Black’s back ... breathing new life into tried and tested favourites
Smudge, layer and colour in your eyelids for this season’s new take. By Katie Wright
This season, beauty is all about reinterpreting the classics. On the catwalks, we saw tried and true colours, techniques and products repurposed by make-up artists, breathing new life into old favourites.
When it comes to eye makeup, it doesn’t get much more classic than the dark smokey eye, and sure enough, this stylish staple also got the remix treatment during fashion month.
Inspired by the AW17 runway shows that put black in the spotlight, here are three stunning ways to take noir to the next level.
1. ALBERTA FERRETTI’S ROUGE NOIR
“Venice at night” is how the MAC Pro team described the look at Alberta Ferretti AW17, which elevates a matte black smokey eye with a hint of red and gold. Perfect for party season, no?
The red cream shadow was applied in the centre of bare lids to ensure an intense colour, then black powder eyeshadow was blended around it, with kohl liner used liberally on the waterline and beneath the lower lashes. To finish, a shimmer powder was dabbed with a damp finger on the inner eye corner for a ‘gold dimensional highlight’. The lashes were left bare, but we think mascara wouldn’t go amiss here.
÷MAC Kohl
Power Eye
Pencil in Feline, £14.50
÷MAC Paint
Stick in Basic
Red, £16
÷ MAC Eye Shadow in Carbon, £13.50 ÷Charlotte
Tilbury Bar Of
Gold Highlighter, £32
2. BRANDON MAXWELL’S HEAVY METALS
‘Metallic glam’ was the remit at Brandon Maxwell, where six different jewel tones (emerald, navy, copper, fuchsia, violet and platinum) were layered on top of a black base.
To create the look, start with a layer of black eye pencil, mapping out a wide, smudgy winged shape. Set with black eyeshadow, then take your cream colour (3ina has an excellent range) and apply to the centre of the eyelid, blending out to the desired metallic shimmer. Add a couple of coats of black mascara on the upper lashes and you’re done. ÷Nars Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in Sycorax,
£21
÷Buxom Hold The Line Pencil Eyeliner in Call Me, £14, Debenhams
÷3ina The Cream Eyeshadow in 305, £8.95 ÷Max Factor False Lash Epic Mascara in Black, £11.99, Boots
3. CHLOE’S COOL FACTOR
“Top model mixed with the Sixties,” said Aaron de Mey of his Chloe AW17 design. “Cool factor with classic nuances.”
That meant a creamy black pencil eyeliner smudged onto the upper and lower lash line, with an extra layer on the waterline to add definition, and a tiny feline flick (sharpen the pencil or use a liquid liner for this part). Aaron then took clear lip gloss and applied it to the eyelid to create a shiny finish. This look was mascara-less on the catwalk, too, but if you are going to coat your lashes, make sure they’re spiky and Sixties-esque. ÷BareMinerals Round The Clock Intense Cream-Glide Eyeliner in Midnight, £16 ÷Burberry Kisses Gloss in
Ice, £21