Wine-coloured lips, chocolate eyes and a tired face (on purpose): autumn-winter makeup

A wine-coloured lipstick or a wash of chocolate eyeshadow can change an everyday look. The catwalks offer different ideas: pick what interests you, without feeling you must try everything or buy a whole new makeup bag.

1. Oxblood lips: the red that looks like wine

Oxblood is hard to pin down: part burgundy, part brown, part purple. Saint Laurent and Elie Saab showed it matte, sheer or vinyl-glossy.

Try it: outline with a matching pencil, then fill in. Blend with a finger for softness or apply straight from the bullet for a bolder finish. Keep the rest of your face light: the lips take the lead.

At every age, choose the finish you enjoy. If matte lipstick highlights dryness or fine lines, try satin or gloss. A pencil helps define the outline: no age makes lipstick off limits.

2. Brown smoky eyes

The smoky eye moves from black to chocolate, terracotta, cognac, whisky and burnt caramel. Missoni, Erdem and Rabanne explored the look.

Try it: keep things simple. Sweep one matte shade over the mobile lid and blend outwards. Add mascara and a warm neutral lipstick. Done.

3. “Tired girl” makeup

Yes, it exists. At Michael Kors, makeup artist Dick Page kept skin almost bare, without hiding every shadow or patch of redness. Natural and a little wistful, but still cared for.

Try it: a light, buildable foundation, with concealer only where you want it. Think yourself on a good day, rather than a wax figure.

CHIARA!'s take: we love this idea. At last, room for the under-eye circles of someone who stayed up with a feverish child or studied late. They are part of life.

4. Almost invisible blush

Blush turns cool and light: lilac, powder pink and mauve; on darker skin, cool pinks, plum and berry shades. Fendi, Missoni and Ralph Lauren showed the effect.

Try it: choose cream or liquid blush that melts into skin. Tap a little onto the cheekbones and blend until it is barely visible.

5. Black eyeliner returns

Dior and Tory Burch brought black pencil back to the inner rim. Elsewhere, lines were smudged, deliberately imperfect or stretched into graphic shapes.

Try it: apply a soft pencil close to the lashes and blend immediately with a little brush. Keep it intense at the lash line and softer outwards. A light base lets the line feel relaxed.

If you have sensitive eyes or wear contacts, avoid the inner rim and draw above the lashes instead.

Our look of the week

Try blended chocolate eyeshadow and a touch of wine-coloured lipstick. If the combination feels too much, choose just one focus. Start with something you already own, check the effect in natural light and stop when you like what you see.

Chocolate and burgundy: three looks to try

Move from inspiration to application with three levels of intensity using your own products. They are options, not goals. Quantity, finish and how much skin remains visible can change the same pair of colours.

Look 1. A light everyday touch

Choose a brown that remains visible on your complexion without more contrast than you want. Apply a little near the upper lashes and soften with a clean brush. Blend pencil before it sets. Tap a little wine lipstick onto the lips rather than applying full coverage. Check in daylight before adding mascara or blush.

Look 2. Let the lips lead

Build burgundy gradually, choosing a sharp or softer boundary. Keep eyes to a hint of brown near the lashes, or skip shadow. Starting with the mouth helps you decide how much else you want. Our blurred lips guide explains soft application.

Look 3. Chocolate eyes for evening

Build brown shadow on the mobile lid in thin layers, with more intensity near the lashes and a softer outer edge. Check with your eyes open to see where colour remains visible. Pair with understated lips or your burgundy. Try the whole combination before the evening so you have time to decide.

Too grey, dark or warm?

Change one variable before changing the product: use less, unload your brush or try a different base you own. Chocolate covers many browns; burgundy may lean red, purple or brown. A single attempt does not judge a whole colour family.

Use a cosmetic across eyes, lips and cheeks only if expressly intended for those areas. Keep tools clean and follow the packaging. Write down a combination you like: next time you will have your own starting point.