The face of fall
Season puts bold emphasis on eyes, lips

By Linda Miller

Published: September 24, 2006

Certain words keep popping up to describe the fall makeup look.

Flawless. Defined. Polished. Refined.

Imagine a face with perfectly lined lips colored with a rich shade of plum, berry or wine. Eyes bold and smoky with earthy shades of brown, moss or plum-violet. Cheeks lightly dusted with soft pink or peach.

"We're not looking at a nude face," said Alex Mendez-Kelley, owner of The MakeUp Bar in Oklahoma City.

Just the opposite.

She's seeing lots of rich browns, dark onyx and bronze, platinum and champagne for highlights and vibrant reds.

"There are a lot of browns, but I think the difference is the browns have a lot more life to them," she said.

Many browns are mixed with gold shimmer or plum undertones. Pinks are infused with traces of gold.

"They're wearable colors that have a little pop," she said.

The finishing touch and must-have for all makeup drawers is a metallic eyeliner in topaz, deep copper or dark navy. It's an easy way to modernize an everyday look and make it updated without spending a wad of money.

Oklahoma City makeup artist Lilly Stone, who sells her own cosmetics line, Sooo Lilly, inside Allyson's Closet, plays up the eyes with earthy shades and lots of mascara. She likes a flush of color on the cheeks. The face is defined with strong eyebrows and lips, either a deep red, sheer red or rose red. The contrast is strong eyes with a pale lip, reminiscent of sexy siren Brigitte Bardot in the 1950s.

"My trick is to line the inside upper lash with black," Stone said. "It makes the eyes pop and creates more of an almond eye or cat eye. It's youthful and defined but subtle. It's sexy yet classy." The face is velvety matte with just a bit of sheen, Stone said. It's a porcelain effect.

Clinique also promotes a flawless, porcelain appearance that begins with strong eyes. For balance, Clinique global makeup artist Laura Mohberg likes to use light pink on the cheeks and soft tawny pink on the lips. For a bolder look, she brushes a soft wash of peach on the apples of the cheeks and applies a deep berry to the lips.

Lancome's fall makeup collection, called Luna Chic, includes tones of crimson red, monochromatic neutrals, soft mauve pinks and celestial blues. It was inspired by the vibrancy of the Northern Lights.

Estee Lauder heralds the return to feminine glamour with a look that complements the embroidered silks, rich velvets, opulent tapestries and sharp tailoring in fall fashion. Sophisticated shades of plum, burgundy and wine add depth and richness to platinum and gold. Annie Carullo, senior vice president of corporate product innovation at Estee Lauder, said the collection is feminine, alluring and grown-up. "It is a return to glamour in an attainable form. Polished, beautiful, a 1940s woman with a modern twist." The 1940s come to mind for Mendez-Kelley, too, when she thinks about fall makeup.

"The look I'm seeing and that I'm forecasting for my clients is a throwback to the 1940s. ... Beautiful soft skin. Beautiful eye makeup and lashes. A little bit of color for blush and a beautiful lipstick. It's a very feminine, beautiful look. And I think it's reflected in clothing. We see a lot of patents, a lot of animal prints. What goes great with all those things — a great lipstick."

Especially a great red lipstick. "There is a red lipstick for everybody. ... Nothing says woman more than a red lipstick. It's empowering."

While darker shades of lipstick and eye shadows require a bit more precision, it's not a difficult look to achieve.

"I think it's all about blending," Mendez-Kelley said. "When I do a makeup lesson, the first thing I put on a client's chart is blend, blend, blend. I think tools are super-important. You can have a lot of eyeshadow and a pop of color for cheeks and a strong lipstick, and it's going to look fabulous if you blend, and if it's the right shades for you."

Mendez-Kelley said the fall makeup colors are beautiful, and she believes women are ready to look beautiful.

"I've been doing a lot of strong faces," she said. "There's a beautiful, sexy, womanly look about them. And, it's just more fun. When you know you look good, you feel confident. You walk a little taller, a little lighter on your feet."

For fall, it's about the package, from head to toe, and about making women feel more feminine. "I think female is in," she said. "It's about being a girl again."