Beauty tips: apply crystals and glitter for superhero eyes

When makeup artist Pat McGrath uses crystals and glitter (surely the most impractical of beauty trends) to create a heroine-worthy winged eye (as per the Valentino show), it becomes no-questions-asked desirable and every iota of pragmatism goes out the window. Unless you like your eye makeup sliding off, primer is essential. For a pared-down version, dip a fine brush in your glitter, outline the shape you want and fill it in. Or just sweep the brush across your lids. It’s failsafe, wearable and perfect for the cack-handed who want to pack a punch.

I can’t do without…

By Terry Lip-Expert Liquid Lipstick (£29, spacenk.com)

About 200 years ago, I was obsessed with the kind of clear, honey-thick, unyielding gloss that shone like a Graff diamond. Needless to say, after years of having everything stick to my lips – my hair extensions, food, random bits of debris the wind decided to blow my way – I became anti-gloss and now much prefer matte lipsticks.

Recently I came across the By Terry Lip-Expert collection – a range of 32 liquid lipsticks; 16 ‘matte’, 16 ‘shine’. While the silky velvety mattes are some of the best I’ve used (they don’t leave your lips looking like a dehydrated road map), surprisingly, it was ‘shine’ that really got my attention. There isn’t a hint of gloopiness about them – in fact, the glide factor is epic. It’s like skincare for the lips (that’s the vitamin E at work), but with a pigment-rich payoff (nudes, reds, pinks and burgundies that work across all skin tones) and impressive staying power.

I love that it is also mess-free; thank the cushiony applicator shaped like a foot (the pointy ballerina type, not the flat sort that spends its life squeezed into heels). And then there’s the finishing touch – a faint scent of vintage sweets. Yes, I know everyone gets on their high horse about things that are not fragrance-free, but a decent waft is one of life’s little pleasures. Not everything has to smell of nothing.

On my radar

Smart scents that smell unique on everyone

Chanel Les Exclusifs 1957
A nod to the year the US fashion industry celebrated Coco’s genius, this perfume is a complex concoction of eight musks, plus woody, spicy and fruity notes. It never smells the same on any two people (£150, chanel.com).

Atelier Cologne Pacific Mist
This sits in the beauty category I call ‘I’d drink it if I could’. The blend of lime, spearmint, coconut, orange and eucalyptus has the intensity of an eau de parfum, the freshness of a cologne and the dreaminess of sunnier climes. It’s addictive (£55, selfridges.com).

Jo Malone Fragrance Combining Perfume Palette
A first world problem – the pain of carting around bottles of fragrance – has been solved by this clever, refillable solid perfume. You can now layer and leave home with two Jo Malone fragrances without the fear of spillages (from £14, jomalone.com).