Kiss goodbye to the Bronze Age

The annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show is famous for three things: babes, boobs and bronzer. And — unlike the teeny-weeny undergarments on display — on these there’s no skimping.

But this year, head make-up artist Dick Page threw a spanner in the well-oiled works by — wait for it — banning bronzer. That’s right: “No bronzer,” said Page, speaking backstage to The Cut, who ditched the tried and tested 10-weeks-in-St-Tropez glow for a brighter, rosier and altogether simpler look for last week’s extravaganza in New York. “The focal point is a flushed cheek, with a reddish-brown lipstick which we swept along the nose and the cheeks, and diffused using the tips of the brush bristles.”

This new look was one he envisioned to be teamed with (ahem) very little else — just a dash of subtle brown shadow on the eyes, a little concealer and a trace of balm, as well as (double gasp!) no false eyelashes, which Page attributed in part to the HD streaming of the show.

The Angels, however, had other ideas. These are, after all, women who have become as famous for their über-glam bronzed complexions as their $5 million contracts and they weren’t about to go natural without a fight. “A couple of girls are sneaking off and doing their own contouring,” said Page, “yes, some girls are bronzed — but that has nothing to do with me!”

Despite the Angels’ best efforts, Victoria’s Secret had spoken and the toned-down palette remained. So, if they’re breaking the beauty habit of a 36-year lifetime, it’s time to ask the question — is this the end of the Bronze Age?

Some may argue that it ended long ago. The fashion pack, for example, have all but turned their backs on bronzer — and, in fact, most other items of make-up while they’re at it —while many other discerning members of London’s female population have snubbed the faux-summer glow in recent years in preference for a flattering flush of pink blusher or brightening highlighter.

As far as the average women on the street is concerned, however, bronzer has remained as much a staple of their make-up bags as a tube of mascara.

Thanks to the Angels, that looks set to change.

“People don’t ask to look bronzed any more,” agrees celebrity make-up artist Emma White Turle. “They want a more modern, healthy complexion, which is achieved with illuminating primers and light-diffusing foundations. We have moved on from using bronzer to warm up our skin tones and we now use more subtle layering of products to light and sculpt our face.”

Her weapons of choice? “I’ve been using the Giorgio Armani Light Master Makeup Primer and also Chanel Le Blanc de Chanel to give an ethereal, inner-lit quality to the skin. I then softly contour the planes of the face adding a little warm blush — if necessary.”