There are plenty of ludicrous make-up trends happening at the moment – and I intend on roundly ignoring them all here so as not to waste your time or mine. Good, flattering make-up is timeless, and I really don’t think most of you give a monkeys about wiggly brows and glassy cheekbones (or do you? As always, you can voice your thoughts in the below comments field should you feel compelled to).
I won’t, however, turn a blind eye to stamping patterns on one’s face. First, because it’s easy and the work of a minute. Second, because it’s actually pretty flattering and enormously fun simultaneously. But don’t bother to paint them on yourself. That’s timely and requires a fair amount of skill. Instead, buy a Lottie London Stamp Eyeliner (my favourite is the star design, by they also make them in hearts, moons and a musical notes)*.
The models in pictures stamp them under the centre of their eye, which is a lovely editorial way to wear them and certainly looks pretty, though for something a little more flattering, try a smattering around the outer corner of your eye, or putting them in a rough approximation of a wing shape as I have in the above picture.
Not everyone will get it – I wore a shower of stars around both eyes on Christmas Eve, thinking it a quite sober nod to the festive season, and my mum asked whether I’d had problems with lighting at my house: ‘your make up is a bit messy – why didn’t you join the dots?’ But her eyesight isn’t all that good anymore and the pub in which we were sitting was rather dark so I haven’t let that put me off. In fact, I will be donning stars and maybe a smidgen of glitter tomorrow evening to see in 2018. If you can get your hands on one by then (I think they sell them in Selfridges if you’re wandering past), join me.
* My reason for buying these lies entirely in the stamp bit, but on the other end is a jolly good liquid liner so they are rather good value for money if you want to dabble in patterns but also just buy a good make-up mainstay.