Greige is the new nude, girls

Unless you've been wearing three shades of "greige" on a daily basis, you're seriously behind. The curious colour hybrid (grey and beige — do keep up) is now the one on fashion insiders' lips — literally.

Greige and its mutations — from mushroom and slate to caramel, taupe and mink — is being glossed onto lips, smoked onto eyes and slicked onto nails, sparking the stand-out beauty trend of the summer. Scarlett Johansson looked glowingly caramel-esque at the recent Iron Man premiere, Diane Kruger has been seen favouring mushroom eyes, and Gwyneth has popped up here, there and everywhere with nails just the right shade of cement.

"Shades of steel, stone, shell and fawn send a message of quiet luxury and timelessness during an economic recession," says Future Laboratory trends expert, Jonna Dagliden.

Taupe and beige are the antidote to the poppy pinks and pastel shades that often look too girly," says backstage make-up artist, Hannah Murray. "Greige adds a decadence and polish to the face that's still understated." Put simply, greige looks more expensive than it is without tipping into the realms of "flashy" — and less than a week after the new Budget, that seems pretty appealing.

Who needs a triple-digit handbag when you can get this season's hottest arm candy for a snip at £16 with Chanel's Le Vernis nail polish in Particulière? When it went on sale a few months ago it prompted astronomical waiting lists after the first batch sold out. And if you can't get hold of the real thing, there are plenty of spin-offs — from Nails Inc's Jermyn Street (£10.50; nailsinc.com) to OPI's Over the Taupe (£9.95; lenawhite.co.uk).

"Greige is the perfect alternative to the sheer naturals we've seen in previous seasons," says catwalk nail technician and trendsetter Sophy Robson.

Last September at the SS10 shows, models stormed the runways with greige eyes and mink lips at Rodarte, Michael Kors, Costume National and Jaeger London. But for real women a trend that blends grey with beige can at best make you look stony-faced and at worst anaemic.

"The trick with minks and taupes is to choose the warmer, creamier shades, taking the colour right up to the brows to make eyes appear wide open," says Maybelline New York make-up artist, Fiona Jolly. "Picking lip and eye shades with an undertone of lilac also warms the skin and refreshes a tired complexion."

On the catwalks, MAC's Cream Colour Bases in Root and Mid Tone Sepia (£13; maccosmetics.com) were buffed onto eyelids while Oak Lip pencil (£10) was used to fill in lips. Now Bobbi Brown's Eyeshadows (£14; bobbibrown.co.uk) come in everything from bone and cement to stone, slate and sable, while Becca's Sheer lip tints (try Yasmina and Gisella, £21; beccacosmetics.com) and the new Tom Ford lipstick in Vanilla Suede (£25; 0870 034 6872) epitomise polished effortlessness.

"Avoid the Wag look by steering clear of gloss and channel Brooke Shields with a matte look halfway between cool grey and warm beige," says Murray.