Key SS11 make-up trends: What to pair with them

Unless you've been living under a spectacularly large rock for the last while, by now you'll probably be well acquainted with what's hot make-up wise for spring summer. The future, as far as SS11's concerned, is mostly bright: think statement lips in vibrant orange or shocking pink and eyes so bright they'd, well, take the eye clean outta your head.

Nailing the trends themselves is one thing. But, eh, what the heck are you supposed to wear with them? I say: whatever the hell you like, but just incase you're looking for a little more guidance than that, here's what I'm pairing with these three key trends. Let me know in the comments how you'd work them!

Orange lips

It might sound demented to say that it's possible to achieve a minimalist look with an orange pout, but the trick is to pare everything else right back. For me, that usually means a sweep of a light mosaic bronzing powder all the places the sun would catch (forehead, bridge of the nose, cheeks.) A peachy or orange blusher on cheeks also works well and tips the nod to the season's colour blocking trend. I don't wear much else other than a lick of mascara on curled lashes.

Clockwise from top left: Mac MAC Fluidline gel liner in Waveline, NYC Colour Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Bronze Glow, Clarins Mosaique Summer Bronzing Compact and Benefit Coralista

If you fancy a higher impact look, you could take the colour blocking this a step further and try teaming your orange lips with peach or orange eyeshadow, but steer clear of pearlescent, shimmery finishes to keep things looking current. Alternatively, give navy liner a go: it's super-flattering, less harsh than black, and plays really well with orange. I'm using either a pencil or my trusty MAC Fluidline gel liner in Waveline to get a smudged, slightly mussy looking effect, or a liquid eyeliner like my Clarins Liquid Liner pen in Blue Shimmer for a sharper, more defined line.

Pink lips

The models at Diane von Furstenberg and Jil Sander were the poster girls for this look, and appeared to be barefaced apart from their shocking pink lips. I'm not quite brave enough to go completely au natural myself, but after a bit of trial and error I've figured out that following their lead is definitely the way to go.

From L-R: Revlon Lipstain in Passion, Mac Lipstick in Girl About Town, Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage, YSL Rouge Pure Couture in 07

I apply my Revlon lipstain in Passion immediately after my base, because starting with the centrepiece of the look makes it easier to figure out what it needs around it. (FYI: I find this lipstain goes on well over lips blotted with foundation to disguise their natural colour, and I build up two or three coats of stain for maximum impact.) I use a natural-looking peach blusher on cheeks, as I found pink distracted from rather than enhanced the lips.

Lashes are curled and get a lick of mascara for day; for night, I do a little bit of contouring in the crease of my eyelid, line the upper lids with an almost unnoticeable lick of black or dark brown liquid liner, and chuck in a couple of barely-there false lashes.

Anything else makes pink lips look dated and way OTT on me.

Bright eyes

The looks that Pat McGrath created for Dior, where a kaleidoscopic spectrum of eyeshadows were paired with bold lips, were some of my favourites of the SS11 shows. Lids were Crayola-ed in super pigmented block shades of turquoise, powder blue, lime, jade green, orange, or fuchsia, while lips were similarly colour saturated in red.

Clockwise from top left: Mac eyeshadows in Sky Frost, Crazy Cool and Lime (these were from 2010's Dare to Wear collection but Mac has tons of similar colours) and Benefit Posietint

Colour on both eyes and lips can work in the real world, too. Taking inspiration from Oscar de la Renta, I'm laying down a vivid jade green from my Clarins Nature Temptations palette across my eyelids using a dampened flat eyeshadow brush (MAC 212), blending it up into the crease with a fluffy blending brush (MAC 217) and just onto the browbone and outwards to form a slightly winged shape, and then using the tip of my flat shadow brush to take the colour under my lower lash line. Some black mascara on upper and lower lashes and a daubing of my beloved Posietint onto lips and I'm good to go.

Oh, and when all else fails remember that matchy matchy nails and lips (or eyes) are a failsafe way to, well, nail this colour blocking business!

Model shots via Style.com