Blue eyes: backstage for spring/summer 2019 with Erdem.

How to get expressive with colourful eyeshadow, plus easy smoky eyes, and a new mascara that’s caused a sensation

While bright powder-blue eyeshadow (or any bright shadow for that matter) is a minimalist’s nightmare, for the rest of us it can be an utter dream. Erdem SS19 went to town with it, mixing Victoriana with a 1980s look.

There are three keys to success. Apply with a slightly damp brush in a painterly fashion – which is what makeup artist Val Garland did. It looks less contrived. Resist the urge to go more is more (disaster awaits). Keep everything else “barely there” – primed, dewy skin, a hint of lip colour and a natural-looking brow. You’ll appear fresh and modern, so no one will think you’re playing fancy dress.

Get the look

1. Nars Single Eyeshadow in Baby Jane Blue £17, feelunique.com 
2. Kiehl’s Love Oil for Lips £18, kiehls.co.uk 
3. Givenchy Dual No 3 Dynamic Liner £26, debenhams.com 
4. Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Face Primer £28, boots.com 
5. Glossier Milky Oil makeup remover £10, glossier.com

I can’t do without…

Kevyn Aucoin The Exotique Diamond Eye Gloss in Galaxy (£31, net-a-porter.com)

There is something about a dark, smoky eye that is so undeniably covetable. It is sensual, sexy and super cool. Well, in theory anyway… On me, the whole thing is lost in translation.

Creating the perfect smoky eye is all to do with astute blending and, just like baking, it is a skill that completely evades me. Doesn’t matter how many ‘How to Get a Smoky Eye’ features I try to replicate, I still end up getting it wrong. Annoyingly, people assume beauty editors also moonlight as makeup artists. That’s like expecting war reporters to be great soldiers.

Anyway, I stopped trying, and simply lived vicariously through others. Then I stumbled upon this glossy take on the smoky eye. It’s created specifically for the delicate eye area – it is quite literally easy on the eyes – and honestly, I get wow comments every time I wear it (which is very often).

For anyone who has never been able to get on with the intricacies of eyeshadows, this pot of genius is a godsend. It is embarrassingly easy to apply – I literally use my finger to slather it across my lid, and I apply with a brush around my lower lash line. And that’s it: smoky eyes achieved in five seconds flat.


Pat McGrath FetishEyes Mascara

On my radar: must-have mascara, scented candles and skin smoothies

Prize eyes When makeup artist Pat McGrath previewed her FetishEyes Mascara at the SS19 Prada show the response was frenzied. If mascaras were clothes, this would be a couture gown made entirely of feathers. Wallflowers need not apply. (£22, patmcgrath.com)

Super serum Balance Me Tri-Molecular Hyaluronic Serum is an infusion of aloe vera, camomile and yarrow, to tackle sensitivity, redness and inflammation, and hyaluronic acid for a plumping, smoothing effect. Epic. (£30, balanceme.co.uk)

Burning desire The Fornasetti Rossetti Candle in Flora with scents of ivy, jasmine and tuberose is an incredible mood enhancer. The ceramic jar is an aesthete’s dream; empty, it’s a brilliant makeup brush holder. (£140, selfridges.com)