There were two absolute standouts for makeup from last week, Christian Dior and Givenchy. Designer at Dior, John Galliano, was inspired by early 20th century equestriennes. There were three makeup looks, all very old hollywood glamour with winged eyes and matte lips in nude, scarlet and crimson, and the most perfect porcelain skin. The look was modernised by the use of vibrant shades over the eyelid, similar to that of the Spring 2010 Dior show.

Givenchy’s designer on the other hand, Riccardo Tisci, dreamt up contemporary pieces for his ideal Parisienne with fine tailoring mixed with frivolity, and on occasion a touch of disco. A black shadowed eye with a hint of midnight-blue glitter gave us a retro effect however the fresh matte skin and statement lips kept it contemporary.

The most wonderful hair was seen at Chanel. Heart shaped hair with large silk bows and streaks of baby blue, how fantastic!

Oh couture!

xx

All images from style.com

At Chanel:

And Chloe:

At Giambattista Valli:

And Hussein Chalayan:

And finally, other It-label, Stella McCartney:

Getting gorgeous matte skin is easy! You don’t need a matte moisturiser or foundation, but instead a good powder. My favourite is the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder. It’s oil-free and doesn’t seem to cake. Just what we need! Use a Large Powder Brush (MAC #150) or Small Contour Brush (MAC #109) and unless you want dewy cheeks, lightly apply all over your face. See, it really is that easy!

xxxx

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

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/)

At Vivienne Westwood the hair and makeup was based in Elizabethan trends but was modernised with bursts of colour in random spots (such as the temples) and the hair having been given a flaming look. Pretty cool, huh?

Yohji Yamamoto’s girl was, let’s face it, FULL ON! Scarily teased hair, feather eyebrows above boxes of colours and a face painted white but very messily. I’m looking forward to reading the interviews explaining this collection. It’s pretty amazing though, I can’t take my eyes off it!

As Tim Blanks at Style.com perfectly describes it, an “eerie, postapocalyptic princess” at Gareth Pugh.

A battered-heroine look at A.F.Vandevorst.

A Rei Kawakubo creature at Comme des Garcons. I really love how this look could be anything you want it to be. A (beautiful) sea-monster or Rococo-chic gone punky!

And you know, after all of the extraordinary looks above, a face-tattoo, like the ones at Jean Paul Gaultier, seems normal!

xxxx

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