Milan F/W '11: So you know that rule about not emphasizing your eyes AND your lips? Here are 2 new ways to break it (and not look like a freak)

There are some beauty rules that should never be broken. Such as: 1) Always make sure your foundation is an exact match to your skin tone, or 2) Always take your makeup off before you go to bed. (Right? I mean, duh.)

But the one about having to CHOOSE a feature—eyes or lips, but not both—has good intentions behind it, but isn’t necessarily meant to be strictly followed. It’s risky, yes, but impossible? No.

Understandably, lot of peeps get the eyes + lips thing wrong, hence the standard advice to avoid, avoid, avoid. (See: Sharon Stone at the Oscars.) But then there are others—most recently, Miss Nicole Richie—who manage to pull it off perfectly.

That said, I still have reservations about doing this myself, since I don’t have any Oscars ceremonies to attend to in the near future. For some reason this look always ends up translating into black eyeliner with red lipstick, which is a little bit harsh.

That’s why I was delighted to see models at Emilio Pucci and Jil Sander doing this up in a whole new, exciting and slightly softer way.

EYES ‘N LIPS VARIATION #1: Black liner with PINK lips at Emilio Pucci:

Fun, dontcha think? Because that candy pink lip isn’t anywhere near as scary as a red.

The shade is called Girl About Town, and it’s from M.A.C:

On the eyes, you’ll notice a bit of the tear duct dippy thing we talked about yesterday, achieved with M.A.C Eye Kohl in Smolder (lower waterlines) and Tarnish (along the lower lash line, drawn blunt and square).

Heck, with the wing coming from the lower lash line—not the top, as you would expect—we could even file this one under new and fully sick ways to wear your eyeliner.

Also? You know those family portrait places they used to have in random malls where you could dress up in Old-Tyme Western costumes like this?

Well, that’s what the Pucci show reminds me of—in a good way, mind you. (I always used to beg my parents to let us do that, but we never did. #unfulfilledchildhooddream)

Do you see it?

And now for something completely different…

EYES ‘N LIPS VARIATION #2: Red lips with JADE eyes at Jil Sander:

Okay, so we get to keep the red lip here, but instead of black liner, it’s a blue-green. Gutsy!

I’m not sure if I’d be brave enough to do this for fall, the season for which it’s intended… but with a tan, in the summertime? Quite possibly I might dewit.

After all, it does kind of seem like colour-blocking, for the face, is becoming a bit of a trend. Remember this at Donna Karan?

Eeks! I like the Jil Sander version much better, thank you.

The green is just a teensy tiny hint—it’s Chanel Stylo Yeux Eye Pencil in Jade—as you can see here from another angle:

The lip is super bold, and super matte: Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in Enthusiast.

Okay, now over to you:

Do you follow the rule about choosing eyes or lips, but not both?
Would you try the Pucci or Jil Sander look? (Or neither?)
Did YOUR parents ever take you to Klondike Katy’s Old Tyme Family Portrait Studio?