Over the years, I’ve gone through many makeup phases and am finally happy to call myself a minimalist: neutral brown eyeshadow + dark brown liner + black mascara, light peach blusher and sheer/slightly frosted coral/pink/brownish lipstick (best natural look) for day; darker metallic eyes with a pale shimmery mouth OR neutral eyes with stronger lips for night.

At the moment, my perfect neutral eyeshadow is Shu Uemura’s N P Brown #820. It’s a slightly shimmery taupe that warms the lids perfectly, and if layered on more heavily, is also intense yet subtle enough for evening. One application lasts all day as well, so no worries if – like me, very often – you’re too lazy or tired to redo your eyes for the evening. Just touch up the face and lips and you’re good to go!

While we’re on the subject, my current favourite blusher is also from Shu Uemura: Glow On Blusher M Peach #44. The great thing about Shu Uemura’s blushers is that they’re so finely milled as to resemble face powder/compact rather than blusher per se. It’s like having two in one. Great for those who (again, like me) aren’t blusher application experts, as it builds up very gently and gradually – as opposed to certain blushers which give you killer clown cheeks from the first stroke, even when you thought you had tapped the brush of any excess! The colour itself is simply lovely: subtle, slight sheen and sheer enough not to mask the natural glow of the skin. In fact, like I mentioned, if you don’t feel like touching up your powder after a long day (because this can sometimes produce an ashen, muddy or cakey look), just use the blusher as it already seems to have enough powder in it to cut extra oil/shine.

And lip colours? (couldn’t leave you hanging without some final recommendations here!) I used to love wearing matte or other heavily pigmented textures, even for neutral colours, but I recently discovered that doing that tends to age one somewhat. Believe me, these things tend to matter after you hit 30! Sheer/slightly frosted textures work much better for a fresh and natural look.

I like Clinique’s Long Last (sheer) Lipstick in Beauty, which by happy coincidence I managed to score from my mum who didn’t quite like the colour (a friend had given it to her.) I also managed to trade in 6 used makeup containers under MAC’s recycling programme, and got a free lipstick in their Frost range in Skew, a pretty sheer pink/coral hue. My favourite cheap lipstick, In2It in Virtual, seems to have been discontinued . Such is life. The quest for the perfect lip shade goes on..I’m not a big fan of gloss, by the way. Don’t see the point, really : if I want a bit more shine on the lips, I just top up whatever shade of lipstick I’m wearing with some clear MAC Lipglass, and voila! It lasts longer than most glosses too. Only problem is that it’s a bit sticky, but it’s a small price to pay for the brilliant shine.

Bottom line tip: if you’re tired of your present look and want a change, but you’re not too sure how to go about it, don’t just think about changing colours. TEXTURES are the key to subtle but effective transformation! The same shade in another texture (eg sheer, frosted, cream instead of powder etc etc) can make all the difference.

Last but not least, remember: ALL WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL, and you’re gorgeous just the way you are! Wearing makeup should be a choice you make for YOU first and foremost, so that you feel better about yourself, and not so much for the sake of pleasing anyone else.

Hope all this helps, and thanks for giving me an opportunity to share on a topic so close to my heart! xxx karen

winnie:Yep that was a good palette although it lacked depth.

great post. and i wish i could write half as well as you!