Beauty

Start seasonal change with a new look for eyes

Nude mood

The nude eye look is one of the strongest trends of the season, and no, of course it doesn’t mean going without – in the world of make-up, it simply means switching eye colours to flesh tones with a few tricks thrown in. Start by using a good eye base such as Trish McEvoy’s Eye Base Essentials (€30), which cleans and grooms eye lids right up to the brow. Another behind-the-scenes product is Chanel’s Kohl pencil in Clair (€19.50), a flesh coloured eye liner. Used on the waterline of the lower lid, this gives a brightening effect and makes eyes stand out. When it comes to nude shadows, Clinique’s Quick Eyes Cream Shadows (€19) are hard to beat for ease of application and staying power. They come in a range of nude and almost nude shades. Maybelline’s Eye Studio in Silken Taupe is a great value option (€5.97). It has just the right amount of minky sheen to add a subtle, sophisticated finish to lids. This trend eschews mascara, but if that’s a bridge too far, use a mid-brown defining formula instead of a black volumising one.

Light fantastic

I asked up-and-coming make-up artist Caoimhe Grogan for her palette pick of the season. Lancôme’s French Coquette (€30) gets her vote. Designed by Aaron de Mey, it captures both the elegance and drama of the city of light. “The shades are just perfect for the season – choose the soft nudes for a neutral day look then ramp it up for evening with the rich metallics. The shadows are easy to apply and extremely long wearing.”

Class act

If you’re just after a great basic palette, look no further than Shiseido Luminising Satin eye colours in Strata (€39), a trio of gorgeous easy to wear browns in soft, long-lasting silken textures.

Simply smokin’

At Bobbi Brown they like to keep things easy – Hannah Martin uses just two products from the new Black Velvet collection for a smoky eye 2010-style. Begin by lining top and bottom lash lines with New Kohl liner (€20.50). Smudge to soften, then apply Metallic Eye Shadow (€22) to top lid and blend. These shadows have strong pigment coupled with intense shimmer. Both pencil and shadows come in not only the ubiquitous black, but also Chocolate and Berry shades which give a beautifully different look.

A bit of drama

Dior’s Silver Screen palette (€35) is a glamorous shadow duo of darkest black paired with lamé silver – this one will take you right through the party season. For an olive bronze finish, try French Quarter by Mac (€18) – a deliciously smudgeable greasepaint crayon with an iridescent finish. Rimmel’s Colour Rich in Glam Rock (€5.50) is a metallic charcoal single shadow with a hint of shimmer.