Bobbi Brown and why colour hits the spot

I popped into make-up maestro, Bobbi Brown's book launch last week. She's just published a great little tome on how to do make-up like a pro. She's called it Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual. You can't get more straight forward than that, and if you're into make-up, thinking about doing it for a living or simply want to know how to master a few good looks, it's worth a peek.

The same night she previewed her new make-up palette, but rather than shades of brown, she'd filled it with mouthwatering brights - 35 of them. Flying in the face of her signature, she'd honed in on the beauty zeitgeist, nicely.

And there's the rub: it's a bleak old time, but we're tossing back our heads and facing the gloom head on. Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman summed up this force in her introduction to Vogue's March issue: 'There's something marvellously resilient about fashion. Even though economies around the world are being badly shaken, the creative impulse and abundance of ideas continue to flourish.'

In terms of make-up (and fashion), bright, sharp, glorious splashes of colour are what's coming through. Gloom? Pah. Look around you, on Oxford Street, girls are lining their eyes in neon brights. Hip chicks (Alexa Cheung, Peaches Geldof...) are daubing their nails with acid hues. And irresistibly, Fenwicks' Bond Street store has just thrown in some deliciously bright Antoni & Alison print skirts. Well, they put a smile on my face.

Colour lifts the spirit. A delightfully eccentric friend of mine once purred, 'when I wake up in the morning I throw on something pink and I instantly feel better - I could never wear black.' Colour is also brilliantly clever at making you look better, and there's no easier way than with make-up. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Peach or apricot blush gives you a youthful, fresh, radiant glow. Blend a little over the tip of your cheekbones. Today I'm wearing (and loving) Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Cheer (spacenk.com).
2. The right red lip colour makes your eyes sparkle. I have brown eyes, and on a recent excursion to the make-up boutique, Cosmetics a la Carte (cosmeticsalacarte.com) discovered a great red called Daiquiri. You know it's right for you if it lifts rather than washes you out, so get to the shops and experiment.
3. Bright nails make you smile. Ok, so maybe not for work, but at the weekend... Barry M's Nail Paints are fabulous (barrym.com). Just remember to keep nails short.