BEAUTY OP-ED | What's in this fall and winter? Everything.

GREEN EYESHADOW, orange lips, big hair, flat hair, crazy eye lashes, no eye lashes, red lips, nude lips, blush, no blush. MAKE. UP. YOUR. MINDS. ALREADY. I mean… the powers that be simply can’t figure out what they want to tell us minions we should be wearing on our mugs this fall. Go figure. Their cues, the expressionless faces of underage models on the runways, were covered in all sorts of stuff. In a schizophrenic move, designers threw a collective tantrum about the makeup at their shows this year and splintered off into groups of, well, one, creating sundry makeup looks. So we, the public,  instead of getting a succinct list of what’s in and out — if you care about that stuff — have ended up with something akin to my to-do list and Lindsay Lohan’s prison wrap in that it’s NEVER-ENDING.

So we’ve plucked the most visible from the makeup morass. Some we love, some we don’t. Clearly being on-trend nowadays means doing whatever you damn well please which, if we’re honest, is what we’ve been doing all along anyway. Yeah!

Deep red, burgundy lips, glassy red, chunky glittery red… no matter how you do it, red is in this fall. And although Vogue — the most contrary publication to ever exist (you say black, they say white!) — is sporting the strap line “forget minimalism — frivolity is the new watchword”, we’re going to have to respond with “are you blinking mad? because you lot are the ones telling us that while red lips are all the rage so is… The nude look”.

Even less than no-makeup makeup. You know what I mean by no-makeup makeup, where you still put on blush and mascara and all that they way you wear to work every day. The way that men (silly men) think you’re not wearing any makeup even though you used 16 products and spent half an hour to get your face looking like that. Nope, this is even more no-makeup. Ditch the mascara, leave the blush in your makeup bag. This look would be more appropriately called ‘Sick Day’. Actually, you’d need to pair it with ‘90s grunge (read: greasy) hair for that, which is fitting as…

Grunge — as in unwashed, in flannel and combats a la Kurt, Courtney, Singles, Sonic Youth and young Eddie Veder — is apparently a beauty trend. Take that, grunge. You thought you were the antidote to the mainstream, painted aesthetic? Computer says no. Even you aren’t safe from commercialisation, especially now that fashion has codified the use of the unwashed — and, if you can believe it, sometimes homeless — masses as a source of regular inspiration. McQ will see your greasy hair and raise you a tartan dress… for more than you’re monthly wage, thank you very much. To ‘do’ this beauty trend — and actually do it as a beauty trend and not a side effect of an unhealthy lifestyle — wear some skinny ripped jeans (please don’t buy them pre-ripped), a fitted flannel shirt — alluringly unbuttoned — washed hair that’s been tousled with some Bumble and Bumble beach spray, GAP motorcycle boots (how I covet thee), a bit of black eyeliner on the water line and lip balm on eyelids for that greasy look. Maybe a touch of messy lipstick (applied with your finger tip). We’re thinking more Alicia Silverstone in Aerosmith’s Crazy video than Courtney Love as lead singer of Hole.

But why stop at messy, anti-social and slept-in? You can achieve two of the three (messy and slept-in) with something I’ve coined the Pigalle look. Deep violet eyeshadow and any sort of red lipstick at the same time is apparently a trend this season. I call it the less-is-not-enough look. More is more. More is better. I guess this is what Vogue meant by frivolity. Painted ladies of the night. Send in the clowns, more like. It is not a look I’ve seen anyone ever pull off. It flies in the face of cardinal beauty rule: lips or eyes but never both. Unless, of course, you’re stood in a dark stoop competing with a girl half your age for the attention of that passing John, in which case you had better slap it on! We think the make-up artists promoting this look have been reading far too much Henry Miller.

One thing we don’t mind from the Moulin Rouge days, though, is the red hair that’s oh-so aujourd’hui. Although I suspect we have one Miss Joan from Mad Men to thank for that too. It’s about time that those other than Jesus, Rossetti and strange ginger fetishists embraced redheads. It’s vibrant, makes your eyes pop. Jewel-toned hair is fun and you’ll be one of few donning it (how cool). Although, Mulberry had a whole runway of them during S/S10 fashion week. Florence Welsh too has made being a carrot-top cool. But if you can’t bear to dye your locks ginger or having been genetically blessed there’s always…

Orange lips. Coral was cool during the summer but orange lips are in right now. And I find them even brighter and more ostentatious than red lips so be prepared for attention if you sport a matte orange lip. It also looks good just gently applied as, say, a lip stain or gloss. In fact, orange lips give you a healthy glow, even healthier than pink does. But if you don’t want to stand out there’s always the…

Khaki and camo trend. Yep, for the urban warrior out there, you can go all camo with your nails and eye makeup this year. Greige, mushroom, khaki et al are still in. Subdued hues of gray, green, putty, mauve and beige show up everywhere. Wear your nails short and square with such a color to keep with the militant trend. On the eyes, apparently, sweep it from lash line to brow bone… this one’s for the brave. Who dares wins, right ladies?

At the end of the day, we’re going to correct Vogue. It’s not frivolity that’s in — it’s cosmetic indecision!

Originally published here by Jessica Teas for Looking Good, No Matter What. Read all of her posts here.

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HOW TO | Keep your skin in top form this winter

WITH EACH winter I plunge into a grumpy, hopeless state over what happens to my grown-up complexion, thus gifting me with my own special version of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I’m affected by the seasons, alright, but it’s because of my seasonal skin problems not the lack of sunlight. Winter plunges me into despair with rosacea in full ruddy bloom, spots that never heal, skin that’s dull and papery. Creams seem to be futile weapons against the onslaught of bone-dry air in my flat. I slather on a thick, butter-like layer before falling asleep and inevitably wake up to find that not only has my skin (and, yes, maybe my pillow case) drunk the entire lot, but it’s still the same dry mess it was the night before.

Over the years, I’ve been honing my artillery of skincare weapons and this winter I’m ready to go to war with the weather to save my skin. Here are the best tips I’ve gleaned from the experts and my own trial-and-error experience over recent rosacea-afflicted years.

1. Vitamin C

A notoriously useful brightener and anti-oxidant, Vitamin C can take your skin from dull to radiant in seconds. The trick is actually finding Vitamin C that’s in its active form – no easy feat (read more about that here). Most of the products touting Vitamin C have so little in such a degraded state that they’re just paying this wonder-vitamin lip service and not providing you with a useful amount in any sort of useful form. Vitamin C should be stored in powder form (or another un-activated form) until used (to contain its potency or it degrades with speed).

2. Exfoliate

Do this a few times a week to rid skin of dead skin and debris build-up. A scrub is fine, so is a gentle peel, mask or liquid exfoliator with gentle acids or Vitamin A derivatives. They’ll help keep your skin looking fresh even before you put on your skincare or makeup, which is the best sort of canvas to start with during any season. Plus – added bonus – Vitamin A creams and peels will help diminish fine lines.

3. Massage

While you’re applying your creams, serums or oils, really massage them into your skin. It’s a great way to get the blood to the surface of your complexion to create a healthy glow. And it feels good, relieves tension and means your really working in those products.

4. Highlighter

Many foundations and lotions now come filled with light-reflecting and brightening particles. Use these on well-moisturised skin instead of a tinted moisturiser or matte foundation. To make your own, add one part highlighting cream to two parts foundation (a non-drying formula), mix it in your palm and then apply it, starting at the center of your face and fanning outwards.

Product suggestion: La Prarie White Caviar Illuminating Cream

FIND OUT the other 5 winter skincare tips in my column at Looking Good No Matter What. Do you have any suggestions for keeping your skin in good form during winter months? Share them here!

I don't need a rainbow family... I have skincare

Hear me out before you think I've gone off the deep end from working in windowless solitude 15 floors above humanity. I'm no madder than before, just agonising over posts lately. There's a backlog, you see, and the more projects I pick up (I can't feed myself on mascara and pixels and, if you didn't know, few beauty blogs are yet awash with advertising $£$£), the less precious minutes there are dedicated to das blog, esp. as it battles with husband, exercise (not a natural part of life in the Land of Lincoln, requiring a gym. French women would get fat here), the siren call of the wine cellar... Many things.

Anyway, I got to thinking lately that, really, there isn't any good reason I must segment my thoughts on the skincare gracing my bathroom, because I don't in practice either. I have a very hard time understanding (other than for revenue purposes) why brands swear you shouldn't stray and use -- gasp! -- products from different ranges all that the same time. There should be little harm if used interchangeably or, even, at once... my theory goes that they should, really, enhance each other (the unspoken exception is for 'sloughing' or acidic solutions... probably don't mix those together).

Never have I found this all-embracing attitude towards skincare more effective than with moisturisers. There's no reason (especially if a beauty editor with a bounty of beauty at your fingertips) not to customise your products and embrace the chaos of the extended skincare family. For the last month I've been concocting a powerhouse winter moisturiser in my bathroom-cum-lab every day because my skin is DRY (I mean, can't wear foundation because it sits atop my molting skin dry, more desicated than a mummy dry). At first, I tried using the three moisturisers separately, searching for anything to make the taut gossamer sheen, that telltale sign of supreme dryness, disappear. Alone, each performed okay but, alas, the complexion became ashy and red before too long, no matter how closely I sat next to the humidifier.

Starting in October, I had already also switched to cleansing solely with balms (a hybrid, this time of REN-The Organic Pharmacy-Emma Hardie) at night, using just a splash of warm water in the morning and applying said powerhouse moisturiser (detailed below) the rest of the time... and things seem to be going well for now (we'll get to the, I believe, unrelated outbreak of winter adult acne and bacne later). What's in the mix? Read on to find out...

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