NEW YORK -- Color -- big, bold, bright color -- is one of the easiest trends to spot this fashion season.

That makes the first order of business finding a shade that works for you and your wardrobe. Next, you have to find the makeup that complements it.

Your inclination might be tone down your cosmetics, says Rick DiCecca, global makeup stylist for Estee Lauder, but it could be the time to be daring.

"The colors are bright but the textures are sheer. It's not as scary as it was in the '70s," he says. "In the '70s and '80s, you had really bright colors and heavy textures, but thanks to technology, you can wear more color."

Ashunta Sheriff is the makeup artist who put Alicia Keys in a bold fuchsia Christian Dior lipstick at the Grammy Awards when Keys wore a rich navy gown on the red carpet and then used a hot pink lipstick to complement the mermaid-green dress the singer wore to perform.

"I think it's more about lips -- strong, bold lips. They could be red, boysenberry, coral or hot pink," she says.

But, she cautions, don't match lips to the color of your outfit. "If the dress is hot pink, go with neutral lips and play up the eye -- maybe a smoky green eye and lots of mascara."

It's OK to pick up the same color for your eyes and your outfit, though, according to DiCecca. If you're wearing a lemon yellow top, he recommends using a sheer yellow eye shadow right at the center of the lid -- right above the center of the iris.

The same goes for all the other candy-colored clothes out there. A seagrass green and a seabreeze blue are his favorite new eye shadow colors.

Finish the eyes with a mocha brown eyeliner and black mascara.

To deliver deep hues on the lips, he uses gloss pencils which have intense color but are lightweight and shiny. The rest of the face should be kept natural looking, DiCecca says, maybe with just a hint of flirty peach or rose on the apple of the cheeks.

And, he adds, in case you're more into the competing neutral color palette of the season, this beauty routine works for that too.

"If you're wearing your safari jacket, it's great to wear the mocha liner but still do that shot of color above the iris. This is the most fun makeup look I've seen in a long time."

You must be logged in to comment.