You can fall out of bed and look good

The look is “coming home from the party,” not “going out to the party,” said Terry Barber,director of makeup artistry for MAC Cosmetics. “Perfection got slightly boring.”

And the must-have tool to achieve perfect imperfection is recession-friendly: your fingertips. Use them to smudge eyeliner,smear bronzer,press bright stains into your cheeks and lips. The application of the makeup is as relaxed as the overall look.

Another beauty buzzword for 2012 is restraint. Experts said makeup should not be applied to the entire face. Under-eye circles and blemishes may be covered with concealer,but the rest of the skin should be left natural,à la Ali MacGraw in Love Story. If you wear a dark lip,then keep the rest of your skin polished,like Tilda Swinton. Brows are natural,not cartoon geometric.

To embrace the moment,skip mascara,like Lady Gaga did in the fall,or try mascara in,say,blond or red to match your hair colour. Even that old standby,the smoky eye,is out of vogue.

“Lose the smoky eyes,” said Barber of MAC. For a fresh look,he suggests swiping brown mascara just on the roots of your eyelashes,then dotting a bit of brown pencil in between. This year,texture,like metallic or wet eyelids,is all the rage. The total effect,he said,is “modern pared-down glam rock.”

One place to avoid trends,vampiric or glam rock: your eyebrows.

“Eyebrows should not be trendy,” said Anastasia Soare,the eyebrow guru who has tamed the brows of Oprah,Madonna and Naomi Campbell.

While brows should be groomed in a way that is most becoming to your face,Soare said,you can experiment with color. The heavier the eye makeup,the lighter the brows. (She recommends using tinted eyebrow gel instead of bleach,as the latter can turn brows orange). With a minimal makeup look,she said,go for bold,dark brows.

“You must have balance,” Soare said. “You cannot be like a Christmas tree.”

Hair should complement the casual,natural look: a simple ponytail,a chignon,a bun you plop atop your head as you wash your face in the morning. No matter the style,to be au courant,hair must be conditioned and shiny. But shiny hair doesn’t necessarily mean

clean hair.

“Make a hair resolution for 2012,” said ,the stylist who has tended to the locks of Jennifer Garner,Jessica Alba and Kelly Ripa. “Make sure you don’t wash your hair every day.”STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM