Grown-Up Beauty is Back

I have to confess. There's a part of me that's secretly missed the 80s. It's not the shoulder pads or the big hair that I miss. It's the makeup. And while I would never go back to the thick foundation and even thicker eyebrows I sported back then, I am thrilled that fashion is finding its way back to a more grown-up aesthetic. It was all over the runways for fall: glamorous hair, sultry red lips, deep wine-colored nails. Makeup is "done", finally, with no apologies. Looking unstudied and unkempt is now considered uncool, and I love it. We are being given a chance to once again embrace elegance and femininity, on our own terms. These new looks don't reference the past. They bring them firmly into the present. Deep russet-red lips are left unlined, but neatly finished, and the rest of the face is left fresh and unpowdered. Dramatic, liquid-lined eyes grace an otherwise neutral look. Hair is worn in Veronica-Lake-style waves, but softer and more contemporary. When I was a little girl dreaming of being a glamorous, grown-up woman, this is the way I want to look.