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Bright lips
"Women are now opting for colours which make them look as if they really have good skin: a healthy cheek, a rosy lip," says Terry Barber, MAC's director of make-up artistry. "There is that economy in beauty; accentuating one area and leaving everything else pared down." Case in point: Miriam Fotou, a 30-year-old research fellow at Westminster University: "I wear MAC's Russian Red. I like the 1950s look of it, and the fact that you don't have to put anything else on; make-up is minimal." (Pound 11)
"A dramatic colour - like a bold lip - instantly updates your appearance," says make-up guru Bobbi Brown. "It's much less expensive and time-consuming than revamping your wardrobe." Christine Benson, Selfridges' beauty buying manager, agrees: "Choosing a new lip colour has got real feelgood factor and is an easy way to inject fashionability," she says. "Bright shades are the only colours to sport this season."
Hair Rollers
"In the 1980s, hairdressing was very much about a wet set with rollers," says London hairdresser Daniel Hersheson. "Margaret Thatcher was a very busy woman and the Carmen hair rollers were a quick-fix scenario for her. Her hairstyle reflected her attitude and outlook."
According to Angelo Seminara, international creative director at Trevor Sorbie, "Velcro hair roller sales have risen by 86 per cent since last August. It could be due to women leaving more time between salon appointments; they use the rollers to keep their hair looking better for longer."
Polly Ford, a 30-year-old financial services manager, started using hair rollers five months ago. "It's a cost-effective way of getting a salon look," she says. "There's something quite satisfying about learning to do a roller-set. The current economic reality is making people consider other options, perhaps looking back to the way things were done in a simpler world."
DIY skincare
At-home face masks can be made from fruit, vegetables and kitchen essentials. Emma Thomson, head of natural beauty and aromatherapy at Neal's Yard Remedies, recommends an avocado and banana mask for rejuvenating dry and tired skin: "Take one ripe avocado, one egg yolk, one ripe banana and two teaspoons of almond oil. Mix, apply to the skin, leave on for 10 minutes and remove with a warm flannel."
Jo Fairley of the independent beauty advice website BeautyBible.com, recommends "a winter-salad face mask: fresh vegetables whizzed together in a food blender, with a few drops of jojoba oil if your skin is very dry. Leave on 15-20 minutes, then rinse for fresh, perky skin."
For those whose fridges are less well-stocked, however, London facialist Amanda Lacey simply suggests cleansing the face with warm water and a few lavender drops to soothe the skin and restore calmness.
Power brows
According to Debra Robson-Lawrence, a specialist in the field of semi-permanent make-up, "The power brow is symbolic of a new breed of power women who are fighting against the current climate of economic uncertainty, rising triumphant and strong, and wanting to show it in how they look."
Brows are strong but manicured and groomed this season," says Shavata Singh, founder of the Shavata range of eyebrow products.
Rachel Wood, a make-up artist for Benefit Cosmetics, advises looking to Audrey Hepburn and Lauren Hutton for inspiration. "The power brow means not much make-up is needed; just clean skin and a touch of mascara," she says. Robson-Lawrence goes even further: "It's no coincidence that in the 1940s war years the look was for strong, dark, highly arched brows with scarlet red lips - hardly a look that reflected a country in crisis, far from it," she says.
What did they do before Botox?
Neither recessions nor world wars have deterred women from indulging in beauty products, writes Valentina Zannoni. The archives of the British magazine The Lady provide a glimpse of the lotions and potions used in the first half of the 20th century.
