Trend
Muted Beauty For winter nails, there's a shift into neutral, with an emphasis on greys: from gunmetal to donkey to greige, it's the colour du jour. To customise your own unique hue, fi nish off your favourite grey with Chanel's colour-deepening top coat.
Cult Following
I'm always on the hunt for the perfect nude, and this lip colour has become my new staple. Its creator, make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury, describes it as "the perfect vintage-inspired colour, reminiscent of 1960s screen sirens". Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Lipstick in Kim K.W., $49, charlottetilbury.com.
Road test
This week I try ... getting my broken capillaries zapped
The lowdown I have some pesky capillaries on my face and I want them gone! So I'm having an Excel vascular laser treatment to coagulate and collapse them. This will also help to tackle any facial redness. My preparation has been no sun exposure (of course) and no fake tanning for four weeks prior to the treatment. The nurse applies some gel to the affected areas, fires up the laser and gets to work – first my chin, then my cheeks and nose. I can definitely feel it when she zaps the bigger capillaries.
Pain factor I am always prepared for lasers to sting a little, but this time it was relatively painless.
Downtime 30 minutes.
Results I tend to bruise easily but in this case there was just one small mark at the base of my nose. I'm going back for a follow-up and re-zap of any stubborn hangers-on. The annoying thing about capillaries is that they can re-emerge down the track, so I will probably be having a treatment every 12 months to keep them at bay.
Where to get it Sydney: Clear Complexions, clearcomplexions. com.au. Cost: $345. Melbourne: Dermatology Institute of Victoria, div.net.au. Cost: from $360.
At home Wear a concealer to hide any bruising. Try YSL Touche Éclat, $68, davidjones.com.au.
Ask Stephanie
How can I stop my eyeliner from smudging?
Start with a waterproof liner like Revlon's ColorStay Eyeliner, $24, davidjones.com.au. Eyeliner can run when it comes into contact with oil in the skin, so apply a light dusting of pressed powder close to the lash line to soak up any oil.
Send beauty questions to stephanie@darlingbeauty.com.au.
Follow Stephanie Darling on Instagram @mrssdarling.