Get the PFF makeup look

Transferring inspirational make-up looks from the runway into the real world can be fraught. So the pleasing news about make-up trends at this year's Fashion Central at Telstra Perth Fashion Festival is the focus on raw, clean looks. There won't be heavily made-up faces; instead, artists such as me, who are working at PFF, will be focused on simple, fresh make-up.

Glowing Skin

At Fashion Central we are aiming to enhance the skin and forget about heavy foundations.

To achieve this at home, you can use an illuminator. I prefer working with cream-based illuminators as you then have the option to wear it on its own or mix it in with your foundation if you want a little more coverage.

If you want extra highlight, use a shimmering pigment over the top of your illuminator; focusing on the tops of the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, bow of the lips and centre of the forehead.

It can be tricky to keep this glowing look lasting all day, especially if you have shine-prone skin. One of the best ways to make sure your make-up lasts is to check if your primers, foundation and illuminator are all silicone based. If one is aqua (water) based, you will find that your products naturally repel each other. It's like mixing oil and water together, they are not friends.

Defined Structure

The colour choice of your contour tone is very important. One of the most common mistakes we make is by choosing a pigment that is far too warm to create a shadow.

The purpose of your contour is to define the features of the face. To do this, you will need to use a cool, taupe tone. The best way to describe this colour is by calling it "dirty" as it's not a colour you would normally want to use.

Using a fluffy brush (to avoid any hard lines) buff your contour colour underneath your main structural features such as the jaw, cheekbone, temples and outside the bridge of the nose, blending into the brow. Make sure your contour completely blends, so you cannot see where it starts and where it finishes.

At this point, it's normal to feel a little chiselled. Use your bronzer to sandwich between your contour and your highlighter, creating a "3 shape" over the temples, on to the cheeks and blending down into the jawline. This will make all the difference in tying your structure and highlighter together.

Brows

Fuller brows are trending on models at PFF and at most major fashion shows right now. They add a focus feature to the face. You can use a wax or gel and an old mascara wand to comb your brows into place.

Eyes

Metallics are on-trend now and they are big on the make-up scene too.

Using a small, fluffy blending brush, apply some gold pigment to your eyelid, focusing on building the colour from the inner corner to the centre of the lid.

Using the same brush, mix a warm brown shadow in with your bronzer and sweep this across the socket line, starting at the outer corner of the eye and blending in towards the centre. Both gold and bronze pigments will meet in the middle and blend lightly.

To give your eyes a little more definition, use a fine line of black liquid liner. Gel eyeliner can be a little too heavy and thick for this look.

Individual lashes can be applied to the outer corner of the eye to further enhance your natural eye shape, without feeling OTT.

Nude Lips

Finding the right lip shade of nude is such a difficult task.

This is usually because the end effect of lots of nude lip shades gives the impression that you're erasing your mouth. This is because our lips are pink and not the colour of foundation. The perfect nude lip colour will be one shade lighter than your natural lip tone.

A good way to test lipstick is to look at the colour of your fingertip on your index finger. This is a similar colour to your lips. Don't colour swatch lipsticks on the back of your hand. Instead, test different lip shades on your fingertips to get a true idea of the colour.

Finish by placing a touch of gloss in the centre of your lips for the perfect enhanced pout.

Simone Cohen runs SC Artistry.