Colour Therapy: Bright make-up is back

If you're bored with the ubiquitous pastel hues and golden shades of summer make-up, this season's catwalk shows have the answer.

Tactile, multi-textured make-up that contrasts matte with iridescent and overtly wet-look formulas are the way to update your look and experiment with new colour palettes.

We asked senior MAC artist and backstage guru Terry Barber to reveal how to get make-up that's good enough to touch.

THE SUEDE EYE
Bring an edge to your eyes and a luxurious look to your lids with this new texture.
How to get it: "The new look for this season and autumn brings skincare and make-up closer together and makes eyes look really well conditioned," says Terry. "Taupe is also this season's take on black eye make-up." A favourite trick of backstage make-up artists is to use an eye pencil all over the lid (try By Terry's Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock, £26, spacenk.co.uk). Then soften by brushing a frosted shadow all over the lid — MAC's new Mineralize trio in Love to Love (£15, maccosmetics.co.uk) comes in satiny browns and beiges for the ultimate rich finish. Alternatively, Givenchy's Le Prisme Yeux Mono in Dressy Indigo (£19, 01932 233 824) comes in four textures — matte, iridescent, pearlescent and sequin — so you can build a more intense light-reflecting texture from day to night.

LIQUID SKIN
"The modern complexion is about using soft-focus highlights — not bronzers or blushers — to create facial definition and the appearance of moist, plumped-out skin," says Terry.
How to get it: This look is all about what Terry calls "customised coverage" that camouflages any blemishes but allows your skin to show through. Blend some Bois D'Orange Huile Sublime dry oil (£22, 0800 028 2125) into your usual moisturiser before using a sheer foundation such as Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser (£40, zuneta.com) only on the areas you need to. "The key is to apply foundation while the moisturiser is still slightly wet. Buff it into the skin with a microfibre brush but don't overblend," he adds. At the Costume National show, they blended a creamy lipstick (try Revlon's new ColourBurst in Peach, £7.99, 0800 085 2716) with a highlighter (MAC's Cream Colour Base in Pearl, £13, is ideal) and patted it onto the tops of cheekbones, the bridge of the nose and inner corners of the eyes to create contouring with texture.

THE POWDERED LIP
Give a velvety finish and pillow-like plumping to your lips.
How to get it: There's no better way to work a classic than with a new texture. To achieve it, first comes colour — then comes texture. Start by lining and filling in the lips with a soft chunky pencil (for a true scarlet try Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, £17, narscosmetics.co.uk). Immediately pat MAC Pro Pigment Powder in Red (£15) onto your lips, concentrating on the centre where they meet. "Red lips can look severe but by adding this small dusting of powder, they suddenly take on a softness that also adds plumpness — rather like a velvet cushion," says Terry.