The next beauty trends: Dramatic eyes and red lips

MANILA, Philippines - The bright pink lip took the spotlight for summer but for fall/winter, the eyes definitely have it.

“The next trend for makeup is dramatic eyes,” Taiwan-based MAC Senior artist Think Ho says. This doesn’t mean piling on the shadow, though. According to Ho, it’s all about precisely applied eyeliner on an almost bare face. “You draw on a dramatic line to highlight and re-shape the eyes, from almond-shaped with an extended lash line to rounder-looking by applying a thicker line on the lid right above the irises.”

Indeed, from Joseph Altuzarra’s punk-grunge runway filled with calf-length slip dresses, fringed knits, cargo pants tucked into knee-length boots, and tailored peacoats to the severely sexy look of Aquascutum’s collection of tailored oxblood leather coats and architectural separates worn with elbow gloves and boots, dramatic eyes on otherwise dewy fresh faces ruled. For the Altuzarra show, MAC makeup artist Tom Pecheux created double-lined eyes: the liner on the upper eye was elongated toward the temple in a straight line instead of winged. It was then echoed by a second line on top, this one starting on the bridge of the nose and extending beyond the lid in a straight line as well. It was a bit more graphic at Aquascutum, with MAC makeup artist Lucia Pieroni also creating double lines but with the ends connected and squared off just a tad beyond the outer corners of the eyes. “For these kinds of application, you have to be precise when drawing lines,” Ho says. Something that applies smoothly like a liquid liner and sets quickly such as the richly pigmented and long-lasting MAC Chromaline in Black Black, a staple backstage at the Altuzarra show, can do the trick. “Just apply a bit of concealer to the outer corners of the eyes if they slightly turn down at the ends to make them look brighter and more awake,” Ho advises.

For those who don’t want to wave goodbye yet to the instant punch of vividly-hued lips, you’re in luck as striking red lipstick set on a fresh face has also been a hit on several fashion shows, such as in Rick Owens’ where the models’ bold lips filled in with the classic MAC lipstick in Lady Danger shone through their knit masks, and in Jonathan Saunder’s where the lip color is slightly blurred for a soft- focus effect but without losing its pigmented punch. “To get this look, lightly dab a small amount of concealer around the lip line so you can give them shape more easily,” Ho says. “Fill them in first with a lip liner before applying lipstick so the red looks rich and striking.” Mixing and matching shades to find the perfect kind of red is also highly encouraged. A caveat, though: for this high-wattage kind of look, it’s better to keep everything classy. “Don’t go for gloss because then the red will be too much,” Ho warns. “Better stick to matte and velvety textures.”