Winter Beauty Trends Forecast

By Amie Kewley

For Autumn/Winter 09/10, apparently, The Brow Is Back. Or Barely There At All, as the case may be. Prada and Balenciaga showed barely-there brows on their catwalks, lifting the look from scary to showy with a slice of punchy lipstick. On the flipside, House of Holland showcased the new Power Brow-strong, defined, and the perfect accessory for the sharp-shouldered jacket as the authoritarian dresscode fails to wane for AW. Beauty trends for winter continue to flurry between extremes: the Goth glam, fantasy beauty (think dark nails, purple lips and waxed-off eyebrows) vs. the two thousand and eighties 2080’s retrograde power dresser. (Rich red lips, brows so sharp you could cut cheese with them) Sandwiched between these looks lies the perennial fresh faced winter glamazon, (glossy, glossy, glossy) and the key to captivate wintry beauty trends is to lift key aspects from all three to make a look your own.

The barely there brow (smothered with foundation as opposed to plucked to the extreme…though some shows sent models sashaying down the runway with their brows removed entirely…perhaps not to be tried at home) is actually fairly achievable if your bone structure is strong and your face able to carry a browless look. It does look bizarre initially, but pulls all emphasis on to the eyes, so highlight them with a decent mascara to open them up and make sure you prevent the look becoming too ghoulish by slicking on a swipe of deep plum lipstick…reach for a gorgeous pillarbox red if purples or blacks are too ‘gothic’ for your liking.

Alternatively, embrace the New Power Brow. This is a credit-crunch-chic way of hitting a beauty trend…no more forking out for waxing, allow your natural brows to grow and fill in the gaps with a brow pencil. A great tip is to use a chunky concealer pencil-if you are fair, invest in one for dark skins, or go a couple of shades beyond your skin tone, enabling you to draw a thick brow line in one severe swipe. A strong brow, properly done, can completely transform the shape of your face-suddenly, you’ll find you have cheekbones and a jawline. Highlight your new sculpted features with a hint of blusher and apply a sweep of neutral gloss to ensure that your brows are the focal point of your look. Work it with confidence (and a Balmain sequinned extreme-shouldered tee, if the budget allows.)

If deep palettes and invisibrows are just too intense, dip into the Goth glam trend with jewel-toned nail varnishes on short, squared off nails. (Keep black and pointy for Halloween only.) Plums, midnight blues, deep glittery greens and dark pinks look very current and also very smart on shorter nails-it’s an office thumbs up (!) as well as looking great for a night out.

Embrace your inner vamp this winter. There are a plethora of products available to don’t be afraid to experiment. The key to remaining the right side of quirky is to focus only on one key area to highlight…and then go for it with unshakeable aplomb. As granny used to say, “Lips or eyes, never both.”