Make a lashing impression

One of the things that first turned me on to Clinique was finding out it was the favorite brand of Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran’s keyboardist. Apparently it didn’t irritate his sensitive skin, and while his features appeared a tad enhanced on MTV, he always looked natural, not like he was wearing a faceful of makeup (hello, Boy George).

If Clinique is good enough for a guy to use, I reasoned, it must do wonders for a woman. That’s how the Clinique myth built up in my memory: first with the makeup, then with the famous three-step skincare system, which made good skin ever-so-easy to attain (simply cleanse, tone, and moisturize).

This season it’s all about the makeup again. Summer’s been over for months, and we no longer have the golden light that lent our faces that tanned, beachy glow. Before the rains came we might have gotten away with a bit of tinted lip balm and a swipe of mascara, but no longer. The only antidote to rainy-day gray is color – deep, saturated color – and the more richly pigmented, the better.

The makeup trend for fall 2006 is High Definition, which is good news for beauty junkies everywhere. Low-maintenance is out; high-maintenance, unbridled primping, and well-stocked vanities are in. High Definition means well-coiffed hair, a flawless (or porcelain, if you can hack it) complexion, defined eyes, and perfectly shaped and colored berry lips. But it’s the eyes that are the star feature, with abundant lashes and lids carefully lined and shaded with earth tones like moss, taupe, plum-violet and autumnal orange. Cheeks flush in natural pink or peach to balance the look. The end result is polished – as refined as Hollywood’s glamour goddesses of the Forties and Fifties.

Eyes

Thanks to mother company Estee Lauder’s research-and-development juggernaut, Clinique’s color products are on the absolute cutting edge of technology. Two new eye products are the best I’ve tried in their respective categories: the High Definition Lashes mascara, and the Brush-on Cream Liner.

High Definition Lashes is a mascara that offers the extreme lengthening and defining effects of false lashes. Its secret is a double-sided wand with a brush on one end and a comb on the other. Now, why didn’t anyone think of this before? The brush side coats and adds fullness while the comb side pumps up the volume and adds crazy length and definition. One application is great for maxed-out lashes; two and your lash tips might hit your eyebrow. Three and above and you’re headed for tranny, Tammy Faye Bakker territory. And the best part? Even our humidity and oily skin can’t get this mascara to smear. Available for P1,200 in Black and Chocolate Lustre.

My other favorite product is the Brush-on Cream Liner, which comes in a pot with its own brush. First seen in Clinique’s Holiday 2005 collection as a limited-edition item, it proved so popular it’s back as a staple. I tried this in Black Honey, a prettier version of your basic brown. The formula of this auburn shade with gold shimmer is so smooth and creamy it won’t tug your lids, unlike the first generation of gel liners, which were so dry you had to drag them across. A gel liner has the precision of a liquid liner but is easy-peasy to smudge for a smoky, sultry look. (One thing about liquid liners: you can’t smudge them without looking like Alex from A Clockwork Orange.) With the short-bristled brush, you can apply it thick or thin, blend it out or leave a precise line. It dries fast and doesn’t smear, thanks to Volatile Silicone Technology. If you don’t have a steady hand, draw three dashes along your lash line – inner corner, middle and outer corner – then go back and connect the dashes. Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact-lens wearers, Brush-on Cream Liner is available for P1,100 in Black Honey, Deep Brown, True Black and Smoke Grey.

I like that Clinique’s Colour Surge Eye Shadow Soft Shimmer Duos are now more finely milled and contain richer pigments with a low level of pearl. They come in silver-mirror compacts and go on soft and silky, with a big rectangle of the highlighter color (in this case, Rose) that you sweep all over the eyelid, and a small square of the contouring color (Chocolate), which you can sweep on both lid and crease, or just the crease for soft definition. Available for P1,150 in Spruced Up, Mochaberry, Posh Squash, and Deco-dence.

Cheeks

Another product with an improved formulation, Blushing Blush Powder Blush comes in a limited-edition checkerboard pattern. One sweep of your cheek brush mixes burgundy, pink and peach powders together to give you the most natural flush. On our Asian skin tones, I find that peach is flattering for day and that pink offers more dramatic contrast for night. Available for P1,450 in Patchwork Pink and Patchwork Peach.

Lips

Another limited-edition is Defining Lips: Long Last Lipstick Preview Palette, which contains four new pink-berry shades of Clinique’s best-selling Long Last Lipstick. Created by Laura Mohberg, Clinique’s global makeup artist, shades include Pink Sand, Paprika, Merlot, and Pink Peach. This comes in a clever compact that you can squeeze open with one hand, leaving the other free for primping.

Skin

One reason why Clinique’s products are so good is because they’ve all been allergy-tested and are 100-percent fragrance-free. Foundation-wise, don’t feel pressured to go porcelain. Even if you’re a morena, just find your closest shade of Clinique’s Perfectly Real Makeup, top with Transparent Powder and voila, a flawless, satiny complexion.

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Clinique’s fall 2006 makeup collection is available at Clinique counters in Rustan’s Department Stores.