Helena Christensen
For photographer, designer, sometime model, and mother Helena Christensen, spring’s freshest makeup looks have everything an overextended mom wants: They go on quickly, are easy to pull off, and come across as just sexy enough to get you noticed.
The supermodel who speaks five languages and starred in what is, according to VH1, the sexiest music video of all time (that for Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”) isn’t above ripping ideas from a magazine like the rest of us. “A beautiful dress, an exotic hotel, a recipe—I’ll tear out a makeup look and wear it for the next three days,” she says. As long as it’s fast, that is. “I spend two minutes on my makeup in the morning. It’s a miracle I get it right.”
Christensen is getting a lot right these days, maintaining careers in photography and clothing design while remaining a hands-on mom to her son, Mingus, 9. “He’s all that matters,” she says. “He’s my best friend.” She’s also passionate about the fund-raising work she and Mingus (she pronounces it “ming-goose”) do for Chernobyl Children’s Project International, which provides aid to still-suffering people in regions of Belarus and Ukraine. Then, of course, there’s that modeling thing. “I love shoots, now that I do so few,” she says. “The manicure, the makeup…” The three spring makeup trends Christensen wears on these pages—a warm nude face, bright lips, and metallic eye shadow—are ideal for days when she isn’t in the hands of the pros. All are flattering (even on nonsupermodels), easy, and wearable from morning coffee to cocktails. And if they fade or smudge? Even better, Christensen says: “Makeup always looks better when it’s a little undone.”
Trend 1
Nude Face
Blended in with a light hand, the right mix of concealer, highlighter, and shimmery eye shadow gives a warm, polished finish.
1. Apply sheer foundation with a makeup sponge or a foundation brush, then dot concealer under the eyes and around the nose. Dab with a fingertip to blend. Here, makeup artist Hung Vanngo used Armani’s Luminous Silk foundation ($58, Giorgio Armani Beauty) and MAC Studio stick concealer ($16, MAC).
2. To define cheekbones, apply bronze shimmer cream in the hollows of your cheeks and a lighter highlighting cream on top. Use your fingers to pat them in along the cheekbone. “This increases circulation, giving you an instant glow,” says Vanngo, who used the Nars Multiple in Palm Beach under Christensen’s cheekbones and in Copacabana above ($37 each, NARS).
3. Dot deep brown eyeliner between lashes on your upper and lower lids; smudge gently with your fingers. Add a taupe shadow one shade darker than your skin tone all over the eyelids, then dot the lighter highlighting cream on the inner corners of your eyes and along the brow bones.
4. Finish with pink cream blush and a soft mauve lip color.
Bright Lips
“I love red lipstick,” says Christensen. “It’s unexpected, and it makes me look awake when I’ve had a long day.” To pull off this punchy version, Vanngo says to “stain your lips instead of painting color on straight from the tube—it looks younger and sexier.”
1. Choose a lipstick texture that’s not too matte, not too glossy. Here, Vanngo used Nars lipstick in Jungle Red ($24, NARS), “a creamy tomato shade that looks good on everyone.” Press it onto your lips with a fingertip, working it in until you get a sheer layer of color.
2. Use a clean, dry lip brush to even it out. Then dip the tip of the brush in concealer and “run it lightly right along the lip line to soften the edges or fix any mistakes,” Vanngo advises.
3. Keep the rest of your face subdued: neutral shadow on the eyelids, a smudge of soft brown eyeliner along the upper lashes, and cream blush on the apples of the cheeks.
Trend 3
Metallic Eyes
Metallic eye shadow—like a splash of icy water and well-placed concealer—has the uncanny ability to make you look bright-eyed even when you’re operating on four hours of sleep.
1. Choose a shimmery (but not glittery) cream or powder shadow: Silver plays up fair to medium skin; gold and copper look best on darker skin. Here, Vanngo used Make Up For Ever Flash Color shadow in Silver #3 ($18, Sephora.com). Spread it across the eyelids with a fingertip or a wide shadow brush, working it up no farther than the crease, since, Vanngo warns, “shimmer on the entire eye area is too roller disco.”
2. Smooth a deep brown pencil along the upper lash line, blend it in with your finger, then add several coats of black mascara. “Light reflects off metallic shades, so you need to add a little definition,” he explains.
3. Finish with a sweep of peach blush and a slick of tinted lip balm to keep the focus totally on the eyes.
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