Barely-there beauty

MANILA, Philippines - At the spring/summer 2012 collection of Karen Walker, the models sported dewy, radiant skin, a healthy glow on their cheeks, and a powerful lip in an unexpected shade — bold coral. Mixed especially for the show by Clinique global color artist, Jenna Menard, she explains, “I chose bright coral because it’s less expected than red, and I went to the Clinique lab to create exactly the right shade.” A New York-based makeup artist, Jenna inspires the development of new color products and application techniques. Exposed to the transformative power of beauty at an early age (her mother ran a hair salon of their Pennsylvania home), she later realized that makeup held the same remarkable power.

While Clinique’s Runway Coral lipstick may be a bit too bold for some, this month the allergy-tested, fragrance-free, and dermatologist-tested brand will be debuting their Flirty Honey Almost Lipstick in the Philippines. Although it’s a feminine pink hue that’s easy to wear, Jenna recommends the entire line to women who afraid to experiment with their lips. “Sometimes women are hesitant to try a pink, red or nude lip — Almost Lipstick can be the perfect stepping stone into other color families,” she advises. “Choose any shade and it will instantly be your own. It works with your own natural lip tone and the shades will allow you to have a color that’s essentially custom to you the second it’s applied.”