Safari Sophistication

In the 2009 spring/summer we saw subtle hints of the 80s English country and safari fashions sprinkled into various runway collections.  This style of sportswear has reoccurred in all seasonal collections since then, its echos rippling across  with the "country" fashion trend popularised by Ralph Lauren in the 80s. Country and safari are the grandparents of the American prep style, so it is a natural progression that the more current runways have also served us with a generous serve of American prep, as this was the next  logical step. Another relative belonging to this style of fashion is the military/utilitarian style, which is  also thriving in current street-wear. The combination of all these styles has resulted in an abundance of  linen, seersucker, gigham, canvas, tweeds, bouclé, gabardine, corduroy, suede, knee and thigh high boots,  pockets upon pockets, messenger bags and other across the shoulder bags,  more neutral shades than the Sahara desert, wavy or frizzy tied-back hair with bushy brows and the mono/duo-lid shaded eyes. Casual, presentable elegance with traditional and conservative  fundamentals.  It's a youthful style that demands a clean, tidy face, disciplined embellishments, no excessive shine, and  plenty of neutrals.  It's all about comfort and utility while still remaining presentable in non-formal social setting. 

These fashion trends have forced a drastic restyling of the 90s  and 00s makeup fashions.  Namely, lots of natural and naked eyelid, dark, unkempt brows, velvety skins, matte and deep lips, lack of brow bone highlighting,  broad and dark upper eyelid shading which has increased spatially to hit just under, or colliding directly into the brows, and natural matte wahes of eyeshadow. A number of these very trends are being worn by the model on the left where one would be forgiven in thinking that this is shot taken back in the mid 80s.

The signature marks that distinguishes this style of eye makeup are the lack of brow bone highlighting, and the use of one or two shadows only. The shadows tend to belong to the neutral colour family, of a matte texture, and applied softly.  Eyeshadow colours  utilised are khaki, peach, taupe, tawny, camel, amber and tan. A wash of colour is applied to the entire eyelid melding into, and framed by barely groomed, thick  brows, and natural looking eyelashes lined softly mostly to enhance the lashes rather than to restyle or enhance the eye shape. A look which sultry-fies the eyes with a subtle hint of depth, while retaining an essence of purity due to its uncomplicated application and appearance. Youthful, elegant and clean.

This eye makeup direction has steadily appeared in fashion magazines, mostly showcased on thick brow models. The 2009  summer/spring runways steered towards a mono-eyeshadow of camels and sands, but the avant-guarde spin on this style was marked by a bright yellow shadow using a vibrant matte lipstick to counteract its unnatural brilliance,  but also to add more facial balance. Although I often shy away from  brightly coloured eyeshadow, I have to admit that the yellow and red combination made me melt at my knees - it's not easy to achieve an overly trendy look that manages to retain a chic integrity. Currently, the yellow is being  used even  now after  its overuse  during spring and summer  2009  by catwalks, glossies and even ads (French  Connection, Guess, Bebe, Marc Jacob, etc).  To freshen this overexposed look,  makeup artists have started to substitute the yellow eyeshadow with corals, roses and peaches.

In the autumn/winter 2009 runways makeup artists became  so accustomed to the mono-lid trend  they took it a step further  by utilising richer and deeper colours such as copper, bronze and moth brown. Any possibility of a vamp look, which this style of makeup is predisposed to as soon as the colour is deepened,  is eliminated by selecting shimmery textures and avoiding shades beyond a medium intensity.  Eyebrows tended to be darkened a maximum of one shade darker than the hair colour, and eye lining  was kept to a minimum, using richly pigmented shadows (over liquids) for  a softer finish due  its blending ability so to enhance the depth of the eyelashes only.

At present the nude eye shadow in neutral shades is considered one of the major trends for spring/summer 2010. The models for Chanel's last spring/summer 2010 collection sported just such a look as seen on the right. The models' eyes were made up with just two matte colours with no brow bone highlighting and a light wash of  mascara and soft, well blended lining.  The light mascara and natural eye definition is a foreseeable future trend for 2011.

D Brow Cut

Fash and mags have been pushing the thick brow for years. I remember seeing the first thick brow on a makeup poster in a chichi department store way back in 2003. The consumer rejected and ignored it, and the cosmetic companies not wanting to upset the frail wallets of their customer base, coyly played the "you put your left foot in" game for years to come.

Although the subtle thick brow campaign failed to convert us, it was successful in making us reassess the 70s inspired thin brow fashion of the late 90s and early 00s. Their ghost crept up on us ever so slowly retraining our eye to a new and bolder fashion. It enticed us to re-fashion the waif brow first into a slightly thicker shape, then into a more natural finish, whereby stylisation of brows slowly died out. 

Let us fast forward to 2006. Runways, mags and cosmetic brand campaign put their proverbial left foot down and forcefully pushed for a defined, thick brow. Within one year this new brow became so well established by the fashion world that model agencies told their models to grow out their brows or risk losing work. Currently, the bushy, unkempt Brooke Shields brow, with wild inner tufts and large, flat base and tail with minimal inner arch lift is considered the it brow.

If you've been blessed with thick brows, grow them out and flaunt them, as I predict this not to be a short lived fad, but a serious fashion trend that will become increasingly popular remaining with us for the next five to ten years. If you fear the change, then take a careful look at the above picture. Smoky eye makeup is rendered less harsh by rich brows, as it softens its severity by adding  spacial, textural  and colour competition, creating stronger plane to counteract the darkness of the eyeshadow.

The it brow - unkempt, unruly, untamed, unlit and sultry. Grow some bush today.

Most top makeup artists have now embraced the new brow. Bobbi Brown, the original  Brook Shield brow forerunner of the 80s, is taking thick brows very seriously this time round, as well. Brown, has even gone to the extent of trimming the shot on the left in such a way as to frame whole photo, not just the model's face,  making the brows the understated center piece. Bobbi  adds  weight  to these brows by meticulously shading them in all the way to the very outer peripherals of the entire brow length (the model's natural brows are not this thick) with a shadow slightly lighter than the model's hair, and then using one shade slightly darker for the brow tails.  The light to dark technique gives the illusion of length and volume by adding depth.

The hardcore fashionista may want to take it one avant-guard step up and make all of their brows at least a full shade darker than their hair by using a single, flat colour.  This "power brow" is strong, bold, carnal and voluptuous. It empowers the  face and the over-all image, while emitting a raw fridaesque sensuality. If you think your face cannot handle its severity, then couple it with a powerful lipstick to create balance. In the picture to the right, a matte red lipstick, and matching dress, are balanced off  with  a set of overstated black-brown eyebrows.  The result is stunningly potent.

If you're not brave enough for such a bold brow,  there is another technique which is currently being utilised by many makeup artists so not to frighten the timid, and  to keep the look more natural.  Laura Mercier has used this technique in her Polished Colour Collection, as seen on the left. A richly pigment shadow of the same colour and tone to the hair (or a shade lighter),  is applied purposefully on only certain sections of the brows.  To counteract the over groomed brow of the naughties, brow colour is not applied to the inner corners of the brows so to give the  illusion of  existing tufts, resulting  in a look that seems to be less maintained, more natural and certainly less severe. 

To help you achieve these looks I have set out a variety of products in varying textures, options which I use regularly .

For the days when I'm in hurry to get my makeup on, but I need to make an empowered and professional impression, I will not go past Paula's Choice Browlist.  Her colour choice is in desperate need of expansion, but the two available colours are first class  It's softly pigmented, which renders it foolproof for makeup noobs and klutz alike, its longevity is excellent as it doesn't smudge of fade, and its felt tip style translates to precise application.  Browlist can be purchased at  Paula's Choice for $9.95 US.

When I want to look like I'm not trying hard, and I'm limited time wise,  I opt for  the MAC's doppelganger Maybelline Define-A-Brow in a shade lighter than my brows.  It's a super thin twist-up pencil that does not require sharpening,  constantly maintaining a suitably precise application. This pencil comes in one of the largest colours selections I have ever seen, and is retailed at a competitive drugstore price.

Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper retails at $19.00 US.  It's a wonderful brow mascara with a sticky texture rich in hairspray like ingredients, giving brows one of the firmest holds around. The colour selection is excellent, and its triangular like shaped brush works amazingly well at controlling the application of the product.

For the ultimate "bitch brows" I recommend Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector retailing at $18.90 EU. This product is not  recommended to nubcakes. The finished look is solid and stylised due to its concentrated pigmentation, and the fact that once dried it's extremely difficult to correct. It's smudge and waterproof, and the colour stays fresh throughout the day  The colour range although, on the side of humble considering the pigmentation of this product, is stellar due the naturalistic tones.

A classic alternative that everyone should have in their makeup kit is Nyx Eyebrow Cake Powder retailing at $3.00US. The colour range is excellent, and the duo arrangement makes the product versatile. The pigmentation concentration also allows this product to double up as liner (wet or dry) . A good and cheap alternative for those new to makeup or the budget conscious.  With an expert hand when this product is finished off with  some good old fashioned hairspray on a brow/tooth brush, the brows would be comparable to models in glossy mags.

The new kid on the block is an interesting product marketed by Laura Mercier called Brow Definer retailing at $20.00US . It's an innovative product  that combines brow wax and gel liner ingredients.  The result is a  medium pigmentation concentration product which imparts a lovely natural finish.  It  applies easily and smoothly, and  because of the wax ingredients , the product also adheres to the hairs of your brows making them look thicker. The high wax  content does render this product unsuitable for eye lining.

If you're a fan of sharpeners then one of the best old fashioned colour-in pencils on the market is the Chanel Precision Brow Definer.  A medium pigmented, powdery pencil with an excellent colour selection marketed at $28.00US.

MAC Brow Finisher is my product of choice for a naked look. Fast, non complicated, completely foolproof due to very low pigment concentration, minimalist approach to brows. Gloss your brows and off you go.