Take eye-popping colour blocking for
instance - a huge theme this summer and the shops are completely over-
run with neon pink, acid-drop lemon, turquoise, charteuse, purple,
jade and cobalt blue. All gorgeous in an uplifting way, but
translated into eye-shadow, lipstick, mascara and nail varnish and it
takes a certain sort of girl to carry off the effect.
Happily there are other fashion trends to be exploited cosmetically
and arguably the safest, most flattering of them is Nude — as in
flesh tones (as opposed to naked) seen on the catwalk by the likes of
Lanvin, Stella McCartney and chloe. It's a far broader spectrum of
tones than you might imagine, ranging from the palest cream and
buttermilk, through to peach, café au lait, mushroom, honey, icy
pink, blush... And Clinique has just the collection to complement
this seemingly non-colour palette.
Bamboo Pink takes its name from one of Clinique's best-selling
lipsticks and if the word 'pink' puts you off trying out this range,
think again. We're not talking vibrant, bubble gum shades here. These
are not eye shadow tones that will make you look as though you've
been crying all night (been there, worked that look). Nor is it a
sugary, Barbara Cartland-esque combination of overly girlie pinks.
Think subtle and sophisticated with elements of browns and greys —
pink is just part of the story.
The (limited edition) Fresh Bloom Allover Colour in Bamboo Pink (£23)
is a powder compact combines three sheer shades — misty pale pink,
dusty rose and a deeper browny pink — which can be used independently
of one another over the face, or all together as a blusher (which is
how I used it). I loved the effect as the colour is warm, feminine
and flattering, as well as natural. I applied it with Clinique's
natural-hair brush (£20) which has the added advantage of being
designed using anti-bacterial technology.
What I love about the Colour Surge Eyeshadow Quad in Bamboo Pink
(£22) is that I know every one of the four colours will be used
(unusual in compacts of more than two shades I find). I used a blend
of the icy pink and pale mushroom over the whole lid area, added the
dusty rose on the lid up to the socket, then finished off with the
darker, browny-pink shade on the outer upper and lower lash lines for
a smoky effect. The look is sort of bare-faced glamour.
The Cream Shaper for Eyes (£12) is a dual-ended pencil in Chocolate
Lustre/Cocoa Shimmer (dark brown and mushroom) with just a suggestion
of shimmer (nothing too glitsy) which is perfect for slipping into
your handbag if you want to intensify your make-up for the evening -
the shades work perfectly with the pinky tones and the pencil glides
on smoothly so no nasty dragging of the skin around your eyes.
by Belinda Morris Available exclusively from Debenhams from June 19 and nationwide from
July 6. Visit www.clinique.co.uk or call 0870 034 6951 |
