April
Now and again comes along a wonder product, one that generates its own buzz, simply because it’s really, really good and it’s really, really what you want. (Example, YSL’s Touche Eclat, remember the hysteria when that arrived?) This time it’s Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch from Clarins. The shoutline says ‘Try it and you’ll want it,’ and it’s true. I tried it and I wanted it. (And luckily I was let have it because otherwise I might have tried to steal it and it’s a while since I’ve stolen anything and I’ve been proud of how I’ve kept my klepto urges under control and it would have been a shame to have given in because I would have been triumphant and adrenalined-up immediately after the theft, but then the shame would kick in.
Anyway, I digress.) It’s a make-up base which creates a soft film which acts like a second skin, although obviously much nicer and fresher than the first skin. It can also be used locally, to smooth out potholes and speed bumps and minimise lines, wrinkles and – my biggest bugbear – enlarged pores. (Life is tricky when you’ve got enormous pores. But at least I think I’ve solved the conundrum about where all the missing pens and single socks go to - into my pores, the facial equivalent of behind the cushions on the couch.) Clarins Spring collection is called Touch of Magic and it’s an accurate description of the fiendishly impressive works of Perfecting Touch.
So what else can we expect from Spring 2006? The looks from cosmetic houses tend to mirror the catwalks but, alas the catwalks are giving us mixed messages. From what I can gather, there’s been a backlash against boho, which I regard as a personal tragedy, because I could go out looking like a bag lady and still feel at the height of fashion. In its place, some designers have gone floaty and romantic, some have gone for a more controlled silhouette and some have embraced that most abominable of looks – nautical! Just ignore it, is my advice.
But the one thing everyone seems to be agreed on is Think Pink. Bobbi Brown’s Spring range is called Pink Sugar and it’s ADORABLE. Think marshmallows and ballet slippers and 200g bags of Percy Pigs - it’s feminine, it’s fresh and it’s not at all sappy. (Always the worry with pink.)
For a one-stop pink experience, there’s a Limited Edition Pink Face Palette, which contains blush, 3 lip finishes and even pink eye-shadow - which I admit I was a little dubious about. In the past, my encounters with same have left me looking like I’m in the grip of a bad bout of myxamatosis but these shades are subtle and shimmery enough to work. (In fact, one of them is actually chocolate brown.) But if you’d like to customise, there’s a wealth of Bobbi Brown pinkness to choose from. The now iconic Shimmer Brick has a new peony addition and I’m mad about the new Lip Sheers, which gives a wash of see-through colour. Is it a lipstick? Is it a gloss? Well, it’s a bit of both, actually, and in the most gorgeous interpretations of pink from black plum to bare.
For a slightly more edgy Spring look, step forward RMK! The diffusion range of Japanese superbrand Kanebo, their Water Color collection is funky and statementy, especially the lips – 6 limited edition lip-and-gloss duos in really exciting combos, like Tangerine and Clear Silver Orange or Cassis Berry and Clear Red. They’re so vibrant it’s like the rest of your face is in black and white and only your lips are in colour, like the girl in the red coat in Schindler’s List. There are 5 new nail colours as well, with the same vibrant thing going on – Orange Coral, Pink Gold and a Cherry Red which could probably be seen from outer space. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous and lots of fun. I suspect I might be a little too elderly for it all, but I don’t care!
Another of Spring’s big stories is ‘velvet skin’ - proper, grown-up-lady skin with powder and flawless finish and all that. It’s a long time since powder has been called for and the thing about it, is to GO EASY - we don’t want to look like Barbara Cartland. But thrilling news – delicious Australian brand Becca is now available in Ireland and their Skin Perfecting Make-up System is exactly what is required. It starts with a primer which hydrates dry skin but mattifies oily skin – how do they do that? It can only be witchcraft! – followed by their Luminous Skin Colour, which is set by Fine Loose Finishing Powder, dusted over the t-zone, but leaving cheeks bare and dewy. A Compact Concealer is available for airbrushing away spots and blemishes and – most adorable of all, in my humble opinion – is Lip and Cheek Crème in Rosebud, a delicious pink cream which works on both lips and cheeks. A Handbag Must-Have.
Ever-dependable, ever-directional Clinique have responded to the need for velvet skin with New Perfectly Real Compact Make-up. It’s an all-in-one foundation and powder combo (creamy of texture) and they’re calling it the ‘un-powder powder’ because it gives very decent coverage without the dreaded cakey aftermath. It’s a dinky portable mirrored compact, with a built-in sponge and is perfect if you want a ‘powdered’ finish without the faff of separate foundation and loose powder. It can also be reapplied throughout the day without looking like you’re smothered in the stuff. Another Handbag Must-Have.
Speaking of which, no handbag should be without one of the new Shimmering Lipsticks from Deluxe Japanese brand Shiseido. The colours are so rich and they have this fantastic spangly finish, so you get the shine of a gloss but the pigment of a lipstick. And the texture! Creamy and moisturing and so… so… kind. And you should see their Eye Shadow Duos! They’ve bucked the pink trend and instead gone for gold, matched with meadow green or ocean blue or beige satin. Mes amies, they’re so beautiful, I nearly died! Shiseido have also done a wonderful new Enriched Loose Powder to go with their amazing Lifting Foundation, as indeed have Yves Saint Laurent, and what I’m wondering is, How do they all know? What if you worked for a cosmetic house and this Spring you didn’t do loose powder? Would you be sacked?
Anyway… The final piece in the jigsaw of Spring 2006’s look is EYELASHES. Huge ones. Big and long and obvious. You can use falsies if you have a very empty life and tons of time to fill, but if you are a normal person, a decent mascara will do the job. I’ve been using YSL’s Volume Infini Curl No 1 – part of their new Harmonies look - and it’s fantastic. Quality stuff. Doesn’t clog or flake and gives long, thick, smooth, spikey lashes. New for Spring 2006 is a magnificent cobalt, which goes exquisitely with their absinthe green and fuschia pink eyes but if you have the fear of blue mascara, the black will do just as well!
Marian’s latest book Anybody Out There? is now available, published by Poolbeg Press.