Lashes in Nature by Shu Uemura

To us, Shu Uemura’s false eyelashes are a veritable form of affordable art. Quintessential of the beauty label today, it’s hard to believe that the company’s fashion-forward ocular couture can be traced all the way back to 1964, with its renowned lash bars only being introduced in 2005.

See more of Shu Uemura's latest false eyelashes - a veritable form of affordable art

Despite collaborating with wunderkinds like Viktor & Rolf to create statement-making collections in the past, this year Shu Uemura have opted to harness the creativity of its atelier and make-up artists instead. Inspired by Mother Nature, the resulting designs embody the wonder and beauty of the natural world.

International artistic director Kakuyasu Uchiide, who succeeded Shu Uemura after his death, has designed a pair of golden leaf-like lashes, each moulded from authentic leaf spines. Yuji Asano, international chief make-up artist, recreated the ocean’s rolling form with multiple curling layers of blue lashes, while U.S. artistic director Gina Brooke crafted peony petals from tiers of pink and speckled feathers. Definitely not for the introverted was Mina Matsumura’s rendition of a winter landscape. The European artistic director’s offering took the form of architectural white branches with clusters of crystals scattered along the delicate lower lashes.