Summer Pretty: Lise Watier La Toscana makeup collection

I feel as bright and shiny as a new copper penny. I prefer copper over bronze (the usual colour of summer), actually. Copper has more golden undertones; it’s more flattering for a wider range of skin tones, including mine, and it’s aces for every eye colour.

Lise Watier has the right copper in the La Toscana summer makeup collection. Here I’m all glowy in the copper and champagne shades of the Terre Eye Shadow Quartet ($35) and a super-light application of the Havana Precious Bronzing Pearls ($38), which also deliver a coppery sheen. The comfy moisturizing lipgloss is Lise Watier Plumpissimo Plumping Anti-Aging Gloss in Nude ($20), which has a rosy-gold shimmer, a bit of a tingle and a slight fruity flavour.

Silky and blendable, these shadows have just the right amount of pigment to look natural rather than overdone. The greens are pretty, too. (The La Toscana model wears them in the collection’s beauty shot.) And yes, the shadows are all shimmery, but the finish looks great on all ages (I used the copper/champagne on a mother of the bride and auntie of the bride at a wedding last weekend), and lasts nicely as well.

Be careful with the Bronzing Pearls, however — they have an obvious sparkle that can be difficult for older skin. Keep it light by swirling your blush or powder brush softly over the spheres then dabbing the bristles on a tissue before sweeping the brush over your temples, cheekbones and bridge of your nose (wherever you’d get colour if you were naughtily out in the sun without enough protection).

I do like to make a point: it’s okay to wear shimmer eye shadow if you’re older than 40. Check out Kim Cattrall’s makeup in Sex & the City, the movie; Cattrall is 52. Even better, have a peek at Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren, who is 63. For shimmery-shadow application tips, click here. Then go ahead: hog the spotlight.

Lise Watier La Toscana is available at Sears, The Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart and www.lisewatier.com.

Tagged as: all ages, blue eyes, brown eyes, green eyes, hazel eyes, Helen Mirren, Kim Cattrall, Lise Watier La Toscana, shimmer eye shadow, summer makeup