You may not be quite ready for tweed jackets and wool sweaters, but you can still observe the arrival of fall with makeup that is warmer and more dramatic than summer’s cool, light-weight looks.
“I see the real trend (as) more colorful eyes and a paler mouth,” says Tricia Sawyer, Sharon Stone’s personal makeup artist and a spokeswoman for Prescriptives.
But unlike the theatrical kabuki look of last year, makeup this season is wearable and pretty. Honest.
Here is how to face up to fall:
LIPS
One look for lips is pale and understated. “The easiest way to update your whole look is with a lip gloss in a nude-beige color,” such as Prescriptives’ Plain Truth gloss, says Tricia Sawyer. She adds that this season’s glosses are more opaque and less gooey than in previous years, so even the shine-shy can wear them.
On the other hand, Pat McGrath, senior editorial makeup artist for Aveda, likes bolder red-brown and berry shades on lips.
Which to choose? McGrath gears lip-color intensity to eye makeup: Subtle eyes team with stronger lips and dramatic eyes call for a lighter touch of color on lips.
EYES
“I think a very easy way to update your fall makeup wardrobe is to add one or two vibrant colors, probably to your eyes,” says Sawyer. She likes jewel tones–ink blue, rich red, forest green–such as one of Prescriptives’ Powder Play eye shadow powders.
For a subtle touch of color that’s a great look for day, she lines along the upper lash with a black or dark gray pencil. Then, using a tiny lining brush, she applies a line of bright color over the pencil line.
McGrath also favors more intense colors (blue-grays, greens, cobalts) on eyes this fall, such as Aveda Environmental Color eye shadows in Basalt, Cobalt and Xenon. She gets two different effects from the same shadows by using different applications methods.
For a sheer wash of color, apply shadow with your finger from the lash line up to the brows, McGrath advises. To achieve a more dramatic look, use an eye shadow brush to apply shadow all over lid, up to the brow.
Always finish eyes with a couple of coats of mascara.
SKIN
This season’s face is neither oil-slick dewy nor ultramatte and heavily powdered. “Skin is clean, with just a healthy glow,” says Sawyer. For a fresh finish, apply your foundation followed by a light dusting of loose powder. “To keep it light, I usually apply powder with (a fluffy powder) brush instead of a puff,” she says.
“If you tend to be a little oilier, you’ll want to powder lightly. Maybe just apply a little more in the T-zone and (not as much on) cheeks. For dry skin, I usually just `spot’ areas with a brush–applying only where powder is needed,” she explains.
CHEEKS
“There’s not a heavy emphasis on cheeks for fall,” Sawyer says. Instead, you’ll want to sweep just a hint of a natural-hued blush (think pink, rose, berry) on cheekbones.
BROWS
The super-skinny, mega-arched Joan Crawford eyebrows of seasons past are gaining a little heft. “Brows are getting a little fatter, but they’re still neatly groomed and shaped,” says Sawyer.
So while it’s OK to let your brows grow in a bit, don’t let them go fallow.
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Resources
Prescriptives Powder Play eye shadows, $18 each, and lip polish, $17, Lancome lipsticks, $16 each; all from Bloomingdale’s. Stila lipstick, $17; from Marshall Field’s. Shu Uemura eye shadows, $15 each; from Barneys New York. Dior lipstick, $20; from Saks Fifth Avenue. Aveda eye shadows, $10.50 each; from Aveda, 875 N. Michigan Ave., 312-664-0417. Or call 800-328-0849.
