Top 5 Fall Makeup Trends
Makeup trends, unlike fashion trends, can be somewhat tough to detect. In certain circles, you could easily get the evil eye for wearing a fall '07 outfit in winter 2010, but not too many people will instantly peg your sheer pink lips as being soooo spring '05. That said, there are plenty of easy ways to give your makeup collection a straight-off-the-runways update. We're not asking you to run out and buy some blue-black lipstick (or dye your eyebrows neon yellow), but here are some of the hottest fashion-show looks that can easily be toned down and adapted for everyday wear.
5: Berry Lips
Bold lips were all over the place at the fall shows, and the colors were pretty daring indeed -- we're talking blue-black, dark purple and bright orange-red. If you have the guts to experiment with any of these hues, be our guest, but we're thinking the average Jane will want to steer clear (and that's probably a good thing). This is where berry stains come in: They're bold, unexpected and definitely of-the-season, but they're not totally outlandish. And you can tone down the drama with one almost-sheer coat -- or crank it up by layering on more.
4: Two-toned Eye Shadow
The fall runways were also packed with models sporting two-toned metallic eye shadow: one color on top and a contrasting one rimming the undereye. This is a risky venture, to be sure -- we wouldn't suggest taking a page from Alexander Herchcovitch, for example, and pairing orange liner with sparkly gold shadow. The more subtle look showcased at the Brian Reyes show could be something to shoot for, though. We realize that scarlet-copper lids and a light-blue undereye don't exactly sound subtle, but trust us, it's gorgeous.
3: Smokey Eyes
True, smoky eyes actually never go out of style, but they really turned up in full force at the fall shows. And it was clear by the clothes they were paired with, they're not just for evening anymore -- all you need is a slight smudging to make your workday eyes just a little more dramatic.
You can also liven things up without going over-the-top by using thick black eyeliner but skipping the mascara. As always, though, when you go for a stronger eye, go easy on the lips. You want the focus to be on just that one feature. And you don't want to end up looking overly made up. Now that's something that's always out of style.
"Pluck, pluck, pluck" used to be the mantra of makeup artists everywhere, but now it looks like the fashion authorities are advising us to hold the tweezers. Bold brows seem to be back. Again, you don't have to take this to the extremes of the runway -- where models sported dark-gray and even neon brows -- but if you've been killing yourself trying to excise every stray hair, maybe now's the time to quit. We don't want you looking sloppy, of course, but go ahead -- brush up those thick brows and be proud!
To be honest, we're not exactly sure how you pull off this trend without looking like you're suffering from a case of frostbite. But when Chanel unveils not one, but three shades of khaki polish, the fashion world takes note. So, gray nails it is. "Les Khakis de Chanel" (in tones of rose, green and brown) are certainly pricey at $25 a pop, but rest assured that the drugstore nail-color lines will be following suit tout de suite.
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