Finding the right foundation shade is beauty 101, but have you ever considered that finding your perfect lip and cheek colour could be just as important? A good match can be transformative – it will instantly brighten your complexion and lend a youthful boost to the skin. If you need proof, just look to Helen Mirren’s latest beauty look.
The actress, 81, stepped on to the red carpet (and stage) at the Toronto International Film Festival last night. It’s no secret that Helen has been looking particularly radiant lately. First, it was her ‘face lifting’ bixie, proving just how transformative a great haircut can be. This time, though, it was her glowing complexion that caught our attention. On closer inspection, it all came down to one flattering makeup shade.
Take a closer look at Helen’s makeup and you’ll spot a flattering coral flush across her lips and cheeks. As celebrity makeup artist Mira Parmar tells us, it’s a shade that’s especially flattering on women over 50.
‘It’s a really beautiful shade that works really well with Helen’s silver hair and skin tone, and really balances her face’ she explains. ‘Blush is always so important when working on mature skin, as it can lend such a youthful appearance. This type of peachy-pink tone works especially well in brightening the complexion.’
Once you've found a shade that brightens the complexion like this, it only makes sense to carry it through the rest of your makeup. ‘You can see her lip shade is actually really similar to what she's got on her cheeks. Using a matching lip and cheek colour like this is such an easy and great way to pull the whole look together.’
The shade itself does a lot of the heavy lifting, but Mira says the texture and placement can make it work even harder. ‘Both the lip and cheek have a balmy texture, which gives a beautiful bit of sheen.’
Here, Mira recommends searching for hydrating formulas. She recommends NARS Afterglow Lip Balm and Lisa Eldridge’s Dewy Lip and Cheek Stick as brilliant options. And, as she points out, the look is monochromatic, so the same product can work double duty.
Lisa Eldridge Beauty Velatura Balm Dewy Lip and Cheek Stick
‘There are no rules,’ she says. ‘You can absolutely use your lip colour on your cheeks — just dab it on and blend. It’s a simple trick that ties the whole look together, leaving you with a flattering finish that never looks cakey.’
When it comes to placement, Helen’s look is a masterclass in itself. ‘You can see Helen’s blush has been applied to the apples of her cheek and blended upwards,’ says Mira, ‘Bringing it upwards, like this, lifts the cheeks and makes everything look even more youthful.’
It just goes to show how much one perfectly chosen shade can do.
