Style File: Molten metals in the make-up box

Make use of gold, silver and bronze metallic make-up to  ensure you sparkle this party season, writes Holly Swayne

Holly Swayne
Tuesday 03 December 2013 01:00 GMT
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Party season is already in full swing, bringing with it the opportunity to adorn yourself with glitz and experiment with the more extravagant outfits that seem appropriate only at this time of year. The festive season is all about excess, after all, and that applies to getting dressed. But if it all feels a little too much like playing dress-up, a more subtle way to achieve the same effect is with make-up.

Metallic eyes were one of the strongest beauty trends on the autumn/winter catwalks, proving them to be a credible fashion choice for the party circuit. Rather than festive silver and gold, designers breathed new life into old compacts with multi-hued metallic and playful textures. Both Tom Ford and 3.1 Phillip Lim opted for bronze-coloured lids with unkempt brows, while Chanel played with large metallic sequins, and House of Holland went for loose glitter in a kaleidoscope of colours.

One of the most wearable looks came at the J Mendel show, where Revlon’s artistic director, Gucci Westman, complemented the designer’s luxurious evening dresses with her own take on the metallic eye: “The collection reminded me of the rich, saturated tones of fashion photographer Norman Parkinson’s work,” Westman says. “I wanted to bring out this sophisticated palette by creating copper eyes with a glossy sheen.” Handily, it’s a simple look easily recreated with Revlon’s ColorStay Smoky Shadow Stick in Torch.

Similarly covetable make-up came at the Jean-Pierre Braganza show, where the models sported dramatic metallic eyes in petrol green. To create this rich colour the show’s senior artist Debbie Finnegan first lined the eye with kohl and blended a black shadow throughout the eye crease, before layering MAC’s Pigment in Old Gold over the top. “This fantastic pigment ‘grabs’ on to the kohl underneath,” she explains, “creating that green liquid-metal effect”.

To ensure your metallic look is precious rather than heavy, keep the rest of your make-up natural: think fresh, dewy skin and neutral lips. Whether used to dress up an everyday outfit or heighten an already high-octane look, metallic eyes are your fail-safe party piece this winter.

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