Revlon’s global artistic director Gucci Westman feels most at home backstage. Working with celebrities and models, her job is to change the face of fashion season to season, set trends and translate colour from the runway to real way. She believes there is colour aplenty this season, with rich jewel tones in violet and emerald for the eyes, luxurious plums, fuchsia and steel for lips, and nails in matte sparkle. She took her inspiration for the Evening Opulence collection from a polished-looking woman, “She is sensual, sexy and smart; modern. She makes each look her own, and her style is timeless.” We caught up with Westman on how to make up for the party season ahead.

What does ‘Evening Opulence’ mean to you? How were you inspired to come up with these colours?

Evening opulence means an occasion to get dressed up.  When I was creating this collection I was thinking of holiday parties – dressing up, bringing the glamour, making it a big makeup moment.  It’s an opportunity to wear some sparkles in your makeup, to bejewel and adorn yourself.

Why did you choose these colours to represent opulence?

They all felt perfect for the season. I was really inspired by this season’s runways, particularly the jewels.  I wanted these products to feel bejewelled, from the sparkles in the nail polish to the shimmer in the shadow palette.

What are your favourite colour combinations for a pale skin tone, medium, and a dark skin tones?

Both the eye palette Muse, and the eyeliner in Carbon Cleopatra work for all skin tones, but for pale skins, I’d pair them with the Colorburst Lipgloss in Adorned and any of the four new nail polish shades.  With a medium skin tone, I’d put on the Bejewelled Lipgloss, and nail polish in Elusive.  For a dark skin tone, use the Decadent Lipgloss that would match with the nail Divine.

Are any of the products multi-tasking? For example, could you also use the gloss on the eyelids as a highlighter?

You can use the lighter end of the Eyeliner as a highlighter or concealer.  You can even fill in little beauty marks with the darker end of the eyeliner.  The ColorBurst Lip Butters are also a great way to add a subtle tint of color while providing a kiss of moisture.

What advice would you give to someone not used to wearing colour?

It’s all about keeping the skin very sheer, luminous, and looking fresh —don’t use a lot of powder or foundation.  Try to make it all about the eyes and lips, leaving the skin super fresh and natural. The contrast needs to be there.

How do you create a quick smoky eye look?

Adding a little bit of water to the eyeshadow helps make the colour pop. After you’ve finished creating your shape with the eyeshadow, wet your brush to pump in extra colour with wet shadow.  Follow this with the black liner on the top and bottom lash lines, and use the beige liner on the inner tear line.  Add some extra mascara for a complete look.

What is your key tip for getting flawless dark lips like Emma and Olivia’s in the adverts?

I like to suggest exfoliating your lips first with a hot damp towel so you have a great surface to start. Sometimes I will scrub lips with products like Egyptian Magic, or a similar kind of ointment, and then follow with a little bit of lip balm. I then apply a bit of lip liner to outline the lips and then use either a lip stain or longwear lip colour like Ultimate Suede Lipstick underneath the gloss, to make sure the colour lasts.  It’s all about layering.

What does your beauty ritual consist of when getting ready for an evening out?

For me, it’s all about preparation from the moment I get up. I like to exercise in the morning, having gotten my hair done a few days before so it’s not as clean.  My ideal day would then consist of having a really long intense facial, followed by some time spent prepping my skin; I would use a face mask, nice creams, and a Revlon primer.  I’d definitely add extra steps from my usual routine — maybe curl my eyelashes (which I never do!), tint my eyebrows, and then I’d opt for a deep purple (sometimes sparkly!) shadow and some mascara.  My fashion choices would consist of a chic new dress (Celine or Chloe) complement with a lot of jewellery, and maybe some sort of hair accessory.

 The Evening Opulence Collection by Gucci Westman is on Revlon counters this month.