Remember those days when makeup seemed to be done by numbers? Well, in the era of blend, blend, blend… it doesn’t mean that colors should disappear. We had that whole cadaver revolution in makeup in the ’90s and the millennium saw the Crayola rebellion, where eyes, lips and cheeks glowed like a Kewpie doll.
Now the operative word is pop. Whether it’s enhancing your kisser or your eyes  do it with the élan and restraint of today’s hottest fashions.
Here, three of the top brands of Essenses and their corresponding wizards show how the new face of today should look.
Who said that you have to just choose between eyes or lips? Done right, these two make great stars together. Pat and blend Meditereanean eyeshadow on lids and make sure there are no visible lines; follow with mascara. Then apply Flaming Dust lipstick. The trick is to make the colors look stained and casual, not defined, since too much definition is aging.
This look is all about skin. Skin is first primed with the Laura Mercier face primer and patted with her Silk Crème foundation. Cheeks get a lift with Sun Dust bronzer on the cheekbones and a dab of Pink Quad on the apples of the cheeks. Define the eyes with a light hand with rich hues; use a neutral as highlighter to make the eyes pop  Wheat eye basic is a good choice. For the money maker, Try Moss Don eyeshadow on the lids and line with Black extreme eyeliner. Smudge for a gentler effect. Lips get a touch of color with a sheer mix of Lip Evolution in Plum and Peach Chiffon gloss.
For this look, dashes of color are enough to make a statement. Eyes are enhanced with subtle but shiny pastel tones; try Greenflower, Dark Forest and Pink shadow for eyes. Lips take a 360 with a deep bloody hue; try H 07 Dentelle Dark Forest for a sinister pout. Balance the kaleidoscope of colors with a gentle pink blush from the Pink Me collection and finally dust with the brand’s best-selling Banane face powder.
