Ask Bonnie

Ross Burton, Lancome National Artistic Director answers some questions:

What’s the one product that every woman needs?
Ross Burton: Definitely mascara. It is one of the best tools to transform your look from ordinary to extraordinary. Full, long, thick lashes are really sexy, even when the rest of the face doesn’t have a lot of makeup. We just introduced a new dual-ended mascara, cils design Custom Design Double Mascara, which is very innovative in that it creates the illusion of false lashes! One side lengthens and defines lashes, while the other side adds a fuller dimension through the lash to create a false lash effect. It’s basically two mascaras in one, and you can drop it in your bag and go.

What are the hot colors/trends for this spring?
Ross Burton: The hot trend for spring is a heavenly and high-tech retro look. The colors are shades of soft pastels and earth tones with modern twists of different textures and shines. Lancome’s spring color collection, Pop Cherub, embodies this trend. It includes delicate pinks, greens, and silvers, and gorgeous hues of earthy browns and grays. Many of the Pop Cherub eye shadow shades were used backstage during the Spring 2007 Fashion Week and the colors were compatible with the designers’ visions for the season.

What are the new trends in makeup now?
Ross Burton: The current hot trend in makeup is “dual products,” or two-in-one products that make beauty routines easier and more efficient. This spring we have three new two-in-ones. In addition to Cils Design Pro, we introduced COLOR DESIGN Defining and Brightening Eye Pencil Duo for eyes. It’s a must-have beauty tool with complementary dark-light shades on each end. BLUSH SUBTIL Contouring and Highlighting Duo gives you a lighter shade for highlighting the cheeks and a darker shade for contouring. Makeup has never been so easy!

What’s the latest look for eye makeup?
Ross Burton: Accessorizing your everyday look. Just by adding a different product here or there, you can transform your eyes and enhance your overall appearance. Some of the accessories I have been using lately are loose eye shadows (like LA POUDRE AUX YEUX Loose Powder Eye Shadow) over a regular eye shadow. I take a concealer brush, dampen it, coat it with the loose shadow and then just highlight the center of the lid. Not only is it a beautiful accessory to your look, it is also unexpected.

I love the smoky eye look but can never do it right. Can you walk through the steps to achieving it? And can you do a smoky eye with neutral colors?
Ross Burton: Smoky eyes are best achieved when placing the darkest color at the lash line and diffusing the color up the lid. The depth of color, whether black, brown, grey, or plum, can achieve the look of smoky eyes without focusing too much on the eye shadow. Mascara, liner, and a small brush like SMUDGER - BRUSH #10 are the tools that really smoke out a lash line and create drama. Neutral colors are best applied on the lid/crease when creating a smoky eye to keep the focus at the lash line with dark, deep tones. Layer mascara on top and bottom repeatedly for extra drama.

What are some makeup tricks to make me look revived and awake when I’m not? Ross Burton: Looking tired? That’s nothing a little white eyeliner can’t fix! Believe me, it works. Line the inner most bottom eye lid with white eyeliner (like LE CRAYON KHOL EyeLiner in Blanc), and add a bit more to the inside corner of the eye. It’s an instant brightener! Also, for fuller lashes, line the inner-most upper lid with black eyeliner. My favorite is LE CRAYON KHOL EyeLiner in Black Coffee.

What is the biggest mistake women make with makeup?
Ross Burton: That’s easy - foundation shade and texture matching. It is one of the hardest things to do. I recommend seeing a Beauty Advisor for help in matching foundation shades to skin tone and preferred foundation texture. Many companies like Lancome have made it easy for women to get their ideal coverage with technological advances. COLOR IDEAL Precise Match Skin Perfecting Makeup SPF 15 Sunscreen, our newest foundation, is the perfect example of the latest innovations in coverage. It perfects your skin by reconditioning its texture, virtually erasing flaws and imperfections. It also has something called “color true pigments” that adapt to provide ideal, buildable coverage that perfectly matches your skin tone. It is a must-have in my kit.
Thanks for all the great advice Ross!