Beauty: Make-up Trends -S/S 09

I have always loved make-up. I grew up in a household headed by the 'Elizabeth Taylor' of the Ghanaian community and make-up and scrubbing up nicely (think big hair, matching handbag and shoes -Dynasty style), was just something you did. Every special occasion demanded an Alexis Carrington style transformation and even though I have spent a lifetime doing the 'less-is-more' fashion thing -there is still a Ghanaian/African girl inside of me who sometimes wants to 'put-it-all-on-at-once'. I have a couple of days a year when I want to apply make-up that enthersizes both my eyes and lips (a make-up no no) and put on all my designer clothes (I don't have many) and all my accessories (I have too many) and strut. But thankfully that old adage -a Coco Chanel quote about, "before you leave the house, you should look in the mirror and remove one accessory" has been ingrained onto my subconscious since my intern days on the fashion desk of British Elle.
Can you image my surprise when the pictures for S/S 09 started coming in last September? S/S 09 is not about playing it safe. It's time to express yourself 80's style and even though I wouldn't usually advocate bright pink or orange as a lip colour for any woman of colour (regardless of skin shade) this season's eclectic 'in-your-face' vibe means that anything goes and focusing on one feature at a time can be discarded -yippee. This seasons focuses on both the eyes and the lips. Models had bold eyebrows, eyes and pastel lips at Todd Lynn and at 3.1 Phillip Lim, both the eyes and lips popped.
Red lips are also back (a la Sade). Issa, Marc Jacobs, Giles, Zac Posen, Nathan Jenden and Luella all showed varying shades of red lips with subtle eyes but be warned -red is not for the faint hearted. If the aforementioned trends are a tad too much for your beige sensibilities -then fear not. Designers Threeasfour (pictured above, featuring model Shelby Coleman), Vivienne Westwood, Thakoon, Port 1961, Oscar del la Renta, Michael Kors and Proenza Schouler all sent their girls down the run way with subtle, pretty or barely there make-up. For eyebrows -think bold and perfectly groomed (PPQ) or thinly drawn on (Todd Lynn) -but the real secret to getting this seasons trends right is perfect skin, if you don't have clear luminous skin -fake it. Uber make-up brand Prescriptives can mix foundation to match any complexion and with added minerals -Iman's Second to None Semi-Loose powders are good to go.