BEAUTY:While eye colour and skin tone help determine which make-up shades you choose, hair colour also plays a part in informing your choice.
Make-up artist Leonard Daly, who worked on this photography session with actors Lisa Lambe and Aoibhinn McGinnity, explains his make-up choices for the Blonde and the Brunette: "Lisa is a hazel-eyed blonde, so I brought out the green in her eyes using Chanel's Les 4 Ombres in Beige Veloursand a purple shade that really defined her eyes. An orange-based red is usually a good choice for blondes – here I used Rouge Allure Laquein shade Coromandel. Aoibhinn is a blue-eyed brunette, so a peachy blush and a mix of warm browns from Bobbi Brown, finished with one of her metallic high shimmer shadows on the outer corners, reinforced the beautiful shape of her eyes. Pale lip tints balanced the look, but if going for a red, choose a blue- or pink-based shade, which works beautifully with blue eyes."
Leonard Daly, 087-2307734
COVER UP
As you might imagine, I have quite a collection of make-up, but if the house was burning down I'd grab just three items (after the children were safely outside, of course). Concealer would be first into the bag, as the right one will erase dark circles and brighten up the entire eye area. Broken capillaries are gone in an instant, and redness around the nose and chin area magically disappears – that's what I call a hard-working product. Getting the right mix of coverage and texture is a tricky feat, but one that Crème de la Mer has pulled off brilliantly with its new Radiant Concealer. The lighter-than-light formula belies its powerful coverage without the usual cakey finish of other industrial strength concealers. This is why it might be worth spending €65. With SPF 25 and an excellent application brush, you may find you can skip foundation altogether, so there's a few bob saved already. Oh, and if you want to know what the other two "burning house" items were – mascara and lipstick (which can double up as a blusher).
HANDS UP
This season, two distinct looks dominated the catwalks. First off, we had the return of a classic formality, with elegant camel the undisputed colour of the season. Mad Menfans are in their element with this feminine look. To pull it all together, careful grooming is the order of the day, starting with perfectly neutral nails.
Once again, the most fashionable nail varnish comes from the house of Chanel. Jade Rose(€20.50) is the "new nude" that both grooms and visually lengthen fingers (similar to the leg-lengthening effect of nude coloured shoes) – chic in a bottle.
Dior has also been busy coming up with a shade that covers two trends in one. Bronze Libertine(€22) is a dramatic, iridescent shade that works well with military styles and its shades of olive green and uniform navy. But look again and it's also a winner with the buttery soft leather styles that are everywhere – skirts, T-shirts and even jewellery.
NAIL TIPWhen removing nail lacquer, hold a cotton pad soaked in remover on the nail for five seconds before wiping – it allows the polish to dissolve, making it easier to remove. You're welcome.
