Beauty Do or Don’t: Dark Eyes Plus Dark Lips

It’s one of the most common and beloved mantras among makeup artists: if you’re going heavy on the eye makeup, pull back on the lips. Or, if you wear a statement lipstick, keep the eyes low-key.

But some on-trend celebrities seem to have been ignoring their makeup peeps and throwing out the beauty book of late.

First, Beyoncé glammed it up for the Grammys with a traditional smoky eye – complete with inky liner – that she wore with a glossy, garnet-red lipstick.

Girl to Watch Ireland Baldwin (her dad’s Alec; her mum’s Kim Basinger; she was always going to become an it girl) then hit the red carpet with an even deeper shade of red on her lips, which was similarly paired with smouldering eye makeup. True, it was a deep brown rather than grey or black eye shadow … but it still packed an eye-catching punch.

And, because it takes three to really make a trend, Rimmel face Rita Ora next hit up New York Fashion Week wearing winged-out charcoal eye shadow and an intense shade of orange-red lipstick.

So, is it time to re-write that makeup rules guidebook?

Not so fast, says Makeup guru Elsa Morgan.

“Generally speaking, both a strong lip and eye is something I steer clear of,” she says. “I think it looks so fresh and beautiful to have a rich deep lip colour matched with just gorgeous skin, beautifully groomed brows and a more subtle eye – while a full-on smoky eye or super-strong eye liner looks best paired with a nude lip, whether that be a pale matte lipstick or a clear gloss.”

Nevertheless, Elsa concedes that there are times when rules can be broken, including this one. “Especially in winter, I think we can get away with a little more makeup and an intense eye plus lip can look glamorous and sexy for a night out.”

She does, however, insist on sticking to one of her all-time top beauty rules: “Make sure the skin always looks fresh, flawless and still quite natural, otherwise the overall effect will appear too heavy-handed.”