Recent visitors to the ‘Grace Kelly, Style Icon’ exhibition at the V&A will most likely have been captivated by her ephemeral air of beauty and elegance. Likely too you’ll have noticed the 1950s images used to advertise the show. In grey and pink, set against a dusky pink background, the Princess of Monaco lives up to her legendary fashionista status, sporting raspberry-coloured lips. Trendsetter then and evidently even now – this colour is set to be one of autumn’s most exciting new styles.
A long lasting farewell to summer comes in the form of Estee Lauder’s pretty lip glosses – light enough for the beginning of autumn but not too heavy that we can’t pretend it’s still warm outside. They have 24 sultry shades that include natural nudes, edible berries, seductive reds and sensual plums. With something to match every skin tone there’ll be no excuses for lack-lustre lips among us. And the best bit is they all have a heavenly scent of fig. Try ‘Orchid passion’ (£15) which couldn’t be closer to Kelly’s colour if it tried, as too is their ‘Ivy Envy’ eyeshadow (£15.50) – a colour along with purple that’s also set to be huge this season. ‘Simply pink’ is a good minimalistic orangey/nude lip to wear with this season’s hottest trend: camel, or other earthy knits.
Further gravitation into autumn will veer down a much more punchy route. There’ll be evidence of purples, deep plum and darker hues yet. Chanel’s hotly anticipated ‘Paradoxal’ nail varnish sets this colour chart off with a spin. Plum with a grey shimmer (£16.50), it’ll be rolling off the shelves like wildfire. Clear skin with a strong lip or eye is echoed in the colours that Dior will be introducing. Daring and digging darker still you’ll notice lipsticks launching in rich plum shades, and rumour has it, even a shade of lipgloss that will be verging towards black. The gothic vamp. And very Galliano.
Perhaps the most exciting thing on this season’s radar is the newly launched Burberry beauty line (available exclusively at Harrods and burberry.com) – currently featuring the very British basics every woman needs. The casing is beautiful on its own with its distinct Burberry patterns, but on closer inspection of their lipsticks you’ll notice the tartan etched into the side of the stick itself. Very cool. The collection is based around ethereal colours, perfect for the autumn. They’re also designed to go very well with the all essential Trench Coat – so pertinent to the always-unpredictable autumnal weather. And the designers in general are feeling outdoorsy this month. Burberry has both the darker and the nude lip shades. Choose the subtle ‘Blush’ or go for a deeper ‘Red Brick’ (both £22) for a touch of British class.
And if you’re stuck for which end of the spectrum to choose, try Number 7’s new Lip Service – with consultants on hand to help guide you into the sometimes intimidating world of superbly glamorous femininity. Princess Grace would surely have been a fan.
