Defined but natural-looking is the goal for eyebrows. Plus concealers with a light touch, and an artful new fragrance
Some people are born with brows so luscious, if reincarnated they’d come back as a Persian rug. They are the ultimate face framers. Brows that are sparse can be fixed (I love beautician Sherrille Riley – nailsandbrows.me – as does the Duchess of Sussex). Feeling brave? Try microblading, the intricate tattooing technique (sumanbrows.com). Results last a year and you get beautifully realistic brows – as opposed to the horrifying kind that look drawn in with a Sharpie.
Get the look
1. Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Supermodel Brows £18.50, charlottetilbury.com
2. Urban Decay Brow Blade £18, urbandecay.co.uk
3. Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip in Lychee Baby £19, bobbibrown.co.uk
4. Stila Vivid & Vibrant Eyeshadow Amethyst £19, cultbeauty.co.uk
5. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat High Cover Radiant Concealer £26, yslbeauty.co.uk
I can’t do without…
Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer (£19, harveynichols.com)
The wealth of concealers on the market is staggering (hello, decision fatigue), but for all their claims to sing, dance and do your ironing, in my experience, most are wide of the mark. The reverse panda eye, the greasy under eye, the ‘why is it stuck in my laughter lines?’ eye… I’ve lived it all.
Some are so thin the coverage is non-existent, others so thick, by 3pm your under eye starts to resemble a deflated soufflé. For a while, I was convinced concealers were placebos; an extra useless makeup step we’d all been indoctrinated to believe was essential and beneficial.
Of course, there are very good options out there, you just have to find what I call your personal three Cs – colour, consistency and competence. Right now, Fenty’s offering is floating my boat. It is a wonderfully inclusive 50-strong range; for a concealer this is highly unusual. The texture – smooth, creamy, light as air (but pigment rich) – is so universally appealing, I would happily recommend it to everyone and anyone.
Another USP is the brightening factor – you’d be forgiven for thinking there was a 100-watt light bulb lurking somewhere in the formulation. But best of all, it will give you the glorious kind of full (but not batter-thick) coverage that conceals dark circles, imperfections and redness better than Trump can hide his dealings with the Russians.
On my radar: artful scents, shiny hair and a Brazilian body
Seduction scent When perfumier Etat Libre D’Orange joins forces with Roland Mouret who collaborates with artist Leyman Lahcine, the result is a bottle of Une Amourette, covered in sketches on seduction (£130 for 100ml, rolandmouret.com).
Glossy not greasy IGK Speechless Dry Oil Finishing Spray sounds like an oxymoron, but dry oil is a thing. This US ‘cool girl’ hair brand softens and fights frizz while delivering colour and UV protection. The result? Weightless, greaseless shine (£25, spacenk.com).
Body of work Show the uninitiated Sol del Janeiro’s cult ‘Bum Bum cream’ and it always elicits a giggle. Anyway, the follow up is Coco Cabana Cream. An oil-in-water cream that gives you an incredibly hydrated body that wouldn’t look out of place on a Brazilian beach (from £18, feelunique.com).
