I can wear a rainbow

Sound a bit scary? It needn't be.

These techniques focus on one feature, so they're a restrained way to experiment with daring shades.

Here's the low-down on the tools and tips you need to shake up your make-up routine and face the rainbow...

CROSS THE RED LINE

How to wear red eye make-up without it looking like you've been crying? With a sharp slick of scarlet liner, a la the Max Mara SS15 show.

"This is a look that suits lots of eye colours. Red eyeshadow makes blue eyes bluer and brown eyes more green," says MAC senior artist Dominic Skinner. "The best way to go about this look is to start with MAC Chromaline in Basic Red, applied with a 266 brush for a sharp edge. Start by creating a classic liquid liner flick, then, from the inner corner, draw above and along the crease, joining up with the tip of the liner. Finish off by filling in the wing shape that's created."

:: MAC Chromaline in Basic Red, £14 (www.maccosmetics.co.uk)

BLUSH BRIGHT ORANGE

Switch your usual pink or bronze blusher for a summery tangerine hue.

"There's an orange shade for every skin tone and type. Warm shades can lift the complexion and help enhance more olive skin tones," advises Charlotte Savoury, international brand ambassador for Illamasqua. "Illamasqua Gel Sculpt in Charm is perfect for all skin tones as it tints the skin. For pale skin tones, press a sheer layer onto the apples of your cheeks for a subtly flushed colour. For warmer skin tones you can simply build until you have reached your desired effect.

"For a more elevated, structured effect, apply a powder blusher to the apples and sweep up into the hairline."

:: Illamasqua Gel Colour in Charm, £22 (www.illamasqua.com)

:: Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Rude, £21.50 (www.illamasqua.com)

FOLLOW THE YELLOW TIP ROAD

Yellow can be a tricky proposition where clothes are concerned, but you'll find it's surprisingly flattering on your fingertips.

"Yellow is a great colour for summer and is becoming increasingly popular with nails," says Cassie Lomas, B. Makeup ambassador. "If you have a dark skin tone you can get away with a more electric yellow colour, and for paler skin tones, I would always recommend opting for a softer yellow or pastel."

:: OPI I Just Can't Cope-acabana Nail Lacquer, currently reduced from £11.95 to £10.75 (www.debenhams.com)

:: Lottie London Lacquer in Day Dreamer Yellow, £5.99 (www.superdrug.com)

GO GREEN-EYED (WITHOUT ENVY)

At the Christian Wijnants show during Paris Fashion Week, the usual eyeshadow approach was inverted with a gorgeous green take on the smoky eye.

"MAC Eyeshadow in Bottle Green, with its soft green hue, is a perfect colour to swap with your usual go-to smokey eye colours," explains Skinner. "Team it up with Sourpuss Technakohl Eyeliner on the waterline. Brighter colours are wonderful on the waterline if you want definition, but are worried about making small eyes look smaller."

:: MAC Technakohl Liner in Sourpuss, £14 (www.maccosmetics.co.uk)

GET THE BLUES

"Coloured lashes are a great way of adding colour into your make-up without having to be too bold about it," says Skinner, referring to the petrol blue lashes seen at the Lea Peckre show in Paris. "My favourite product is MAC Pro Lash Mixing Medium. It's a colourless mascara that you can add any eyeshadow colour to."

Don't want to DIY your mascara? There are plenty of pretty blue mascaras in the shops right now, from cobalt to navy.

:: Artistry Signature Eyes Volume Mascara in Indigo, £23.82 (www.amway.co.uk)

:: MAC Isabel and Ruben Toledo Modern Twist Lash Mascara in Caligraphy, £21 (www.houseoffraser.co.uk)

INDIGO FOR IT

Indigo lips may sound like a gothic step too far, but if you think about it, blueberry isn't much of a departure from the rich plummy shades that have become so popular.

"Although we have classed blue as a very brave colour, people are becoming more confident with make-up and want to try new things," agrees Savoury. "People are pleasantly surprised at just how good it looks against all skin tones. It can make your teeth look whiter and counteracts sallowness, giving your skin a brighter appearance."

Illamasqua's Disciple, a very dark, almost purple matte lipstick, is a good place to start. Then when you're ready to go the whole nine yards, reach for the new true blue Vendetta.

:: Illamasqua Lipstick in Disciple, £18.50 (www.illamasqua.com)

:: Illamasqua Lipstick in Vendetta, £18.50 (available in May; www.illamasqua.com)

VIOLET IT GO

Purple was a major make-up trend at the spring/summer shows, from plum to mauve and everything in between. A vivid violet lip is an ideal refresher for spring, an easy addition to your usual look.

"The great thing about a statement lip is that it adds instant glamour without much work," says Lomas. "If you're going for a bold lip, it is really important that the rest of your make-up isn't overpowering and you go for a natural base."

And when choosing a shade, remember that most lipsticks look darker in the bullet than they do on the lip, so have a play at the beauty counter to find your perfect purple.

:: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Va Va Violet, £7.49 (www.superdrug.com)

:: Barry M Lip Paint in Viscous Violet, £4.49 (www.superdrug.com)

TRIED AND TESTED

Our testers treat their talons to a trio of high-shine nail polishes...

:: Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish in Black Cherries, £2.99 (www.boots.com)

"This polish is beautifully shiny and the thick, flat brush means you can almost cover a nail in one stroke. The down side is that it's still wet after 60 seconds, although you can apply a second coat comfortably without it catching on the first. If you're in a hurry though, you won't be out the door in a minute unless you have a hairdryer handy."

3/5

:: OPI Infinite Shine 2 Lacquer in Unequivocally Crimson, £13.95 (NailPolish.co.uk)

"A great polish that really lives up to its name. This luscious pillar-box red goes on like a dream - the brush is perfectly shaped and compact for precise application. It stays shiny for days and chip-free for nearly a week. I didn't even need a top coat."

5/5

:: Yves Saint Laurent Nail Lacquer in Rouge Wet, £19 (available May 27; www.yslbeauty.co.uk)

"This wet-look varnish went on smoothly, but I needed three coats before I felt the colour was dense enough. The juicy raspberry colour was shiny like the coating on a toffee apple, but within a day it had started to peel and I ended up picking it all off. Disappointing for such a pricey polish."

2/5

BUY IT NOW

Christopher Kane uses colour masterfully in his fashion collections, so it's no surprise that the designer's debut make-up collaboration with NARS is just as sublime. Called Neoneutral, it fuses zingy brights with pale shades and hints of shimmer. We love the iridescent Outer Limits Eyeshadow (a little goes a long way) and Nebulous Lip Gloss, a bright but delicate coral hue.

:: Christopher Kane for NARS Collection Outer Limits Single Eyeshadow, £18, and Nebulous Lip Gloss, £19, available May 15 from Selfridges and NARScosmetics.co.uk.

BEAUTY BULLETIN

:: DEMENTIA DONATIONS

The Perfume Shop is running its Memories Matter campaign for the second year running this May, to raise awareness of dementia, which affects 850,000 people in the UK. From May 16-24, for every scent memory or photo posted on Twitter with the hashtag #TPSMemoriesMatter, The Perfume Shop will donate £1 to Alzheimer's Research UK, while in-store customers can opt for a £1 gift wrap donation that will go to the charity.

:: STEAL OF THE WEEK

New at Tesco, the Nicky Clarke range features a host of hair-reviving treats designed to fight frizz, add volume and boost colour. Featuring shampoos and conditioners, as well as weekly treatments and styling products (including Nicky Clarke Smoothsilk Frizz Shampoo and Deeptreat Repair Conditioner) they're just £5.99 a pop (www.tesco.com).