Hot or Not Beauty

Sydney declared its intention to be the 5th Fashion city of the world at the opening of last weeks Australian Fashion Week. So to keep abreast of the latest trends from this young and vibrant city, I’d like to look at what was hot at Fashion Week and how to create your own ‘Sydnefied’ look for the Spring/Summer 2008 season.

Starting with what was hot – a resounding theme was the smoky eyes and nude lips. I’m quite a fan of the nude lip look for a dramatic statement, but it requires patience and a bit of extra effort. The nude lip look walks a fine line between nude and painting your lips out of existence.
To create this look I would recommend that you start by exfoliating your lips, something that we often overlook. Be gentle with the more delicate skin of your lips when you do this. Then when you apply your foundation, include your lips as well as your face. This helps to tone down the colour in the lips prior to applying a nude lip color.

Once you have done this then depending on how dramatic a look you would like to achieve then you have several options. If you are keen to try really nude lips, then apply a lipstick that closely matches your complexion. Add a little peachy or rose toned lip gloss to the centre of the lip and you are ready to go!
If you want to try nude lips that are not quite so dramatic, particularly if you are keen to try this look for everyday wear, then there are other options. One option is to apply the foundation on you lips as described before, and then put a little soft peach or rosy shade of lip gloss over that. Another is to leave your lips nude and try a clear lip gloss.
Yet another option is to place a little of your usual lipstick in the centre of your bottom lip, squeeze your lips together and then apply a little lip gloss in clear, soft peach or rosy shades over the lipstick. Basically be guided by the amount of colour or lack of colour you want to have, then select an option that achieves the look you are after.

Finally you need to be sure that you select the right products. For the nude lip look I’ve found that some of the best nude shades around are available from Mac. I really like the Mac Slimshine Lipsticks, which are kind of like a halfway point between a lipstick and a lip gloss – and this also comes in several nude lip options. Best of all Mac offers great shades of lipsticks and lip glosses to complement all skin tones – which makes Mac a great place to shop if you’re looking for the perfect nude lipstick for your individual complexion.