YStyle beauty picks: Boom clap

MANILA, Philippines - Here at YStyle, we love our beauty looks bold. All or nothing is the be-all and end-all for maximum impact. In the “nothing” domain, we skip the maquillage in favor of the best skincare or the latest highlighters — glitter- and shimmer-free, of course — to emphasize the nothingness, mimic the light-bouncing properties of immaculate flawless skin.

And when the occasion calls for makeup, we go all-out. These days, we are partial to the exuberance of Crayola eyes, painted in intense, saturated color to go with the season’s quirky and fun-loving attitude and then forget about it — there are better things to do, so much more fun to be had.

Professional makeup artist weapon of choice Make Up For Ever has always risen to the occasion and we’re in good aesthetic company with Charli XCX. “Sometimes I’ll want to put on a full face of makeup, like a bold, loud exaggerated look, and other times, I’ll want to keep it really simple and slicked-back,” she says.

When Make Up For Ever improved its existing eye pencil, they had gals like Charli XCX in mind. Getting ready to rock it out at Coachella one minute with a mint and aquamarine cat eye worthy of a boho Adele, right after she’s diving into the crowd and joining the mosh pit to watch the next headliners. No raccoon-eyes.

The new Aqua XL pencil is still water- and sweat-resistant, but it now contains emollient oils and mango butter for smoother application. The skin on the eyes is the thinnest and most delicate, and if we can minimize tugging and pulling in that area, we’ll take it. This also makes application impossible to mess up.

This formula also means versatility. The new Aqua XL pencil comes in 20 vibrant hues, covering the whole spectrum of necessary blacks and browns to blue, green, purple and pastels in matte, diamond, satin, iridescent and metallic finishes — which you can not only line on your upper lash line but also on the deepest part of your eye sockets. Apply a thin but vibrantly colored line there, or combine pastel yellow and aqua blue which was the look power-belter femme fave makeup artist Colby Smith created on Charli for the campaign.

Or be your own artist and smudge it all over your eyelids like Charli does on her Instagram beauty selfies, in between recording her third album (can you believe “Boom Clap” is almost two years old?) or featured on Blondie’s new album, or playing at LA Pride Music Festival and Parade tomorrow in West Hollywood; the liner promises to stay put.

Make Up For Ever Philippines’ makeup artist Lei Ponce suggests expanding your color repertoire by combining hues and then gradient it out. Use the beiges and browns as an eye primer, or seize the longevity and saturation of the more vibrant shades and use the new eye pencils to draw a one-day tattoo to any of the upcoming music festivals this season.

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Make Up For Ever is in Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati; Mega Fashion Hall, Edsa, Ortigas; TriNoma, Edsa corner North Avenue, Quezon City; and SM Mall of Asia, Pasay.