The old saying that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it isn’t always one you’d apply to your make-up, per se. Relationships and hairstyles, fine, but beauty tends to be a little more adventurous and playful. Or is it? On careful inspection, and looking back over time, there’s been many an icon who have applied this wise old mantra to their beauty look too.

Like Jerry Hall, for instance, who quickly realised that while her marriage to Mick Jagger was broken and needing fixing, her signature make-up look of Texan-bronzed skin and bright red lipstick would see her through the ups and the downs. And Rachel Bilson, who we spoke about just last week, praising her for giving that eternally chic/Summer from the O.C. look an outing at just about every red carpet event she attends.

The thing about a signature beauty look – like a failsafe, favourite bag or a gem of a dress that makes you look thin even on a fat day – is that you can rely on it. You can work it come rain or shine and you can practically do it with your eyes closed. Sort of.

A signature style doesn’t require too much thought and it certainly won’t leave you feeling self-conscious at a party, wondering if you’ve got that spontaneous coral lipstick all over your teeth. 

From Joan Collins’ perennial smoky eye to Vanessa Paradis’ brightly accented gap-tooth smile, click through the gallery to see the icons who’ve totally nailed their signature look.