I cringe at the thought of matte makeup. Painted lustreless lips and skin the color and finish of antique porcelain gives me the same rush as a T-bone steak (I’m vegetarian). There’s something so off-putting about matte makeup: the pristine finish is too pallid, too polished, too Betty Boop.
The recent autumn/winter showings raised a hoopla over matte makeup with models projecting the next beauty trend wearing strong brows, nude skin, and cakey lips. I thought they all looked like they spent too much time basking in London’s fog. Makeup is supposed to bring glow and color to the face, and unless you’re Angelina Jolie, the ambassador of matte nude lip color – let’s all try to keep it that way.
Maybe my proclivity to beach living has me leaning towards glowing, sun-kissed, healthy-looking skin. There’s nothing sexier than flushed cheeks or glossy lips that look as if they’ve just been marinated in a vat of wine. And when describing young girls, glowing, radiant, and bright-eyed are often used. Get a hint, as did five brands that prove shimmer, glow, and a healthy flush are still the best ways to shine.
The institutional Japanese beauty brand takes lip service to a literal sense. For its 23rd Boutique Birthday collection, Shu Uemura comes up with an arsenal of subtle shimmery lip color. Lollishine Reflects, the brand’s luscious lipstick line, comes up with a limited edition shade in "green," which is really a transparent shade with "multi-colored metashine glitter." A trio of limited edition lip pencils affords easy-to-control application, and gives a sprinkling of sheer iridescent coverage.
(Available at Rustan’s). If you’re the type who thinks a woman should wear makeup to look as if she’s not wearing makeup, then stock up on Youngblood Cosmetics. The mineral-based makeup line (contains no alcohol, dye, perfume, or fillers, which makes it sensitive skin’s best friend) lends skin a radiance so natural that nobody would even suspect coverage. The crushed mineral blush (available in eight rosy shades) gives that flushed just-got-off-the-treadmill look, light-reflecting Lunar Dust bronzer, above, leaves a healthy sun-kissed glow as well as decent coverage while their best-selling natural mineral loose foundation gives the face a translucent sheen.
Youngblood powders are also great for covering flaws, blotches and redness without making you feel as if someone threw pancake batter on your face.
(Available at Beauty Bar.) Makeup essentials usually include the perfect blush and the perfect lipstick. With Shiseido’s new makeup additions for this season, perfection shouldn’t be too far a smear away. Shiseido The Makeup adds three new colors to their Shimmering Lipstick collection. Choose from a pink, red or a violet shade that leaves a glossy metallic shimmer on the lips. The Accentuating Color Stick in Rosy Flush adds a subtle glow to the cheeks, one that, amazingly, looks as if it came from within.
(Shiseido boutiques are located at Glorietta and Power Plant Mall.) The Body Shop is all prepped to set skin aglow with its Bronzing and Illuminating range. The extensive range contains everything you need to recreate a glowing tan or something close to it: Brush-On beads to swirl and then sweep over the face, shoulders and décolletage; lightweight, moisturising glow enhancers to highlight key areas (cheekbones, browbone, shoulders); light-reflective shimmer powder integrated and encased in its own practical and portable brush, and illuminating sun gels that make it possible to overlook the need for the sun to actually get a bronzy sheen.
(Body Shop has boutiques at Glorietta, Megamall, Shangri-La, and Robinsons Galleria.) For it’s autumn 2006 Stardom makeup collection, Awake doesn’t hold back on the glow-on detail. The name of the collection, "Shimmer Glow," packs in enough double meaning to work with. Light-reflecting fine pearls mixed into the Japanese brand’s new makeup, particularly in the new Awake lip lacquer shades and shimmer glow eye jelly, sets in a glassy lustrous finish that can look radiant during the day and glamorous at night.
The thick, even film Awake’s lip lacquer leaves delivers "vivid coloration" and a lustre that makes lips look as plump as a freshly-picked rose bud. The shimmer glow eye jelly, on the other hand, doesn’t leave a finish as thick. Rather a light, comfortable end-feel is to be expected. Available in five pearlescent colors, the eye jelly can help brighten up the eyes, especially when dabbed on the middle of the eyelid.
(Available at Rustan’s).