Phyl Clarkethinks pink
Thanks be to God we are into March. Spring has truly sprung. Heavily made-up lids and berry toned lips seem way out of kilter with the bright days and the new freshness of the blossoming buds.
Make up companies have decreed that it's all about pink this season, and the new tones seem so modern, so now, so right, that it's hard to imagine how obsessed I was, only a short times ago, at the thought of achieving the perfect smoky eye. Such is the fickleness of the beauty world. Just as you get the hang of something, it's so last season. The smoky eye may have gone up in smoke, but I'm well prepared for its return in the cycle of make-up trends sometime in the future, although who was it said that if you've worn a look (the mini, platform shoes, smoky eyes) in its first incarnation, you should steer clear second time round. Taking a leaf out of Scarlett O'Hara's book I'll think about that tomorrow, because today, the new spring pinks are jumping out at me from every counter I pass.
Pink makes your complexion get up and glow, and don't make the mistake of pigeonholing it in the "too young for me" basket. In fact the more mature face probably needs it more as our skintone can dull and fade as we age. Young skin already has that glow.
The new, soft, neutral-but-lively shades perfectly complement the elegant spring nude-on-nude fashion colours. What we want is a subtle, fresh face.
The easiest way to buy into the pink club is to invest in a palette of colours. The sweet pastel shades of Lancome's Pop Cherub (€52) come with a cherub and heart trinket, and the shades inside are a suits-all spring choice. has a lot of pretty pink shades in its Fresh Bloom collection. Elizabeth Arden has been paying a lot of attention to packaging recently, and a newly-designed Pretty Irresistible Colour Intrigue palette for eyes and cheeks (€36) is a welcome addition, with four colours in an easy to wear mix.
Make up guru Bobbi Brown has always advised a "pop" of pink on the apples of cheeks to liven up a mid-afternoon face, and has brought out a new palette which is a mix of ultra-wearable pinks (€55). I have a soft spot for the range, makers of products for the modern woman on the go, and its latest releases don't disappoint. Rush Hour (€25.50) creates a dusky pink glow on eyes, cheeks and lips, and comes wrapped up in a slick gold cylinder which will look very sophisticated when you produce it from your bag.
Cheeks are the area that spring to mind when I think pink. Chanel will never send you home with anything less than classy and its Irreelle Blush in Pink Cloud (€33.50), is excellent. Prescriptives Cheek Blossom in Melon (€30), will have you glowing in no time, and The Body Shop Solar Blush Duo in Radiant Pink (€13.60) will not break the bank. Laura Mercier Blush in Opera (€27) is a cool, lavender pink which has the benefit of playing down redness in the skintone. Pink lipstick is very now, so if you only want to dip into the trend, buy a lip product. The subtlest pink will be a lip gloss, something like Guerlain KissKiss in Rose Sunset (€21), which also has a hint of shimmer. Clarins Instant Light natural lip perfector comes in Apricot and Rose shades (€15), and feels divine to wear.
Dior Addict Ultra-Nude Lipcolour in Skin Beige (€25.50) is another one to choose for natural pink lips. Juliette's Kiss is the fetching name for a Prescriptives Colour Scope lip colour (€21.50). The sheer range of colours can be off-putting, but if you've got time to hunt around, you're bound to find a shade that suits you. Amongst the seemingly hundreds of pink shades, I liked House of Style (€17.50) for its elegant rose pink shade with a hint of pearl. Niagara (€25) is a pinky coral and Christina is a golden raspberry (€25). If you want to finish off the look with pink nails, there are a few to consider. new shade Cool Lots (€18) is pink with a hint of gold and s Allegoria (€18.95) is a perfect petal pink. To finish it all off, new Cherry Blossom range has just the right freshness without being too cloying, with everything from fragrance for yourself and your home to floating candles available in this delicious scent of spring.