Changing faces: New make-up looks

Make-up looks make their debut on the catwalk. Here's how to translate them to real life, whether you favour a natural glow or golden hues, says Harriet Walker

Grunge Goth

The Nineties revival continues and with it, a make-up trend that goes beyond the "barely there" aesthetic and towards an "almost gone" look that is more gothic in its severity.

Lips were whitened out at Hussein Chalayan, or rendered entirely nude with matte lipsticks at Jil Sander.

Pat foundation into a heavy duty lipbalm (Elizabeth Arden's Eight-Hour Cream, £25, available nationwide, will hold it well) for this, or look for a nude shade that is more brown than pink.

Bleached brows became a statement too, especially at Hakaan. It's a risky business but is striking on those with lighter hair – you can use any type of facial hair bleach, such as Jolen Crème (£10, available nationwide).

Brunettes might want to consider Rooney Mara's invisible brows in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo before they take the plunge.

Skin is understated and conspicuously dull, so choose a foundation with good coverage, such as Nars' Sheer Matte (£29, spacenk.co.uk).Begin with a primer – Smashbox's Photo Finish is a classic and now comes in a skin-correcting variant that cuts out redness.

Hide dark circles and rosacea with the newly launched Halo Highlighting Wand, and keep everything in place with Jurlique's rose-scented Finishing Powder.

Girlish Glamour

The shows were awash with candy colours and pastels for spring, and the beauty trend takes these shades as its accents. There was mint green eye shadow at Simone Rocha, lilac at Todd Lynn and sky blue at Meadham Kirchhoff.

Look for raw pigments (such as Mac's ProChromaline range, which can be mixed like paintpots) or a colour-rich eyeshadow that can be swept on for a translucent effect or piled on for high impact. Bobbi Brown's new-season neon shades work well, as do Nars' eyeshadow pencils.

Keep skin muted and fresh so you don't look like a china doll; blusher in rosy pink feeds into this trend, as do pastel nail varnishes – the waiting list for Chanel's latest shade is long, but you'll get there in the end.

The most daring way to wear pastels, however, is in your hair: the street craze for dip-dyed ends is still going strong, but the catwalks saw an injection of shades more regularly found in an ice-cream parlour: raspberry ripple at Thakoon, strawberry red at Julien Macdonald and pistachio streaks at Mark Fast.

Cult salon Bleach has been at the forefront of this look. "Find a colour that's right for you, just how you would choose a shade of lipstick," says co-founder Alex Brownsell. "Be brave: eventually it will fade, so start bold."

Gold

Something of a micro-trend this: models at the Topshop Unique show, inspired by Cleopatra, were covered in gold leaf. At Fendi, gold leaf came on eyelids, while nails at Alexander McQueen came courtesy of Minx, the heat-reactive foils that are melted on to the nails for a dramatically glamorous, sci-fi look (0113 217 3813).

Glowing

For those too healthy to keep their natural dewiness under wraps, the third option this season is to embrace the fresh-faced looks on show at Mulberry and Chloé, where the ruddy cheeks and athletic good looks of a Fifties prom queen clashed with an all-natural feel almost Seventies in its sensibility.

One ubiquitous product this season are Beauty Balm creams – time-saving all-rounders that moisturise, tone, highlight and illuminate all at once, and can be applied in the morning to last all day. Estée Lauder's is one of the best, with an SPF35, and acts like a tinted moisturiser to give a bonne mine to even the most tired complexions.

Dust Laura Mercier's Brightening Powder on top to prevent shine – "dewy" is not "sweaty", after all – and finish with clear gloss on the lips. Because the emphasis here is on looking healthy over and above polished, try a lipbalm rather than gloopy cosmetics.

Finally, tend to your locks – no self-respecting outdoorsy type has anything less than a thick mane, so counteract some of the wintry weakening with Aveda's Damage Repair serum.