Style PS - Times Online - WBLG

Grey is still the colour... even on your nails

I'm sure you have all been aware that grey is the new black for some time. Noughties style icons Carla Bruni, Posh and Angelina have been strutting their stuff in the colour for months after all. Grey has officially shed its drab reputation and is now synonymous with chic. The catwalks in February were full of models bedecked in our new favourite hue so it looks like the shade will be with us for sometime. As an ever adaptable species, we are even developing a penchant for men with grey hair - led by George Clooney (of course) and the summer crush of 08, Harrison Ford.

I urge you to celebrate the trend and dabble in dark grey nail varnish a la Sienna Miller, recently snapped by Elle looking super-sexy in a Nails Inc varnish called Thames. This is something of a misnomer - any Londoner would tell you that our river is more murky brown than charcoal grey - but don't let semantics get in the way of your spending. Splash out £9.50 at www.nailsinc.com to sex up your summer...

We told you she was good - internet make-up artist Panacea81 gets a contract

Style beauty editor Helen Brown first brought Lauren Luke to your attention back in February. Lauren's an amateur make-up artist whose masterclasses have now had 8 million views on You Tube.

The 26-year-old, who is known to You Tube fans by her username panacea81, has been snapped up by Barry M cosmetics and offered a contract to help develop her skills with a view to becoming a professional make-up artist.

Click above to see Lauren's Summer Nights video, one of scores shot in the bedroom of her Newcastle home and posted on her own channel on the website.

And remember, you saw her here first (well almost, after a few million viewers)

The secret to flawless skin

Not all models are genetically superior when it comes to skin. If you've ever seen them backstage pre make-up you'll know they can be just as susceptible to spots and undereye bags as the rest of us (especially given all of that frantic dashing from one show to the next). The tip from the top on how to combat flagging skin? Frankly we'd rather keep it to ourselves but make-up artist Val Garland says the best cheat is YSL's Perfect Touch foundation, a version of the cult Touche Eclat highlighter that can be used all over your mug. Its what she used backstage at Aquascutum to give the girls an "outdoosy , English rose, equestrian" freshness. "It gives healthy, wealthy, baby soft perfect skin that stays put," she says.

Nicole Kidman's red carpet make-up

Like the classically glam make-up Nicole Kidman wore to the premiere of The Golden Compass this week? You can easily get the look if you pick up Chanel's Rouge a levres in Enigma and the silvery grey eyeshadows in the Les 4 Ombres in Bleu Celestes palette - our spies tell us they're what her make-up artist Angela Levin used on her. Alright you won't have your own make-up artist to make you red carpet perfect but its as good a place to start as any.

FOOTNOTE ON EYEBROWS

My medical mole tells me that eyebrows do have a purpose beyond expression: they serve as a kind of dam for dust and sweat from the brow. Dangerous when coloured hot pink....

YIKES! Coloured eyebrows

What purpose do eyebrows serve exactly? Errr, quite. That means that till now, people have never quite known what to do with their own odd little strips of facial hair. All we can apparently think of is neatening and defining them and asking them to behave. Now though, it seems that people are getting a bit more creative - perhaps because they've worked out that the only possible purpose of these furry little kittens is actually expression. Look here - this is the LA-born drag dame Jeffree Star (I'm sure he's joking about killing you), who's DJing at Jodie Harsh's club night Circus this Friday.

Meanwhile the clubkid photographer Alistair Allen has found a few at Boombox...

What will you do with yours?

The fringed shag

Trust Kate Moss (or rather her hairdresser buddy James Brown) to come up with a new hairstyle that looks so damn hot we want to take the scissors to our heads immediately. Although the trend-setting super only updates her do every few years, you can pretty much guarantee that when she does it will be a success. The look this time around? A long shaggy bob with a full fringe in front. If you need further proof it is the style of the moment, take a look at Mary-Kate Olsen's fiery orange fringed wig in the latest edition of US Harpers Bazaar.

Have lipgloss, will travel...

The ability to apply make-up in the back of a taxi is a heinously tricky, yet completely essential skill.  Technique is key. You need to be precise, swift, and most importantly rock steady - even when negotiating a road bump. Luckily, new brand Taxi has come up with something to help - their city lights lipgloss comes complete with mirror and an automatic light that comes on when you open it.  So there's no excuse for getting gloss all over your chin or yer wand stuck up yer nostril now.

City Lights Plump Gloss £10 will be available from Superdrug from next week.

 

Brown barnets

The hottest beauty trend of the week? Brunette locks. Agyness Deyn (the model who's becoming something of a colour chamelion) went chocolate brown for the spring/summer Burberry Prorsum show while Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted on the set of the new Sex and the City movie with a full head of dark brown hair. Of course you could say they're following Misha Barton's lead who swapped her beachy highlights for an all over rich chestnut shade several weeks back.

If you're so fashion forward that you can't hold out for a salon dye job here's what you need to get and keep radiant brown hair at home:

A good home hair dye - try Naturtint in 5N for a Misha-esque glossy chestnut without overloading on amonia or for longer-lasting grey coverage go for L'Oreal Excellence in Natural Brown or L'Oreal Preference in Palma.

Colour guarding shampoo - dark hair naturally looks shinier but you can't beat John Frieda Brilliant Brunette for keeping brown it extra specially glossy.

Shine booster - dark hair naturally looks shiner than blonde but for an extra specially glossy finish apply Daniel Galvin Junior's Colour Gloss after conditioning.

Agyness Deyn backstage at Burberry Prorsum - for the full show see www.style.com

Supermodel dyes hair!

Agness Deyn debuted her latest hair statement at Burberry. The model muse of the moment shot to fame with a peroxide crop, then dyed it red for the Giles show in London

and has now gone brunette. The word from the backstage crimpers is that she will keep the colour for the rest of the show season.

The week's quickest make-over?

Top marks to Agyness Deyn for the speediest makeover of the week - seen with her trademark platinum crop at the House of Holland show, she re-emerged on the Giles runway just two hours later with hair like a peach sorbet. We can only imagine that Eugene Souleiman who did the hair at Giles was ready and waiting with the crazy colour.

Want to do it yourself? Remember, bright colour works best on a bleached base like Deyn's. So, once hair has been dipped in a basin of peroxide and dried, you can simply massage on a shockingly bright semi-permanent hair colour (try Schwarzkopf's Live range) then wash out to reveal your new hue. And if its all a total disaster, head straight back to the bleach - as presumably Deyn will have done.

model skin tips

Want to know the secret to model-perfect skin? Well apart from the fact that most have dewy youthfulness on their side, maybe its the hard-to-track-down skincare ranges they use that keep them looking so fresh.

Backstage at the Giles show Jessica Stam said she swears by NY dermatologist Dr Orentreich's skincare while Missy Rayder said she prefered a natural approach in the form of Swiss brand Aubonne. Now all you have to do is hunt them down.

supermodel looks at House of Holland

80s supermodel Stephanie Seymour was the inspiration for the wet look hair and brash make-up at the House of Holland show. Lucia Pica who did the make-up elongated the brows and created a high shine purple lip to match the vinyl cropped jacket and hot pant combo that Agyness Deyn wore to open the show. Combine Mac Lip Mix in red, purple and white, then pile on the lip gloss for an authentic recreation.

Charles Worthington's Creative Director Adam Reed gave hair the "just stepped out of the shower look" by spritzing it with water and then combing gel through it with a wide toothed comb.

Scarlet lips

Red lipstick is now on the mouths of London Fashion Week's hippest party-goers. Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer wore it at the launch of the V&A's Golden Age of Couture exhibition and Daphne Guinness teamed it with a black beauty spot and a glint in her eye at the Vanity Fair party.

Take a look at the Hello site to see how Kate and Claudia wore it, then go out and buy one of our top 5 true red lippies....

Lipstick Queen in Red Sinner, £15, from Space NK

Mac Matte in Russian Red, £11

Nars Lipstick in Jungle Red, £17

Chanel Rouge Allure in Passion, £18

Guerlain KissKiss in Exces de Rouge, £16