I want to try colorful makeup this summer. Can you recommend a makeup brand that will allow me to play with different tones and colors?

ALISON B.

Colorful makeup can be quite tricky to apply. As pretty as they look in their packaging, it requires a good eye to expertly mix and match different colors, and also some degree of restraint, as it is very easy to go overboard with the look.

As color can brighten and accentuate our features, it also has a tendency to make us look clownish or garish when too much is applied. It takes great skill and a lot of practice to be able to blend bright colors together, as well as a clear understanding of what works well for you.

I love that you want to wear color this summer. It is a big beauty trend this year, especially bright tones and pastel shades. A blend of pretty pastel shadows, a warm flush of color on your cheeks or a bright lippie can instantly update your look (just don’t wear them all together).

One of the questions you posed was where to get colorful makeup. My answer to that is Shu Uemura. If you are not too familiar with this brand, you must know that it prides itself on two things: Its “unmask” cleansing oil, which was invented by Mr. Shu Uemura and launched in 1983; and its kaleidoscope of colorful makeup, which has set it apart from other brands.

As part of the brand’s 30th-anniversary celebration, Shu Uemura recently launched its prettiest makeup palette to date, called Blossom Dream. It consists of matte pastels shadows, shimmering eyeliners and plenty of peach and pink blushers, lipsticks and glosses.

But my favorite would have to be the bright multicolored feather lashes that are very Shu Uemura. (False eyelashes have come to be the brand’s trademark, just as colorful makeup is its specialty.)

Here are my favorites from the collection:

The Unmask Palette (P4,000) consists of three-color groups: green, blue and pink. These eyeshadows are all matte textured shades that are high in color (as most matte shadows should be).

Then, as a contrast to all that matte makeup, the collection’s Drawing Pencils (P1,375) features two iridescent colors: Pearly Gold and Pearly White, which, I can imagine, work really well with the shadows.

Also, the new Glow On blushers shades are a must-have, as the wearable range of shimmery light yellow to pink, coral and orange really blend into the skin, giving it a vibrant glow.

Lastly, the two rainbow feather false eyelashes in the collection beautifully accentuate the eyes and complete the bright makeup look: Rainbow Feather S (P1,000) and  Rainbow Feather L (P2,000).

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