Face architecture
Face architecture sounds frightening but it’s what beauty is about, says fashion maestro Tom Ford. His colour collection hits Cork’s Brown Thomas for the first time, this month, and his aesthetic is about enhancing a woman’s natural beauty, via light and shade, to create a trompe l’oeil effect that hides our flaws and enhances our advantages.
The result? A perfectly symmetrical effect. Brows and cheeks are at the core of face architecture, so here, from the master himself, is a step-by-step guide to facial symmetry.
“Brows must be groomed, but natural-looking,” says Mr Ford. “The eyebrow is the one-and-only thing you can alter on your face without cosmetic surgery. You can’t move your nose, but you can move your eyebrows.
“If you’ve got a round face, you should not have round eyebrows. You should have an arch. Because, just that angle of the brow will lend an angular quality to your face.
“If you have an overly angular face, on the other hand, you might want a softer, rounded brow, because it will soften all the sharp lines. So you can do a lot with the brow. I’m about structured, beautiful, arched, thick, brows, not over-plucked, over-waxed brows. Brows must be groomed, but natural-looking.”
“We all, whether we know it or not, respond subconsciously as human beings to symmetry. That is where this beauty standard comes in: symmetry is considered beautiful in our society.
“If you are going to apply high-lighter and you know that one cheek is higher than the other cheek, don’t apply it on your real cheekbone, apply it in line with the better cheek, so that you’re creating an artificial high in the same spot, which gives the illusion of symmetry.
If you put high-lighter in the exact same place on each side, you are just accentuating your facial asymmetry.
“If your mouth falls lower on one side, then, when you’re putting on your lipstick, maybe on one side of your bottom lip you go just over the lip line, and on the other side you’re right on your lip line.
“You can make your face appear to be more symmetrical through the use of cosmetics, whether you’re just using high-lighter, a little eyebrow pencil and mascara, or whether you’re really applying make-up. So, understanding your facial architecture is number one.” Tom Ford colour cosmetics collection launches in Brown Thomas Cork, Sept 2012.
It’s not just the Tom Ford Colour Cosmetics collection that is coming to Cork but his Private Blend fragrances too. This is his exclusive range of fragrances that ignore mainstream conventions to offer some truly sublime scents like Champaca Absolute and Neroli Portofino.
Also coming to Brown Thomas Cork and Dublin today is Giorgio Armani’s revolutionary new foundation or ‘fusion makeup’.
Giorgio Armani Maestro (€45), is more a complexion perfecter than foundation. An oil and pigment-based product, it gives coverage, yet remains transparent, giving a flawless, natural finish. This really has to be tried to be believed.
OUR TOP FIVE PRODUCTS
MAC are introducing their first permanent Nail Lacquer collection with 31 colours and three finishes (cream, pearl and frost). As always, the range of colours is superb from the vampish Dark Angel to the delicate champagne shimmer of Soiree. Change your shade as often as your mood!
This sequin-patterned powder is perfect for transitioning your skin from summer tan to sunkissed autumnal glow. This iridescent duo can be used to highlight prominent areas or as an overall powder to give a natural glow.
Dermalogica create multi-tasking hero products for busy women and this is an all-round super-hero — a moisturizer, SPF and tint in one. Great for sensitised skin, it minimises inflammation and evens the skin tone. You’ll be ready to walk out the door in seconds flat.
Aveda have just added a daily leave-in treatment product to their Color Conserve range. Use a tiny blob daily to stop fading but also to improve hair condition — you’ll notice a difference within a fortnight.
This creamy, hypoallergenic body wash is a nostalgia trip back to childhood Saturday-night baths with its gentle, comforting scent of honey, almond flower, linden and orange blossom.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
