Fly right: winged eyes by Pat McGrath at the Valentino show.

A stunning (if impractical) way with eyes, smart scents and some matte lipstick you can’t do without

When makeup artist Pat McGrath uses crystals and glitter (surely the most impractical of beauty trends) to create a heroine-worthy winged eye (as per the Valentino show), it becomes no-questions-asked desirable and every iota of pragmatism goes out the window. Unless you like your eye makeup sliding off, primer is essential. For a pared-down version, dip a fine brush in your glitter, outline the shape you want and fill it in. Or just sweep the brush across your lids. It’s failsafe, wearable and perfect for the cack-handed who want to pack a punch.

I can’t do without…

By Terry Lip-Expert Liquid Lipstick (£29, spacenk.com)

About 200 years ago, I was obsessed with the kind of clear, honey-thick, unyielding gloss that shone like a Graff diamond. Needless to say, after years of having everything stick to my lips – my hair extensions, food, random bits of debris the wind decided to blow my way – I became anti-gloss and now much prefer matte lipsticks.

Recently I came across the By Terry Lip-Expert collection – a range of 32 liquid lipsticks; 16 ‘matte’, 16 ‘shine’. While the silky velvety mattes are some of the best I’ve used (they don’t leave your lips looking like a dehydrated road map), surprisingly, it was ‘shine’ that really got my attention. There isn’t a hint of gloopiness about them – in fact, the glide factor is epic. It’s like skincare for the lips (that’s the vitamin E at work), but with a pigment-rich payoff (nudes, reds, pinks and burgundies that work across all skin tones) and impressive staying power.

I love that it is also mess-free; thank the cushiony applicator shaped like a foot (the pointy ballerina type, not the flat sort that spends its life squeezed into heels). And then there’s the finishing touch – a faint scent of vintage sweets. Yes, I know everyone gets on their high horse about things that are not fragrance-free, but a decent waft is one of life’s little pleasures. Not everything has to smell of nothing.

On my radar

Smart scents that smell unique on everyone

Chanel Les Exclusifs 1957
A nod to the year the US fashion industry celebrated Coco’s genius, this perfume is a complex concoction of eight musks, plus woody, spicy and fruity notes. It never smells the same on any two people (£150, chanel.com).

Atelier Cologne Pacific Mist
This sits in the beauty category I call ‘I’d drink it if I could’. The blend of lime, spearmint, coconut, orange and eucalyptus has the intensity of an eau de parfum, the freshness of a cologne and the dreaminess of sunnier climes. It’s addictive (£55, selfridges.com).

Jo Malone Fragrance Combining Perfume Palette
A first world problem – the pain of carting around bottles of fragrance – has been solved by this clever, refillable solid perfume. You can now layer and leave home with two Jo Malone fragrances without the fear of spillages (from £14, jomalone.com).