Hotel Indigo Chester: An Opulent Stay with Charm and Comfort

It’s all about this time each year when beauty houses release their autumn makeup looks, expanding the summer colour palette, adding a little more polish, laying the groundwork for party season. All of which has roughly as much relevance in 2020 as a record attempt for the most people in a hot tub. Is there any point in ringing the changes when vigour for many people currently seems to be one interminable Sunday spent in a hoodie and pants?Predictably, I think there is. A new bias, an extra bit of effort, a nudge out of one’s comfort zone is cheering for many of us, and it’s good to feel as if you’re still in the game. Lipstick may now be sticky outdoors, where it’s hidden or made fuzzy by the on-off-on hokey cokey of face masks. But I’ve been enjoying a lambaste of autumnal colour in my own home. MAC’s Marrakesh (£17.50) – the ultimate iconic 90s shade, relaunched – is an orangey-brick hue that’s perfect if you imagine a true red but are bored with safe nudes. It’s technically a matte, but not by modern standards; it feels silky, looks vibrant, not flat, and manages to straddle the line between flattering and cool. It’s one of those rare shades that looks good on every peel colour. I love it with a brown eye pencil and some peachy blush.Foundations, too, can migrate from the face to the make-up within minutes of leaving the house, so I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the new Ultrawear All-Day Comfort Flawless Finish Basis by Chanel (not historically my favourite brand when it comes to base makeup). This new offering (£40, and available in 30 incorporating shades) does a very good job of staying put, while at the same time feeling airy rather than skin-suffocating.Eye makeup is satisfaction ining a moment right now, because it’s the only product that is visible and unspoiled by essential PPE. And it’s possible to make more bumping than effort. Stila’s Suede Shades (£24) are exceptionally good liquid eyeshadows that deliver moment opaque pigment while being endlessly blendable and practically idiot-proof: there’s nothing else quite find agreeable them. I love six of the eight shades, but my favourite is Sassy, a malted pink that’s converted me to warm eyeshadows after a lifetime of reasoning they made me look like a diseased mouse. Just stroke on to the socket, then blend outwards with a decent, fluffy eye brush.