How to look like a Topshop beauty
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How to look like a Topshop beauty
The Topshop Unique show is fast becoming the hottest ticket in town in the sartorial whirlwind of every London Fashion Week, with Anna Wintour taking up front row residency and the likes of Alexa Chung, Laura Bailey and Daisy Lowe joining her on the FROW, not to mention Delevingnes featuring both on and off the catwalk. Always showcasing one of the most covetable collections of any season, Topshop Unique’s beauty looks are equally lustworthy, and SS15’s makeup statement was no different. In fact, lust was high on the agenda, with Topshop Beauty Consultant Hannah Murray revealing that the focal blurred berry lips were smudged on to look like the models had ‘just been snogging on a park bench’. More romantic than it sounds, the Topshop Unique SS15 makeup look was indeed a thing of beauty and had a distinctive British seaside vibe, with a dose of glamour and of course an edge of telltale Topshop attitude and devil-may-care insouciance. Get it for yourself with the following makeup masterclass…
This feature was written in partnership with Topshop Beauty
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The 'just been kissed' lip
A blotted burgundy lip was the beauty bullseye of the SS15 show, so to speak. Bold yet soft and imperfect, a nonchalant lip such as this will take you straight back to your heady teenage years, in a good way. It’s fresh rather than forced and youthful without looking too girlish.
To achieve a bang-on blurry, wine hued lip, first prep lips with balm-like Lip Primer in Everlast , £8. The satin texture creates a smooth, even canvas, anchoring lip colour in place and ensuring that your flushed lip lasts through many a heavy petting session. Then, get busy dabbing on your ‘just-bitten’ lip, following Hannah’s lead:
“Lips are effortless, with a pop of colour that oozes kissability and a just-kissed glow. Use your finger to help to create two textures; firstly pat on Lip Ombre in Baffle (out soon), before applying Lipstick in Temptation , £8, in the same fashion, creating a deep burgundy colour on the lips. With a clean finger, smudge around the lips to achieve an intense finish with a soft, diffused edge to emphasise that just-kissed effect.”
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The easy, breezy base
You wouldn’t do a full face on the beachfront, so in keeping with all things fresh and nautical, base was modern, minimal and decidedly low key. Never fear; this doesn’t mean totally naked as was the case at other SS15 shows . Spot-correct as Hannah did backstage:
“Skin is youthful, glowing and pared back. Use primer ( Airbrush Primer , £12, is just the ticket) on the t-zone and concealer where needed to cover blemishes - allow skin to breathe with a flawless and velvety finish.”
Topshop Beauty Concealer , £10, is quite the undercover cosmetic agent - it veils imperfections yet is barely detectable on the skin. If you need a little additional coverage, The Foundation , £16, blurs redness, dark spots and shadows yet leaves skin looking luminous and healthy. The light-as-air base may just be available in four shades but tone-adjusting pigments ensure that it adjusts to your unique colouring. The Topshop woman is certainly a clever one.
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The outdoorsy glow
You’re aiming for windswept ruddiness and the first flush of love. Sound hard to recapture? State-of-the-art textures will allow you to travel back in time, namely the genius invention that is Topshop Cheek Jelly , £7 each. Sheer, buildable and child’s play to blend, this futuristic flush will make you feel 17 again, while looking elegant, sophisticated and oh-so-chic. Hannah tells you how to master ruddy radiance:
“ Cheek Jelly in Sibling should be worked into the hollow of the cheek, underneath the apples, for a subtle flush and non-cosmetic feel.”
Hannah also advocates a little extra illumination. After all, on Blackpool pier they can’t get enough:
“Highlight the top of the cheeks with the faintest use of Topshop Glow Stick in Play Up , £10.”
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The nearly nude eye
You don’t want to go hard here, but neither do you want to go home. Barely-there yet intriguing definition will bring out your eyes, without making them the main performance. Emulate a come-hither Cara Delevingne smoulder with a few key products and pro techniques, as recommended by Hannah:
“This is a vivid, tonal eye, not over worked, but offering gentle definition and texture. Apply a cream nude eyeshadow to the eyelids, blending out to create a soft wash of colour. Pencil a brown then black khol across the root of the upper lashes and smudge with your finger for a deconstructed look. Smear the excess from your finger onto the bottom lashes and apply a light layer of mascara onto the top lashes.”
Keep your eyes peeled for Topshop Nude Eyes in Undressed , launching this spring, and until then buff on a barely-there cloud of colour - the lightest shade of Golden Aura Eye Palette , £12, adds just the right amount of je ne sais quoi. The adolescent ingenue within you will rate it highly. Lastly, in the manner of any great British seaside jaunt, don’t forget your waterproofs. Keep liner in line by smudging Topshop Waterproof Liner in Gunpowder , £5, into the roots of lashes. It will keep you smouldering through impromptu showers and any ‘kiss the girls and make them cry’ moments. Which obviously won’t happen, because you’re an independent Topshop woman.