although I know Shu Uemura make a medium blue in their Rouge Unlimited line which would be lots of fun to play with.

And finally, one of my favourite labels, Luella (below). Bases were perfect and eyes were played up with cream eyeshadows. I wouldn’t bother hunting around the major labels for such theatrical colours, but am going to head straight to Ben Nye. The Ben Nye ‘Cream Colors’ are amazing and are only ten to fifteen (Australian) dollars!! The creams are really well made, the pigment is strong and you can easily mix colours to get your desired shade. Once you’ve got your colour apply it with a brush for that perfect, rounded shape, and then set with a translucent powder. These ‘Cream Colors’ can be used on eyes, cheeks and lips so you could even make your own Paul Smith light blue (as above). You can find these products at most makeup schools.

Now, go and have some fun with those focal points!

xxxx

(all pics from www.style.com/fashionshows/ except House of Holland from www.independent.co.uk & Paul Smith from www.coutourture.com)