It's all to do with that rebellious 1980s streak running through fashion: beauty is no longer about playing it safe. Now it's all about getting reckless and brazen with bold, experimental looks. Which means - prepare yourselves - it's time to throw away your trusty old beauty rule book. Have you ever been told that you should concentrate on your eyes or your lips, but never both? Or strived to create natural, barely-there make-up so as not to look like a professional lady of the night, a style best suited to a life hanging out in hotel bars? Or painstakingly tamed your frizzy locks to create smooth, straight lines? Well, say goodbye to all that. Heck, even nail varnish is no longer glossy. Read on for the lowdown on the new beauty anti-rules.
Full face v one feature
Instead of alternating areas of intensity - light eyes with strong lips, or vice versa - colour is going full face this season. "Playing up one area has indeed been the mantra of the beauty industry for a while," concedes the make-up artist François Nars, "but it's never been mine. My belief has always been 'make-up has no rules', and I've stuck with it."
That's just what he did at the Marc Jacobs AW09 show, as did Pat McGrath at Gucci. "It is exactly in hard times like these that you should have fun with make-up," says Nars. "Make-up is a great accessory. It captures the essence of parties, fun and nightlife, combined with individuality. It's always chic to look as if you're going somewhere fun. That never dates."
Advertisement
Nars applied a full stroke of black shadow, Nars Cream Eyeshadow in Zardoz (£15; narscosmetics.co.uk), over the entire lid to add depth and definition, then layered on additional colours. "I recommend one really bold shade, such as neon green or cobalt blue," he says. He kept the complexion matt, and for the perfect pout he used colour combinations such as Nars satin Afghan Red and semi-matt Red Lizard lipsticks (both £17).
Matt nails v glossy talons
High-shine nails have lost their lustre. "Everyone in the business was coming up with more boring colours - flat creams and pinks - but this is fashion, and fashion should be exciting," says Noubar Abrahamian, vice-president of the American nail brand Nubar, which has just hit the virtual shelves of catwalkbeautysecrets.com (Nubar Nail Lacquer in Prevail, £8). "We look to fashion to get an idea of all the colours, but they were toned down or muted, so I thought, 'Why can't we do that with nail colour?'" It seems he had the right idea: when the Nubar matt collection launched recently in America, the entire 10,000 run sold out in two weeks.
Not content with being one of the first to come out with a comprehensive matt range, Nubar added a twist. "When you take out the shine, you take out a strong facet of the colour, so we replaced this with a glittery, richer texture. Women want to experiment during these times, and nail lacquer is a cheap thrill."
Advertisement
In response to the trend for matt texture, Essie has created a product that transforms any nail colour to a matt finish: Matte About You Matte Finisher (£9.95; nailsbymail.co.uk). "You can still wear the colours you love," says its founder, Essie Weingarten, "but with a striking matt finish. It's a unique approach to wearing colour."
Sculpted skin v nude make-up
Charlotte Tilbury, along with other make-up artists at the AW09 shows, predicted a return to a deliberately contoured face and visibly chiselled cheekbones. Her main inspiration came from 1970s and 1980s glam-rock album covers. "The Chloé collection was full of feminine creations, with gorgeous shapes in muted colours," says Tilbury. "To complement the show, we wanted the models to look like glamorous Antonio Lopez illustrations."
Make the leap from runway to reality by following Tilbury's advice: cover the skin lightly with translucent powder, such as Myface Mymatch Face Powder (£9.78; from Boots). Next, apply matt shading powder, such as Mac Sculpting Powders (£16), along the cheekbones, on the temples and under the jawline, to accentuate the bone structure. "It can make you look younger by giving the illusion of a lifting effect."
Advertisement
Finally, apply highlighter, such as Mac Iridescent Loose Powder in Silver Dusk (£16.50), on the cheekbones, down the nose, in the inner corners of the eyes and on the bow of the lip. Make-up should be applied gradually. "Shake off any excess in the brush before applying, and if you apply too much, blend translucent face powder on top to tone down the contour."
Frizzy hair v sleek locks
Hairstylists flexed their creative muscles for the AW09 catwalks. Gone were the lines of identical models with ironed hair. Several stylists even went as far as bringing their crimpers out of storage to turn their models into roller-disco queens. At the hip New York designer Erin Fetherston's show, Bumble and Bumble's head stylist, Lyndell Mansfield, crimped and teased the hair, falling in line with the 1980s inspiration at Marc Jacobs, where the superstylist Guido Palau created textures from crimped to curled. At Diesel Black Gold, hair was backcombed into crazy candyfloss clouds, and even Dior haute couture showed a frizz parade, courtesy of Orlando Pita.
So, what's the buzz behind the fuzz? "I love putting texture into hair, and I'm known for using my crimpers," says Mansfield. "In fact, people call me the 'cool crimper'." Before crimping, she suggests using a heat-protective spray, such as L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.art Hot Style Constructor (£10.50). You can't use straightening irons. "Look for crimpers with a sharp edge for pointy indentations." How can you avoid looking like a bad 1980s revival? "Easy - don't crimp everything. For example, just crimp sections of a ponytail."