Going grey? Our beauty expert reveals the one makeup trick to make you look younger
Pastel colors for spring – groundbreaking, because Meryl Streep didn’t really drawl in The Devil Wears Prada.
Every April, sugary, sweet shades appear on catwalks and cosmetic shelves, just as many of us will ignore them every year without a second glance.
This year, it’s going to be even worse, thanks to looks reminiscent of the looks last seen under the ’80s. ‘The horror!’ a friend exclaims when I suggest wisteria eyeshadow.
And yet pastels can not only feel very 2024, but also extremely flattering – not least against gray hair, providing not only light, but also soft, radiant color to paler skin tones. Witness how fantastic Josh Wood’s Pink Quartz, Blue Reef and Peach Blush Hair Glazes (from £5, joshwoodcolour.com) can look on silver locks.
Givenchy is known for its clever multi-dimensional pastel powders, which means makeup artist Claire Mulleady is my first port of call for wisdom.
Pastel colors can not only feel very 2024, but also extremely flattering – not least against gray hair, providing not only a light but also soft, radiant color to paler skin tones
‘A soft, pastel liner on the upper or lower lash line, like Givenchy Khol Couture Waterproof in Lilac (£21, Givenchybeauty.com), gives you a modern shade of color without looking overdone,’ she explains.
‘Keep the line defined or blend for a subtle watercolor effect. Finish with black mascara to avoid feeling faded and pair with a dewy, lightweight complexion. The key is to keep everything else uncluttered and undone.”
‘If you’re not sure which color to choose, choose an undertone that suits your skin. For cool tones, pastel colors like ice blue or mint green work well, while corals and yellow work best for warm skin tones.”
She’s not wrong. Cool types with bluer veins, like me, will want to opt for baby blue, pink and lavender. People with warm skin tones, with greener veins, suit sunny yellow, soft pistachios and apricots.
If you want to give pastels a symbolic twist, Maybelline Tattoo Liner in the silvery, shimmering 812 Lavender Light (£4.08, notino.co.uk) will work well for the former; Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner in Seafoam, a light matte green (£30, victoria beckhambeauty.com) for the latter. While women who are wearing neutrals – who are neither warm nor cool – may want to think about what kind of contrast will really make their eyes pop.
For me the joy is, if not full, then fuller. Besides liner, I long for eyeshadow, blush, a lip. One approach is to work from what suits you in a bold hue, then configure it in a softer, less saturated guise. For example, my beloved purplish berry becomes a lavender. For you, it might be coral turning peach.
The easiest and most contemporary way to create a full, pastel-inspired face is to go to a Dior counter and get ripped. To indulge my lilac love, I opted for a Diorshow 5 Couleurs eyeshadow palette in Pastel Glow (£58, dior.com) (warm women prefer the yellowish Coral Flame quintet, £58).
Next I picked up a Rosy Glow blush in Pink Lilac (£34), (Coral, £34, is a perfect equivalent for less cool types) and a Lip Glow Oil in Pink Lilac (£32) (again Coral, £32, for people with a warm skin tone).
British beauty expert Hannah Betts recommends the Diorshow 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Pastel Glow
The sheer lip keeps it modern. And Claire is right: a light, dewy complexion is key. This is not our mother’s heavily powdered pastel look from the 1960s. It’s a juicier, more natural-looking 21st century incarnation.
Other pastel passions include Vieve’s Eye Wand shadow in lilac (£23, vieve.co.uk), as simple as it is sophisticated. Fenty and Morphe have fantastic warm pastel colours; Morphe’s Quad Goals Multi-Palette in Fresh Peach (£16, uk.morphe.com) is a great stack that covers eyes, lips, cheeks and gloss.
Experimentalists will love Morphe’s 35Y Artistry Palette (£28), which it describes as 35 ‘screwed-up’ pastels.
Sisley’s Phyto-Blush Twists (£60, sisley-paris.com) are wonderfully fresh. Ditto Glossier’s Balm Dotcom (£14, glossier.com). Strawberry is the newest, mango and apricot rose, but I am in love with lavender.
RACE YOU TO IT!
The new, and quite epic, Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara (£23.20, lookfantastic.com) launched last week. It’s the brand’s most dramatic mascara yet. Zigzag it up to create longer, fuller lashes without clumping or running. The 2 percent adhesion complex provides 17 times more volume after two layers. Awesome.
MY ICON OF THE WEEK
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway, 41, takes care of her skin by wearing La Roche-Posay SPF every day
The Mothers’ Instinct star, 41, has a London facial: massage queen Su-Man Hsu (from £260, su-man.com). Additionally, La Roche-Posay SPF is non-negotiable (from £16, boots.com). Anne also admires Chantecaille Bio Lifting Mask (£152) and Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick (£62, both at cultbeauty.co.uk).
FIVE SKIN DOLLS
(£50, dior.com)
Now in pink houndstooth check to celebrate the first anniversary of the popular balm.
(£38, skinstitut.co.uk)
An intense, ceramide ointment that soothes skin prone to eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.
(£16, marksandspencer.com)
Softens lips, soothes hands, nourishes cuticles and protects against windburn.
(£18, everyone.com)
With squalane and vitamin F to wash, cleanse, shave, soothe and moisturize.
COSMETIC DESIRE
The pleasure of a bubble bath is unsurpassed.
However, the said foam can dry out. After a certain age, our bath time should be as nourishing and relaxing as possible. That’s why so many of us choose aromatherapy oils.
Neal’s Yard Beauty Sleep Foaming Bath (£19, nealsyardremedies.com) brings the two together: it delivers a luxurious lather that won’t dry out the skin, with divine essential oils of ylang ylang, patchouli and clary sage to help you relax before bed . It smells sublime.
I wish I could say more about the intoxicating pleasures, except my boyfriend keeps stealing my stuff so I lack expertise.
I insist that he supplies us both immediately, otherwise my revenge will be bloody and terrible.