As the ongoing Eighties revival gathers pace (apparently the next horror to be visited upon us is the snood), inevitably the look makes its way onto the beauty counters. Eighties make-up is, of course, no great mystery. All you do is take ordinary make-up and slap on too much of it, in colours that don’t quite suit you. Lots of bronzy-brown blusher, an aggressive shade of eyeliner, lipstick that is either too dark or too pink, that should do the trick.

My choice for the season is the antithesis of this, inspired by arguably the coolest woman in fashion, Carine Roitfeld (above), aka the editor of French Vogue. I know everyone’s overexcited about Anna Wintour at the moment, what with the release of The September Issue, but I doubt whether her exposure will spawn a host of lookalikes, glowering through their fringes. Roitfeld, on the other hand, is like the cool girl at school whom everyone wants to be: the sleek-but-slightly-grunge hair, the dark, feverish eyes, the pale lips, the inimitable insouciance.

I’m not the only one with a crush. Roitfeld’s luxe Goth style (she may be slightly grungy, but it’s groomed grunge, and there’s no question of mooching around in mohair jumpers or ripped fishnets) has percolated down to a number of catwalks this season, from Roberto Cavalli to DSquared. It’s a look that is vampish but edgy and, in contrast to the Eighties revival, resolutely anti-gloss. Nails are either a very deep, dried-blood red or black – and if possible, they should be matt. For this, Essie’s new Matte About You is perfect: a top coat that transforms any gloss to matt (£9.95, below; www.nailsbymail.co.uk).

The man who knows all about this kind of look is Aaron de Mey, artistic director at Lancôme. Edgy glamour is his stock in trade. “A traditional smoky eye is characterised by a misty wash of deep colour carefully applied around the eye,” he explains. “But the Roitfeld eye is a much bolder, less fussy statement.”

Run black liner around your eyes in definite strokes. Don’t worry about wobbles – imperfection is part of the charm. Then layer a black shadow over the pencil. This will even out the shape, and give you a great, defined eye with differing intensities of black. Lancôme’s Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow in Strass Black, £12.50, is ideal for this, a fabulously fine black shadow that comes in a clever slide-top package.

This look depends on a bit of rawness to give it edge, so skip blusher in favour of contour to stop the look becoming too pretty. With full, groomed brows and well-conditioned natural lips (try Lancôme’s La Laque Fever in no. 210, £17, for a nude lipgloss that doesn’t make you look like you’ve been exhumed), you’ve pretty much got Roitfeld down to a T. Not just cool, but also quick: the epitome of the modern female.

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