Catwalk colours for real women

High-fashion make-up made wearable - with thanks to Armand Beasley... The catwalks are legendary for creating bold statements with make-up as well as fashion.  From which Beauty Bible generally wants to run a mile.  But then we got talking to Armand Beasley, a talented celebrity make-up artist and image expert whose ‘faces’ include Goldie Hawn and Michelle Keegan - and it's really a case of interpreting those trends in a way that (normal!) women like us - and probably you - can get our heads round.

So:  you might not want to go as wild as the more exotic looks on the catwalk, but here Armand explains here how you can adapt some of the ideas recently seen on the runway to be really wearable – and enviably fashion-forward - using the new spring make-up collections.  (Do check out Armand on www.armandinternationalltd.com, by the way.)

‘Antonio Berardi's bold brows with softly shimmering shadow and white eyeliner are a key look and simpler to recreate,’ says Armand, who explains that a perfect place to find glimmering eyeshadows is Bobbi Brown Brighten Sparkle & Glow collection (which you can see on the model above).  'Press the palest shimmering tones on the inner corner of the eye to help make the eyes look brighter and wider. Also, invest in a white eye liner pencil and use along the inner rim under the eye to make your eyes look bigger.’  (To find a white eye pencil, click here - there are lots on Amazon.)

’Red lips have become a must-have look at shows all year round – with bold brows if you are in daring mode. Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick offers a sexy red lipstick that is hydrating but still more on the matte side:  it comes in a stunning silver and leather case, perfect for whipping out in public for a touch-up.'  Armand recommends Givenchy Le Rouge in shade No.306 Carmin Escarpin - buy here.

Always prep the lips first, advises Armand, by sloughing off any dry skin using a baby toothbrush or creamy gentle exfoliator like Clinique 7 Day Scrub/£17.50 for 100 ml - buy here).  Then hydrate the lips using a petroleum-free lip balm like Sisley Nutritive Lip Balm/£14 - buy here.

http://www.johnlewis.com/estee-lauder-double-wear-stay-in-place-lip-pencil/p88973

However, do finish all your make-up before applying your lipstick.  'A lipliner will perfect the shape:  try applying Estée Lauder DoubleWear Stay-in-Place Lip Pencil first/£16 - buy here - in a shade close to your lipstick colour.  

‘At Topshop Unique, we saw cornflower blue eye shadow with no mascara.  This is a tricky one as people who tried blue shadow the first time round may remember!  Yet companies including Dior and Estée Lauder have produced blue shadow as part of their Spring/Summer collections.  [And Youngblood, the Californian mineral cosmetic line, has a new blue gel eyeliner as you can see in Beauty Bible Loves, if you click here.]

So - to make Topshop’s look wearable, use a stubby shadow brush and press blue shadow along the lash lines, starting at the outer edge then letting it almost disappear as you get near the inner eye.  The soft blues in the Estée Lauder Pure Color Five Colour Eyeshadow Palette look gorgeous!'

To conclude, advises Armand, 'I would follow with a natural-looking mascara just to give some definition to the lashes: it will also dust off any excess shadow that might have fallen on them.'

For those of us who aren't Kate Moss or Cara Delevingne, it's good to find ways to keep our finger on make-up's fashion pulse - without looking like a fashion victim.

Thanks, Armand.

www.armandinternationalltd.com