I’ve always loved the fresh-faced, English-rose beauty: pale skin, flushed cheeks, bee-stung lips. It’s a just-woke-up prettiness. Of course, I’d like to wake up and looked like Kiera Knightley or Jennifer Ehle (Lizzy in the tremendous A&E version of Pride and Prejudice). But that’s just me.
“It’s Jane Austen beauty,” says Poppy King, the woman behind The Lipstick Queen. “You look like you’ve just fallen in love.” And in love or not, you can get that look with King’s newest lip creation, Oxymoron Matte Gloss.
Unlike matte lipstick, which can be drying, Oxymoron Matte Gloss ($24 CAN/$20 USd) is smooth and sheer, like cream blush but with a bit more glide, and comfortable to wear. Beautiful on cheeks too, it’s available in four shades that mimic a heightened natural flush for a range of skintones.
10 steps to “Jane Austen beauty”:
1) Start with exfoliated, well moisturized skin.
2) Apply foundation if you need it to even out your skintone (try Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation SPF 15, $38).
3) Camouflage under-eye circles, darkness at the inner corners of the eyelids, and discolouration around the base of the nose (try CoverGirl Advanced Radiance Age-Defying Concealer, $8.99).
4) Blend a dab of Matte Gloss on the apple of each cheek, as per the above image of Keira Knightley with her appealing Pride & Prejudice co-star Matthew McFadyen.
5) If you have oily skin, dust a light layer of powder all over to help your makeup stay put all day (try M.A.C Blot Powder/Pressed, $25).
6) Curl lashes (the Tweezerman lash curler is just $10).
7) Run dark brown or black waterproof eyeliner (try Maybelline New York Unstoppable Eyeliner, $8.49, in Espresso or Onyx) along the inner rim of your upper lid, at the root of your lashes.
8) Define upper lashes with black mascara (Diorshow Mascara, $31, is a favourite for lush results).
9) Use a brow brush to fill brows in lightly with a shadow that matches them.
10) Pat a bit of Matte Gloss on your lips.
I’m wearing Oxymoron Matte Gloss in Honest Politician in this photo. My lips and brows are a bit more defined, but do I look like I’m in love? Well, I would if Clive-O were checking out the application. *grin*
The Lipstick Queen Oxymoron Matte Gloss, at Holt Renfrew, www.holtrenfrew.com; www.thelipstickqueen.com. Smashbox, CoverGirl, Tweezerman, Maybelline New York and Dior, at Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques. (Smashbox and Dior, also at Sephora, www.sephora.com.) M.A.C, www.maccosmetics.com
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I see that you’re still including the weight of products in your credits, a la CL. Old habits die hard!
I know! I’m gonna stop soon. I keep trying, but it’s nearly compulsive!
Who am I kidding? Yeah, it’s compulsive. Is there a 12-step program?
There is such a program. I can take you through it it in exchange for painting my house.
Sounds like a fair exchange.
Oxymoron Matte Gloss in Honest Politician is my new favorite gloss! I wear it all the time to work and on the weekends. It’s a great blend of natural color with a hint of gloss. For only 20 dollars I found the best gloss of the season!
If you guys like oxymoron don’t forget to check out the saints and sinners lipsticks too!
Hi There,
The photo of you in Oxymoron looks fabulous.
I love Minor Crisis!
It’s great stuff, It looks natural, and I love that you can use it for the lips and the cheeks.
Works on the days when I have a little clutch and can carry only one thing.
And to answer your question: Yes you do look like your in love :)
Thanks for your post, Alexandra. Have you tried any other shades? I’d like to try the peachiest, Free Ride. Bet it would be stunning on really pale complexions, actually.
Thanks for your comment, Sarah — I’m wearing Saint Natural lipstick right now and I love it! Look for a post on that very soon :-)
Thanks, Lucy! Minor Crisis was my original colour choice, but at the last minute I chose Honest Politician. I may go back for MC and maybe Free Ride for a totally different hue!
And thanks re: your assurance that I look like I’m in love — tee hee!