Couture A/W ’12: How to Wear Crazy Colours

Tue, 3 July 2012 4:56PM

While Versace kicked off the current haute couture collections by opting for sexy, signature smoky eyes, Dior took a big technicolour risk with its makeup. In rooms wallpapered with colourful blooms, models wore floral-bright hues on their face. Think poppy-red lipstick, washes of iris-blue shadow, and orchid-purple or grass-green eye liner. All. Worn. At. Once.

Sure, the couture shows are rarely meant to be taken literally. Just as you’d probably never order a $40,000 dress, you’d likely not wear more than one super-bright hue on your face. And you probably shouldn’t.

The Dior show got us thinking about the dos and don’ts of ultra-bright makeup. Here are our top pointers:

The either/or rule. You’ve heard it a trillion times before, we know. But we’d be slack not to roll this rule out again here: When using statement makeup – as bright makeup most certainly is – either focus on your eyes or your lips. Unless your name is Bozo.

Team Eyeshadow? Don’t be automatically scared off by a bright shadow in its palette. Chances are it will actually be quite sheer and pretty on the skin. Nevertheless, you can soften the look of any colour by lightly whisking it on with a fluffy shadow brush. This creates a wash effect that is flattering to pretty much everyone. Just play around with the shape (try anything from just covering the lid, to winging it right out, to brushing up brow-high), and intensity (keep in mind, too, that you may need to layer up to even out colour). As for the actual colour, makeup artists usually advise looking at bright eyeshadow as an accessory that anyone can – and should – wear. Nevertheless, at PRIMPED we believe that: 1) jewel tones (emerald, sapphire, amethyst) look universally gorgeous, 2) pastel hues are sweet, and 3) warm tones (reds, yellows, oranges) should be worn with caution, as they can make you look a little ill or feverish. And the point of makeup is to make you prettier, right?

Team Eyeliner? If a wash of colour feels OTT, try a simple slick. You can either edge the lashline, or go for a cat’s-eye effect. Some liquid liners come in bright hues; alternatively, get the look by applying a colourful shadow with a dampened, flat liner brush. Even easier: try a gel liner. Bobbi Brown makes one of the best formulations, and it comes in a gorgeous array of colours. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, $45. Keep in mind: because this minimal makeup option is just touching on the bright trend, you should go more colourful to make an impact. In other words: save the sweet pastel shades for colour washing, and line with purples, blues and greens. Go hard or go home.

Don’t Forget Concealer. No matter what type or tone of eye makeup you go with, make sure to camouflage around the eyes. Below, above and at the corners. Bright makeup demands attention, so any flaws nearby will be made that much more obvious unless some nifty concealer work is committed to. FYI: one of our top concealers for dark circle work is Benefit Boi-ing, $37, from Myer. We love it even more now that it comes in five shades.

Ditto for Brow Grooming. Bold hues of eye makeup also beg for a perfect set of arches to frame them well. Make sure yours are nicely shaped, that any gaps are coloured in with pencil, and that they’re set in place with gel (or, at a pinch, a little clear balm). Forget highlighting under the arches; there’s already enough eye-brightening action going on down below.

Team Lips? Red, fuchsia and orange are the go-to shades when it comes to bright lippie (leave the yellows and blues for the catwalk and performance art) and instantly liven up a face. Avoid formulations that are too sheer or shimmery; for maximum impact, go matte or velvet in texture. Better still, paint them on twice with a lip brush, blotting with a tissue in between; the effect is that you will have intense, long-lasting pigment. Shop around at M.A.C, YSL and Revlon for great buys.

Lip Love. Don’t even think about wearing bright lipstick until you have gently exfoliated away any flaky patches with a baby toothbrush, and slathered your lips in nourishing balm. Bright lipstick and dry lips don’t mix well.

Face Facts. Bright eye makeup looks great set against a canvas of a flawless face (use a brush to apply a liquid foundation; set with translucent powder), however bright lips work nicely back to a more dewy style of complexion. Try a tinted moisturiser, followed by concealer where needed to even things out. As for blush? There’s so much colour going on elsewhere that the cheeks should probably be left alone – unless you want to dust on a neutral shade of blush to softly contour in some definition.

When All Else Fails … Slick on the bright nail polish. Ulta3, from pharmacies, has a great range of bold colours, and at $2 a pop. You may find that brights are much less scary for you when worn away from the face.

What do you think, Primpettes? Do you love the super-bright trend?

What are your top technolcour buys?

Or are you more a neutral kind of girl?

Posted by: Katrina Lawrence

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Tags: benefit, bobbi brown, colourful makeup, concealer, couture, dior, eye shadow, featured how to, gel liner, liquid liner, mac, red lips, revlon, runway makeup, ulta3, yves saint laurent