Softly defined eyes

Alexander Wang's Autumn/Winter 2013 collection Photo: GO RUNWAY

Alexander Wang may be a fan of 1990s grunge, but the make-up at his autumn/winter show was oh-so modern, a brilliant example of a subtly defined eye as reported by Telegraph's Beauty Editor, Sonia Juttla .

To achieve the look, the first thing to do is to even out the eye area with a brightening concealer, such as By Terry's Touch-Expert Advanced (£29, spacenk.co.uk). Blend the light, luminous liquid under the eyes and on the lid a little to soften dark circles and brighten the area. 

Then for easy-peasy eyeshadow, apply and blend Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lots o' Latte (£16, clinique.co.uk) on the lid and in the contour. It provides a soft, pretty sheen, nothing more than a gentle focus on the eyes. 

Then, to give your eyes defined focus, try Dior's Style Liner Intense Liquid Eyeliner (£22.50, houseoffraser.co.uk). Rest it on the lash-line and, staying as close to the bed of your eyelashes as possible, draw a thin line from the inner corner of the lid to the outer edge. 

Finally, set the effortless with our lightweight Collagen Spritz (£39, facematters-skincare.com). It's refreshing touch will bring you instant cool in a hot day like today and it will keep that beautiful makeup of yours intact throughout the day (Psst! - we're also giving one away on Twitter ).

There's no need to flick: the beauty of this look is in its subtlety.

Image: Telegraph

Bobbi Brown’s ‘HOW-TO: CLASSIC EYE MAKEUP’

There's really nothing more aspirational in beauty than the “me, but better” approach to makeup. But, as we all know, it can take a lot to look this good. Well, isn’t it our lucky day, then, because the master of makeup simplicity Bobbi Brown has segued from those at-home cosmetic tomes we devoured in grade school (Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual, Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty) to online tutorials.    

In my favourite video, Bobbi tackles a classic eye “that always works.” This chic, simple, and clean lesson showcases the brand's hyper-natural aesthetics with demonstrations and offers up some trade tips that you really can’t screw up at home. What a classy babe. Check out the video here and be prepared to dive down her less-is-more rabbit hole.

Wonderful World of Braids

It’s summer (or will be in t-minus one day)! Your neck is getting a bit sweaty when walking down the street/waiting for the tube. Bars are getting a bit too stuffy for beautiful, long, free-flowing hair cascading down your back. The summer may offer the opportunity to show off the perfect beach hair, but if it’s really humid and you just can’t deal with strands sticking to your skin, why not venture off into the wonderful world of braiding?

When it comes to crafted hairstyles, there are few things more beautiful than an artful braid. You may be thinking, “Well, there’s the normal braid, and then there’s the French braid, and that’s about it, right?” Wrong! Technically, sure, every type of braid is really a variation on a theme (take a few strands of hair, cross them over some others, and then keep going until your fingers bleed, you lose feeling in your arms, or you run out of hair), but there are seemingly endless versions: the standard braid, the single French braid (not just for girls heading off to play tennis), the French-braided pigtail, cornrows pulled back into an updo, cornrows braided all the way down (add some beads at the end to really get the party started), the twisted braid, the knotted braid, the inside-out braid, the milkmaid braid, what we’ve deemed the "Reverse Heidi" Braid, and oh-so-many more. Keep it simple, á la a very young Kate Moss and her face-framing twists or go crazy. (Check out the complete gallery for inspiration on Into The Gloss)

Team your braids with a natural, glowing skin and which also happens to be the top trend for Summer 2013. Apply a light layer of Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Eclat Foundation on moisturised skin (use our Anti-Ageing Excellent Elixir for the ultimate moistire boost), team with rose pink cheeks, best achieved with Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks (use as lip colour too!) and neutral eye-shadow (try Estée Lauder Pure Color Duo palette) - perfection!

So why not take a few moments, find some inspiration above, watch a YouTube tutorial or two, and braid like there’s no tomorrow (and when tomorrow comes, test out something new)! Show me the results, I'd love to see.