How To Be Beautiful: Coloured mascaras

Just as the couture catwalks aren't the best place to scout for a new wardrobe (unless your budget ends in six zeroes), the make-up that complements the super-luxe clothes enjoys an equally tenuous relation to the everyday.

Or at least that was once the case, back when the mood in cosmetics was less colourful. So when Dior designer Raf Simons sent models out with fluoro lashes at Paris Couture Week earlier this month, it didn't seem such a giant leap from runway to real world.

You may have already enjoyed a flirtation with coloured mascara, either out of boredom with basic black or because a kindly counter assistant once explained that blue brings out your eye colour (which may be true, but is also a cute selling technique, as they know you're less likely to own blue mascara than black)

For a contemporary take, layer a colour over black for added depth and flattering softness. Or try black on upper lashes and another colour on lower.