Beauty trends are like buses: an edict comes along — “It’s all about a statement lip” — but if it isn’t going your way, you only have to wait five minutes for the next one — “More is the new minimal: go bold on eyes and lips.” Amid this constant change, however, one look never seems to fade: the blonde bombshell. This make-up is eternally sexy. It has a come-hither look, and va-va-voom courses through its veins. It’s guaranteed to bring out the vixen in all of us and send the level of testosterone in the room soaring. No wonder it’s been the beauty staple of every sex kitten from Brigitte Bardot to Kate Moss. The essentials are simple: winged eyeliner that starts as a fine line at the inside corner of the eye, getting broader as it sweeps out, teamed with nothing more complicated than nude/pink eye shadow and black mascara, giving a smoky-eye effect without the hassle of blending. The lip must be kept neutral — nothing should distract from the eye. This is make-up with a saucy wink. “I love to do smoky eyes, and I think that works best without too much of a lip colour,” says our model, Doutzen Kroes, a L’Oréal Paris spokesmodel and one of the faces of its new Colour Riche Collection Privée lipstick range, a perfect selection of nudes. “There’s still a bit of a pinkish tone in there,” she says of her own shade. Top off the look with a head of backcombed hair in a Babycham shade of blonde, and then watch your own good times roll. Words: Edwina Ings-Chambers

The simple science of looking like a sex kitten