On Monday, I was saying how I’m lipstick-obsessed again. Two days is a long time in beauty. In that time, I came across this shot from Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B show in New York. Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury was inspired by Barbra Streisand in the 1968 film Funny Girl. A bit extreme maybe, but that’s what catwalks do to make a point, or start a trend. The practically thing about eye makeup is that once you’ve made the effort to get it right, it pretty much stays in place all day or all night (free tip: dab some primer then concealer onto lids before adding liner and shadow). Lips, you have to keep repainting. I don’t know how Gwen Stefani herself has stayed so committed to her red lips. She even has them perfectly in place when stepping off a long-haul flight. My hot pink lipstick has not been such a great side-kick these last two days. It’s gone a bit all over the place. And most definitely did not pass the white dress test. (Why I thought it was a good idea to wear a white dress on the day I was doing hot pink lips and going to yum cha is beyond me).
Anyway, unless you want to do the signature beauty look thing - which is hard to carry off unless you’re a celeb, because you tend to look more like you’re stuck in a beauty rut - it’s good to mix the makeup up. My other eye makeup influence right now is Sienna Miller in Factory Girl. Not the best movie. Not the cheeriest ending. Not the loveliest people. But smoky eyes are definitely one of the stars. Warning: it all starts to get a bit sad and sorry when the makeup starts to get smudgy. Which happens to be a good analogy to keep in mind next time you’re out on the town. Because when good eye makeup turns bad, it’s usually some sort of sign (too late, too much to drink, etc). Or it maybe just means that you’re a lipstick girl after all.
