Jellycats and Pop Mart: Healing our inner child through our makeup and manicures

Life in plastic

1/10

Keep all eyes on your chocolate brown pout and opt for subtle, neutral shadows on your peepers. Clumped, doll-like lashes and manga-style eyeliner are not mandatory but highly recommended.

Top and jacket, Kenzo
Toy, Pop Mart

Colouring book

2/10

Just like the colouring markers and pencils you played with as a child, the possibilities are endless with Trait d’Hermès lip and eye pencils, from $85. Taking cues from the House’s iconic silk swatches and leather hues, the creamy long-wearing pencils come in 40 shades (a mix of vibrant, bold colours and wearable neutrals) and are made of sustainable wood. The exuberant tricolour packaging adds a childlike wonder to the cosmetics range.

Plushies and Bag Charms from Hermès

Hanging out

3/10

Extra-long, coffin-shaped nails are statement-making on their own, but a high-shine chrome finish and colourful dangling embellishments and appliqués make for a show-stopping look. 

Embellishments, Pop Mart 

Dress the part

4/10

The easiest way to elevate a ponytail is to pair it with a noughties style staple: the zigzag part. This playful hairstyle can be done on both wet and dry hair. That said, working with damp strands gives you more control and allows you to create a more precise part. With the sharp end of a rattail comb, create small sections starting from the front of your head and work your way towards the back. Finish off with some hair spray or gel to set the look and tame flyaways. 

Child’s play

5/10

Bright, vivid eyeshadow paired with barely-there skin and a neutral, rosy lip is a subtle way to wear bold hues. Magenta is blended in the upper lash line and crease, while a verdant green fills the rest of the lid and goes up into the brow bone. 

Tongue in cheek

6/10

Instead of opting for a familiar wash of pink or red to enliven your complexion and add a pop of colour to your cheeks, consider incorporating an unexpected splash of neon pigment. You don’t have to stick to just one colour with this look. Swirl layer upon layer of canary yellow eyeshadow on the highest part of the cheeks and buff it to a faint stain before topping it off with a whisper of neon green shadow. Complete the look with a swipe of coral lipstick on your pout. 

Jacket, Kate Spade New York.
Figurine, Pop Mart

Easy does it

7/10

Bring life back to your complexion with easy-to-use makeup staples such as Sahur’s Art Bestie Blush Balm, $30, that delivers a soft wash of colour coupled with a moisture hit thanks to the addition of hydrating vitamin E. You can’t go wrong with Wakemake Soft Sheer Multi Palette’s (in 02 Lazy Rose), $39.90 available at Guardian, that contains muted shades of pinks, plums and mauves. Colorgram’s Fruity Water Tint in 04 Sulking Watermelon and Fruity Glass Tint in 1004 Pink Gloss, from $15.90 available at Guardian, comes in candy-coloured tubes that resemble glazed, candied skewers and imbues your pout with moisture while imparting a juicy, high-shine glow. 

Figurines from Pop Mart

Pop of colour

8/10

Level up your go-to winged liner with a jolt of striking colour. Perfect if you’re dipping your toes into the coloured eyeliner trend, Sahur’s Art Gemliner Graphic and Glitter Dual Liner, $21.50, features a matte liquid liner on one end and a glittery formula on the other so you can take your look up a notch but still have it within the same colour family. Comes in 12 shades.

Plushie, stylist’s own 

Star player

9/10

Micro braids are a perennial favourite, but when artfully interlaced with funky beads, the hairstyle feels novel and fresh. 

Alternate dimension

10/10

Experiment with metallic embellishments, 3D resin ornaments and rhinestones. A maximalist, non-uniform manicure can look more coherent when you stick to one or two base colours of a similar colour family.

Jacket, Bottega Veneta
Plushie, Sea Apple