The beauty world is dazzling at the moment, with a wealth of colour to shake us out of a dull winter …
Wearing colour doesn’t have to be scary. Soft, light-reflecting textures can help to make brighter shades more wearable, as Chanel’s spring/ summer 2025 collection illustrates.
“Wearing colour can feel intimidating,” says Charlotte Tilbury, whose new eye palettes (€60), ranging from denim blue to emerald tones, are designed to make it easy for everyone to feel confident wearing colour. The sheer shimmer and soft matte options are subtle and easy to wear.
Or you could experiment with a vibrant eyeliner, such as Kiko Milano’s German-made €8 kajals, from bright blue to burgundy. The Italian brand now has a store on Henry Street, Dublin 1, with lots of affordable colour cosmetics.
OUR FAVOURITES
Chanel’s Camelia Futura make-up collection is bursting with colour, from peachy tones to cherry blossom pinks. Soft romantic shades and iridescent textures abound. This is the way to embrace colour this spring. At counters nationwide.
For lips, luscious cherry shades are prevalent for spring, and these are best translated to everyday life via moisturising, translucent tints, such as the classic Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick SPF15 (€26 at Arnotts) – protective as well as pretty. I like the look of Max Factor’s hydrating Miracle Pure Lip Enhancers (€14, at pharmacies) – essentially tinted lip balms in shades such as Sweet Cherry. See also the Sofia Coppola x Augustinus Bader Lip Tints.
A lip and cheek stick is the easiest way to get an instant colour boost. The latest one I’ve tried is by Swedish brand LH Cosmetics; made in Italy, the Artistick has a gentle, vegan formula with lots of seed oils, in shades of soft cherry to peach. Blend in well for a flattering flush. €33.
Blush has had a comeback in the past few years – but most of us won’t be embracing a 1980s-style sweep of powder colour. Now it’s easy to find delicate flushes. US brand Merit is leading the trend with its nifty Flush Balms, but until they land here, look to Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush (from €18, Space NK) and bareMinerals’ Complexion Rescue Highlighting Blush, between a liquid blush and a highlighter, which gives both a hint of colour and a translucent glow (€28, www.cultbeauty.com).
NEED TO KNOW
LUXURY PERFUME
A new trio of Essences are the latest arrivals from “high perfumery” brand Amouage, founded in 1983 to celebrate and develop the Arabian art of perfumery. Super-luxurious, the three scents – Outlands, Lustre and Reasons – have been “aged”, like the fi nest cognac, and each contain 30 per cent pure perfume, the equivalent of an extrait de parfum (most eaux de parfums contain ten to 20 per cent; eaux de toilette and colognes much less). An orchestra of the world’s fi nest perfumers have been involved, including Cécile Zarokian, whose Outlands is the standout – a burst of optimism via candied lemon and powerful patchouli smoothed by vanilla, vibrant spices and resins. It’s memorable, while being subtle and elegant: “It’s like a hug, an embrace, warm and comfortable,” says Zarokian. No wonder stores have been struggling to keep it in stock. Each Essence was created using a unique double infusion process, making them deeper, richer and more intense. Investment, yes; sheer decadence, also yes. €405 at Brown Thomas.
RETINOL ROUTINE
If you’re travelling this month, make your beauty packing manageable: Elizabeth Arden’s Retinol + HPR Ceramide Capsules Rapid Skin Renewing Serum (€98 for 60 capsules) deliver the perfect dose of collagen-boosting retinol in an effective yet gentle way: ideal for retinol first-timers. At Arnotts and counters nationwide.
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