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Like passing a bakery while you are on the Atkins diet, watching a catwalk show during a recession is frustrating — you daren't even dream of buying the £200 pair of gladiator sandals that wink at you from the runway, not to mention the gazillion-pound gown they have been teamed with.
So here's a short-term solution: lift your gaze to the model's face and look to the details of her make-up.
The catwalk is brimming with new ideas for lips, eyes and cheeks this season, offering a much more wallet-friendly way to update your look. Alas, the Dior dress must stay on the rack for now — but at least you can have the lip gloss.
Here's our pick of the hottest new looks for spring:
DEEP-SET EYES
Not half as scary as it sounds, this look should be delicate and whimsical. Create the illusion of deep-set eyes by applying red or pinkish shades of shadow above and just below the eye and blend.
Finish off by highlighting the eyes with a stroke of liquid liner applied finely to upper and lower lids.
We love: Penultimate eye liner, £11.74, Mac (www.maccosmetics.co.uk); single eye shadow in grenadine, £15, Nars (www.narscosmetics.co.uk)
ENGLISH ROSE
Face your fear of looking like Coco the clown and dab on a bit of blusher. "Smile and apply it on the high apple of the cheeks," says Charlotte Tilbury, make-up artist to Kate Moss, among others.
A ruddy, english rose colour was the shade du jour for cheeks at the recent spring-summer shows.
We love: Blush palette, £40, Laura Mercier at Selfridges (0800 1234 00); DiorBlush in Lucky Pink, £25.50, Dior (www.dior.com)
BOLD BROWS
Hurrah for low-maintenance beauty trends: this season, big brows are back. Make the best of yours by accentuating what you have with a brow pencil or brow powder in a colour that is as close to your existing brows as possible.
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"The trick is to frame the eye," says catwalk make-up artist Mary Turnbrow. But be sure not to get too carried away — even Agyness Deyn can't carry off a matted monobrow. You will still need tweezers.
We love: Brow kit, £24.47, Bobbi Brown (www.bobbibrown.co.uk); printed brow tweezers, £15, Cowshed (020 7534 0871)..
ULTRA VIOLET
A shiny new lipstick in the season's hottest shade will do much to cheer up the most credit-crunched of make-up bags. This spring the colour is purple — violet, in fact.
Go for sheer or metallic versions of the shade to lift the rest of your face. Violet works on almost all skin tones with the general rule being the lighter the skin, the lighter the lips.
We love: La Laque Fever Gloss, £17.50, Lancôme (www.lancome.co.uk); Pearl Gloss in Amethyst, £16.63, Guerlain (01932 233 877)