Despite being a beauty writer, I must confess a slight aversion to wearing anything other than a bold stroke of liquid liner and a few coats of mascara on the eyes. Eye shadow has always made me look run down, old and slightly haunted (think Winona Ryder’s character in Beetle Juice, but less alluring …). It’s fiddly and time-consuming. And although I love writing about make-up, when it comes to applying it, my cack-handed attempts at a smokey eye match those of an 11 year old. I just don’t have the flair.
But take a quick glance at this summer’s beauty counters, and all of one’s normal beauty rules fly out of the window. Especially this summer, which has seen a whole host of pretty shadows come to the fore, inspired by shimmering sand dunes, vivid metals and deep azure seas – with a dash of festival-ready glitter thrown in for good measure.
It’s a spirit that harks back to the 1970s, a time when people approached eye shadow with as much colour and creativity as they do with nail art today. Hence why this summer’s new launches have me reaching for the eye shadow brush once more (shaky elbows at the ready).
First up is Bobbi Brown’s new Surf & Sand Palette (£48, Selfridges), which contains eight soft shades in matte and shimmery textures. From corals to pink and caramel nudes as well as burnt bronze, all of the colours are ridiculously easy to wear (and apply) and exude that sun-kissed Malibu beach bunny appeal of the range’s new campaign star, Kate Upton.
Bobbi Brown Surf and Sand Eye Palette
Next up is Topshop’s Smokey Eye Palette in Atlantis (£12, Topshop) offering up sparkly blue-black, royal blue and white shades, together with a peacock blue so vivid and intense, all you need is a few dabs at the corner of each eye for the compliments to come flooding in thick and fast. Add a dab of their Glitter Pot in Space Cowboy (£4, Topshop) over the top and you have festival-ready eyes that would make Paloma Faith green with envy.
Topshop Smokey Eye Palette in Atlantis
Elsewhere, Tom Ford’s Eye and Cheek Palette (£68, Harrods) comes housed in a chic gold, “clutch” compact which, among the corals, beiges and bronze, boasts a show-stopping cobalt blue, which looks fantastic when worn as a bold line along the lower lid (a “statement blue” is clearly the thing for this summer’s shadow palettes).
And NARS have recently served up some truly disco-tastic delights with their new Dual Intensity Eyeshadows (£21 each, SpaceNK), which can be used wet or dry. Shimmery metallic brights – such as the rose-gold Callisto and the beige-gold Dione – mixed with an eyeshadow brush dipped in water deliver a “look at me” intensity reminiscent of a young Jerry Hall on her way to Studio 54.
Tom Ford Eye and Cheek Compact
NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in Callisto
So there we have it – a host of dazzling summer shades all too good not to adorn my eyelids with (with a dash of liner over the top, of course).
by Viola Levy