EVERY fashion month, there are – without fail – a handful of out-there make-up looks, and at the AW16 shows, some of the weirdest involved that usually tame tool, black eyeliner.
At Altuzarra, the thick, irregular scrawls looked like they'd been applied, quite frankly, by a five-year-old, while at Phoebe English, models appeared to have got in a fight with a felt-tip pen (and lost!).
But there were also some stunning designs that beautifully straddled the weird/wonderful divide, and which you can easily achieve at home.
So relinquish your quest for absolute precision and embrace what make-up legend Val Garland calls "the purity in punk", with these rebellious techniques...
UNDER CONTROL
Flipping the feline liner trend on its head, bare lids were underscored with a black-rimmed lower waterline at Preen, Emilio Pucci and Rahul Mishra.
The effect was most subtle at Preen, where Val Garland described the kohl-crayoned look as "tough and cool... young American punk", and boldest at Mishra, where liquid liner was extended to a sharp flick at the inner corner of the eye.
Crucially, lashes were left mascara-less, so as not to detract from the bottom-heavy vibe.
:: Glo & Ray Sky Breaker Lasting Silky Eyeliner in Midnight Black, £5.50 (www.glo-ray.co.uk)
:: BareMinerals 5-in-1 Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow in Soft Linen, £18 (www.bareminerals.co.uk)
FLICK FIX
Bringing the retro flick into the 21st century was make-up artist Lynsey Alexander at Kenzo, who described her creation as "naughty Japanese schoolgirls meet [cartoon series] Sailor Moon".
It may look tricky, but the beauty of this liquid liner look is that the application isn't totally precise, and you can vary the size according to how confident you're feeling.
A tiny touch of glitter at the inner eye adds a playful finish.
:: Too Faced Sketch Marker Liquid Art Liner in Charcoal Black, £17, Debenhams (www.debenhams.com)
:: Burberry Shimmer Dust Black Glitter, £20 (www.burberry.com)
THE HIP CAT
It bares the strongest resemblance to the classic cat-eye, but by splicing it with a Sixties floating liner, the negative-space design at Oscar de la Renta reads as thoroughly modern.
"Practise really does make perfect when achieving a gorgeous graphic eye," advises BareMinerals make-up artist SJ Froom. "Some people find using an ink pen eyeliner rather than a liquid liner is easier to control. A tip for getting straight lines with your eyeliner, such as for a modern angular flick, is to hold a credit card across the outside corner of the eye and apply liner along the edge."
:: MAC Chromaline in Black Black, £16 (www.maccosmetics.co.uk)
:: Yves Saint Laurent Couture Eye Marker in Noir Scandale, £23.50 (www.yslbeauty.co.uk)
GLOSSY POSSE
"Victorian, swampy, indie club kids," was Sam Bryant's inspiration for the Simone Rocha make-up look, where a dense black crescent across the eye matched the ribbon-tied Alice bands that some of the models sported.
This was a two-pronged approach: first, kohl pencil was used to sketch and fill the doe-eyed shape, then black gloss was painted over the outline to add an extra wet-look dimension.
:: BareMinerals Round The Clock Intense Cream-Glide Eyeliner in 8pm, £15 (www.bareminerals.co.uk)
:: MAC Studio Eye Gloss in Noticeably Noir, £16 (www.maccosmetics.co.uk)
FLOAT YOUR BOAT
Taking the floating liner look and blurring it almost beyond recognition, at Giamba, lashings of liner in the eye crease were reminiscent of Natalie Portman in Black Swan.
Start with a slick of Vaseline, then use a soft kohl pencil to gradually build the density of the line, blending out with a sharp liner brush to finish.
Oh, and bleached eyebrows are optional...
:: Zoeva Soft Kohl Eye Liner in Noir, £5.50 (Love-Makeup.co.uk)
:: Zoeva Wing Liner Brush 317, £7.99 (Love-Makeup.co.uk)
TRIED AND TESTED
:: Skin pigmentation can be hard to tackle at home, so can a laser facial help? Laura Wurzel finds out
"After a touch of sunburn over the holidays, I was looking for a treatment that would target those pesky brown pigmentation spots and even out my skin tone. The Ellipse Sirrus isn't your usual massage-and-mask-type facial, it uses SWT (selective waveband technology), so before we can start, I go for a patch-test to gage my skin's sensitivity. Once we're good to go, the treatment begins at my second 15-minute session, where the laser device was moved gradually across my face, with short bursts of light pinging intermittently (it felt a bit like being flicked with a little rubber band, but was nothing to worry about). My skin looked slightly red and dry afterwards and felt a bit more sensitive, so I slathered on extra sunscreen, avoided the sun and used lots of pure aloe vera gel. By the second session, my skin was more used to the laser so there was no redness afterwards. Instead, my complexion looked instantly smooth, clear and radiant, and my pigmentation patches were considerably reduced. I was really impressed - this is one super-charged facial that delivers results in a flash."
:: Ellipse Sirrus Light Facial, from £150 for a course of three treatments, available nationwide. To book visit www.skin-matters.co.uk
BUY IT NOW
New from the Soap & Glory founder Marcia Kilgore comes Soaper Duper, a range of naturally-derived bath and body products free from parabens, phthalates and microbeads. The zestily-fragranced body washes come in hefty 500ml bottles (made from recycled packaging, of course) for just £7.50 and, unlike other natural gels, they lather up superbly. The brand supports charities WaterAid and Clean The World, too. What's not to love?
:: Soaper Duper Invigorating Zingy Ginger Body Wash, £7.50, Liberty (www.libertylondon.com)
BEAUTY BULLETIN
:: READY TO FACE THE DAY?
Instagram filters can hide a multitude of sins, but a new survey by Max Factor reveals 46 per cent of women are actually changing their cosmetic habits to ensure they're always social media-ready. In addition, 34 per cent of respondents admit they've adopted a more 'glammed up' look for everyday life, 'just in case', while 42 per cent confess they apply their make-up with the intention of posting selfies throughout the day.
STEAL OF THE WEEK
Lulu Guinness leather bags cost hundred of pounds, but here's a way to pop a little piece of LG in your handbag for a fraction of the price. The Vaseline Lulu Guinness Limited Edition Lip Therapy Tin features the designer's adorable winking doll face design and is just £2.99 from Boots (www.boots.com).
