I was thinking the other day that what I really love about make-up is scribbling on my face. I like drawing things. I’m less keen on stuff that involves complicated tricks and techniques, although obviously I admire those very much and I admire anyone who can a) do it, and b) be bothered. Actually, I’m being disingenuous — by this late stage I can do it perfectly well but I can rarely be bothered. I like scribbling something on, rubbing it about with my finger and exiting the bathroom for the day.
The scribbling category includes eyebrows, lipstick and eyeliner. Eyeshadow and blush involve a degree of effortful blending, and this can be a bore. However: eyeshadow sticks to the rescue. I love eyeshadow sticks. Why would anyone use anything else? You barely need opposable thumbs to put them on — well, you do, but you know what I mean. With sticks, you could do the application in the dark and be fairly confident of an excellent outcome, because the texture of the product means it goes only where you want it to go and then sits there faithfully, within the lines, with no interest in wandering off down your face or up towards your brows. And a stick — that is, a single colour — is really all you need in normal daytime life. In normal evening life too — you can just up the colour.
There are two exceptionally good eye sticks. One is Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour (£25; johnlewis.com), which has recently had new colours added, so there are now a total of 25 shades, from the buttery, sandy end of things to the bold and dramatic one. The texture is lovely, super-soft and pleasingly shimmery, and the goodness of these sticks — and sticks generally — is that you can scribble them on as a liner of whatever kind you fancy for a subtle bit of colour, or scribble them all over your eyelids instead and rub a bit. Or both! Anyway, I’ve written about them before and they’re great, so I’ll leave that there.
My more recent discovery is Trish McEvoy 24-Hour Eyeshadow and Liner (£24; libertylondon.com). Just the four shades, but they’re all flattering amped-up neutrals and ridiculously wearable whatever your colouring — not something I say often. Again, you can use them however you like, as liners or shadows, and all you need to do is smudge them in with a finger. It literally could not be simpler. The shade called Smokey Quartz is simply beautiful and you would never go wrong in the daytime with Topaz. I’m also unexpectedly taken with the rosier shades, which I would not have thought to try before. Very flattering on darker skins, a rosy shade, provided that it’s a rich, yellowish rose, not a garish pink. These go on like a dream, wouldn’t even think of getting stuck in any creases and last for ages once they’re on. I can’t vouchsafe the 24-hour claim, since I have no need of 24-hour eye make-up — does anyone still? — but that’s not the point. They go on, they set and they don’t go anywhere until you take them off. Such nice colours, do have a look. The level of shimmer is discreet, in case you’re wondering — like kind lighting.
