Brighten Up

With the weather to-ing and fro-ing from sunny to dreary your mood may be going with it. One way to brighten up a dull day is to brighten up your own look with bold colours.

We don't mean go eighties neon crazy but a splash of colour here and there can lift your mood no end. We all remember our mothers laughing at us when we attempted our first make up less: bright red lipstick, blue eye shadow and two splodges of pink on the cheeks.

So here's how to do bold colour the right way i.e. without looking like a tween:

First choose one feature to emphasise and leave the rest as simple as possible.

If you go for the lips choose coral red or bright fuschia for that knockout effect. For the even more adventurous you could try a range of colours starting with a darker colour around the outside and a different tone on the inside carefully blended (and we mean blended not thick lip liner with pale colour a la Jodie Marsh!)

This is a difficult one to maintain especially if you add gloss to the picture but when it works it really works. Matt colour is really big news right now and matt red lips against pale skin and subtly lined eyes is perfect for old style Hollywood glamour.

You'll need to give your eyes a little attention so you don't just look like a walking pair of lips but avoid any colours other than nude shade. A simple feline flick with liquid eyeliner and a few lashings of defining mascara such as L'Oreal Telescopic works perfectly. Go easy on the blusher too to avoid looking harsh. Just brush over a little Bourjois Blush in Rose Frisson and it will soften your look.

Dramatic eyes are great for a night out. Your face is a blank canvas and you can go artistically crazy on the eyes. Go for an eye colour which brings out your natural assets. I know it seems obvious but even if blue is your favourite colour it might not work on your skin.

If you're blessed with dark skin most bright colours will look stand out and look amazing. Lucky you!