Make-up Trend of the Month: Gold Rush

"Gold spells glamour," believes Charmaine Rao, make-up artist, YSL. On Indian skin, it also spells sensuality, opulence and radiance. As most make-up artists will vouch, this is a color that creates a glow like no other. "Gold is a symbol of celebration; it has unbound energy and is a burst of pure luxury. The hue complements Indian skin; it gives it luminosity and ignites a dramatic interplay of light and color," says Dinaz Jehani, brand manager, Shiseido. And with the wedding season upon us, it’s just the color to don. "Yes, gold is definitely going to be big because of the bridal season. Plus the couture fashion week is just over, too. Gold adds an element of richness and sophistication to the entire look," confirms Shailesh Moolya, salon director, Juice Hair.

Pretty Radiance

“Do not overdo it... gold should enhance the skin in a light shimmer and should be blended with elegant tones of brown for a rich diffused finish,” says Jehani. “Use gold on either eyes or lips – never both or else it will look very gaudy,” cautions Meeta Awatramani, training manager, Clarins. She recommends a dull gold for dusky skins and a pale one for fair complexions. Wheat skins can try a bronze-gold shade. In fact, to avoid looking like a jewelery showroom, Moolya recommends using very little to start with and then increasing the color as you go along. He advises sticking to matte textures for the day. “For the evening though, you can just go wild with this color,” he says. Awatramani suggests blending gold with browns, peaches and pinks to get a softer look for the day and merging it with blacks, grays, copper and plums for an intense evening look.

Face Forward

Keep lips subtle and subdued with a warm, pearly golden gloss while eyes go sophisticated and elegant with shimmer. Try Shiseido’s Autumn/Winter 2008 Silky Eye Shadow Quad Q12 Wood Tones, luxurious wood tones that complement the gold lips perfectly, suggests Jehani. For the eyes, use a pure gold shadow or blend gold with bronze or copper for a more subtle effect. Alternatively, just use gold shadow on the center of the eyelid after applying your regular shade, says Moolya. The hot colors this season are graphite grays, electric blues, fiery reds, plums and black and gold, which can be blended well to complete the bewitching eye equation, advises Awatramani. For the rest of the face, a golden bronze rouge on the cheekbones looks fabulous. Make sure you underplay the lips and cheeks if you are focusing on the eyes. “Blend in gold eye shadow with a touch of midnight blue/black at the outer corner of the eyes. Use a cream blush and a beige shade on the lips. On the cheeks, you could dab gold shimmer over your normal blush. If you’re playing down the eyes, go for a luscious pout with a nude gloss with gold hints,” says Rao.