The new contouring is...
Dewy blush
Having been left out in the beauty wilderness for many seasons, with contouring and highlighting playing more prettily with ‘no make-up make-up’ looks and statement lips, blusher is back. The way to wear it now is as a glowing, dewy flush rather than powdery cheek apples – it’s a cooler, slightly androgynous feel.
Instead of using cream blush to create this look, Soh reached for a lipstick, Lancôme L’absolu Rouge Ruby Cream Lipstick in Ruby Queen, £27 (which is sheerer on the skin than in the bullet). Applying the colour to the back of his hand, he then used a large fluffy brush to pick it up and buff it around the high points of the cheeks, following up with highlighter, again on the high points for added juicy sheen.
If you have oily skin, use a powder highlighter, such as MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish Trio in Among The Stars, £36, so your skin doesn’t start to look greasy. Choose liquid or balmy highlighter otherwise:
Zoeva Liquid Light Drops in Candlelight, £16.50, and Becca Skin Love Glow Glaze Stick, £24, are both lovely choices.
Wear it with:
To keep the look tonal and modern, Soh pressed the same lipstick on to the lips for a wash of colour, added a subtle bronze to the eyes and brushed up the brows. ‘Try not to do dewy everywhere,’ he cautions. ‘Keep some parts of the face matte to stop it all looking too shiny.’ Powder under the eyes if you’ve used concealer, down the centre of the nose, the centre of the forehead and on the chin. Lancôme Long Time No Shine Loose Setting & Mattifying Powder in Transclucent, £32, is so fine as to be almost undetectable, yet it knocks back shine and keeps skin looking velvety.
The new skin finish is... VELVETY MATTE
Some of us prefer a dewy, just-back-from-a-facial glow, and will never want a matte skin finish. But for the rest, a matte base that looks polished, lightly powdered, yet still luminous and soft, both flatters and is a perfect foil for most make-up looks. Prep skin before applying by sweeping a glycolic peel pad around the nose and chin to counter dry flakes, followed by a hydrating mask – or simply apply your base immediately after moisturising.
You can get the look using one of the new generation concealer/foundation sticks, such as Marc Jacobs Accomplice
Concealer & Touch-up Stick, £24, which gives coverage without cakiness. Apply it to the centre of your face and buff outwards with a brush towards the hairline and jawline. Prefer a liquid foundation? Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Nude, £33.50, gives light, yet long-lasting coverage. It’s the sort of foundation that makes you feel very pleased with your skin every time you look in the mirror.
If you want more coverage, try Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear, £33.50, or Burberry Matte Glow Liquid Foundation, £35. To finish, use a powder puff to press a very light layer of loose powder into the areas where you know you’ll shine, then dust away any excess with a brush.
A matte finish can mean you lose natural contouring in the face, so sweep with a matte bronzer, such as Sisley Phyto-touche Sun Glow Powder, £79, around the hairline, temples and across the nose to create dimension and subtle warmth.