Pink is a tricky hue to navigate. Go too far and you’re in Barbie territory, left too faint and it’s barely worth the effort in applying it. But, pink is inescapable this season.
Make-up artist Val Garland went for a triple-threat at Erdem with pink on lips, cheeks and eyes, while Lucia Pieroni demonstrated the fiercer side to the colour with lacquered bubblegum pink lips at Moschino.
Love it or loath, pink is here for SS15. We suggest you embrace it and to do so – without looking prepubescent – you just need to adhere to a handful of rules. Read on.
Eyes
We would love to say go to town on the pink eye shadow, the more the merrier, but truthfully pink on your eyes makes you look a little ill. However, worn in a diffused, blown-out wash over lids in silky finishes it only looks fresh and youthful. At Erdem, Val Garland took an iridescent pale pink from a new NARS Dual-Intensity Blush palette and swept it over lids – the effect was pure magic. The blush isn’t out until May so in the mean time try NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in Europa, £21.
Maybelline New York UK Make-Up Director Sharon Dowsett tells us, 'Pink needs a black accomplice,' so team your chosen pink with a flash of black liner or an inky black mascara. We love Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Mascara, £7.99.
left to right: Emma Stone, Reese Witherspoon
Lips
The statement pink lip is a thing of beauty and a red carpet favourite of the A-listers. Rihanna and Taylor Swift know how to rock a bright blue-based fuchsia; it makes the whites of your eyes pop and your skin look more radiant. They demonstrate, too, that this kind of pink loves all skin tones. Reese’s and Emma’s slightly warmer take on the hue brings a soft glow to skin.
The reality is, when it comes to lips, there’s very little chance of getting it wrong. Lips naturally have a touch of pink to them, regardless of your skin tone, so they’re happy to take a pinkier lip product. Go subtle or bold, the options are limitless.
Rimmel London’s Global Make-Up Artist Kristen Piggott suggests lining your lips with a pencil in a similar shade to your chosen lipstick and then penciling in your whole lip because 'this will give your lipstick a base to adhere to and it will make the final colour just that bit bolder.' Try Rimmel London Provocalips Lip Colour, £4.99, for a colour that will stay put all day.
left to right: Rihanna, Taylor Swift
Cheeks
Move along, nothing new here. If there’s anywhere we’re 100 per cent comfortable wearing pink it’s on our cheeks. A pinky blush blended over the apples of your cheeks and buffed up towards your temples is guaranteed to perk up even the dullest of complexions.
Sugary blue-toned pink blushes work their best magic over very pale skin or very dark skin – not so much on anything in between, for a blue toned pink blush loves a contrast. Try MAC Powder Blush in Fleur Power, £18.
Warmer-toned pink blushes are the most universal of their ilk and will flatter almost anyone. Don’t feel like you have to keep this blush just to your cheeks either – a very light sweep over the bridge of your nose and onto your forehead gives a healthy flush to your skin. Try Benefit Coralista, £23.50.
left to right: Benefit, MAC