Ahh, summer! Just uttering the word makes us feel all warm inside and ready to slip into our swimsuits. When transitioning your wardrobe from knits to tanks for the season, remember to also take the time to look into lighten up your beauty routine. Nobody likes to see caky makeup melting under the hot sun.

To complement the laid-back mood of the hot-hot-heat months, this season’s makeup trends are all about simple details that will allow your natural beauty to shine with as little effort as possible. To help you achieve your desired summer goddess look, we’ve compiled a guide to help you perfect our favourite runway preferred makeup looks at home. From demur and girly to head-turning-daring, looking catwalk ready has never been such a breeze.

 

Summer-Beauty-Guide-Bronze

A beautiful and more muted take on the over-the-top bronze we usually see thrown at us this time of year, this summer’s trend is more about bone structure and a healthy glow, as seen on the runway of Michael Kors’ Spring/Summer show. The beauty of it? (Pardon the pun.) To get this modern and minimalist take on the sun-kissed look, one needs only a few key products in there beauty arsenal.

Step 1.  Start out by evening out your skin with a sheer foundation/tinted moisturizer/bb or cc cream. Try Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 by NARS.

Step 2. Add a sheer illuminating concealer under the eyes and anywhere else you feel is needed. I will always love Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat as it is sheer, but conceals seamlessly.

Step 3. Skip powder for this look and almost all beauty looks really, as it’s too heavy and caky for summer. If you feel you need some shine control, use a very sheer powder sparingly or use blotting papers to remove oil, not your makeup.

Step 4.  At Michael Kors, they used a warm, golden bronzer around the hairline and under the cheekbones to add a subtle structure to the face. I love Guerlain’s Terracotta 4 Seasons Tailor-Made Bronzing Powder in Natural-Brunettes or try DiorSkin Nude Shimmer in Amber.

Step 5.  To add a soft glow to the face, dust a bonze-pink blush over your cheekbones. Try Make Up For Ever’s HD Blush in Pink Sand or Peach Beige.

Step 6. Keep eye makeup to a minimum. Stick to a quick coat of mascara (I recommend Yves Saint Laurent’s Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Babydoll) and a light — almost concealer-like shade of eye shadow — around the entire eye, give M.A.C.’s Eye Shadow in Brule a try.

Step 7. Endow lips with a just-bitten quality by alternating layers of berry-hued lipstick and clear balm, blotting in between each step. Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick has loads of rosy shades to choose from, a few faves being Quinta, Fig and Rose. Plus, you can layer them with Bite’s BB For Lips in Natural-Clear.

 

Summer-Beauty-Guide-Pink

At this show, the models’ own complexion were allowed to shine through a nearly transparent monochromatic blend of pink and sand shades — a gorgeous colour combo when wanting to complement one’s natural radiance. Try this look on a date when you want Mr. Right to see you for exactly who you are: a natural beauty.

Step 1. After evening out skin with sheer foundation and concealer, use a soft matte pink blush, such as Chanel’s Joues Contraste Powder Blush in the In Love shade, to accentuate the apples of the cheeks for a natural flush.

Step 2.  For eyes, I like to use a simple taupe shadow to define the eye, M.A.C. Eye Shadow in Era is a constant in my kit. To finish off this step, take the blush used to dust overtop of the shadow. This keeps the look monochromatic. Should you prefer a tad touch of sparkle, look to Chanel’s Illusion d’Ombre Long-Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Impulsion.

Step 3. Thicken the lash line by dotting a black liner in between the lashes; this gives the illusion of fuller lashes without looking like a ton of makeup. Try Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl liner in Raven.

Step 4. Keep lips simple and rosy with Givenchy’s Hydra Sparkling Magic Lip & Cheek Balm or Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimers in Hello, Chanel.

 

Summer-Beauty-Guide-Orange

One of the simplest ways to update your summer make-up is by adding a bold shot of colour while keeping the rest of your make-up understated! For the woman who would like to test-drive the blue-hued look below, but still feels timid when it comes to look-at-me-beauty-looks, bold lips are a good gateway to more daring makeup plays.

Step 1. Keep skin healthy and dewy looking with RMS Beauty’s Living Luminizer on the tops of cheekbones, bridge of nose and in your cupid’s bow (the double curve of the upper lip).

Step 2. Since lips are the focus here, keep the eyes minimal with a smudge of bronze-brown eye shadow, making sure to blend with your fingers for a more lived-in look.

Step 3.  This is where structure can come into play. Where the rest of your makeup is more natural (think next-day makeup) your lips can be a little more done for added contrast. Fat pencil lipsticks are extremely easy to use since they allow you to line your lips and then fill them in. Revlon’s ColorBurst Matte Balms work very well, and were used at the Rag & Bone show. Try shades Mischievous and Audacious. Or, go rogue and opt for PatentPolish Lip Pencil in Teen Dream by M.A.C.

 

Summer-Beauty-Guide-Blue

Eyes took centre stage on the Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer runway with striking cobalt liner giving an edge to an otherwise bare face. As mentioned above, only the courageous should try this head-turning look. Staring is inevitable when your makeup hints at your girls-just-want-to-have-fun side.

Step 1. Keep your face as bare as you’re comfortable with. This means spot concealing, only where needed (under eyes, around nose and blemishes). I love Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer sticks, as they offer a more full, but seamless coverage.

Step 2. Line the waterline of your eyes, this means the entire inner rim — top and bottom — with a bright, metallic blue pencil, extending up and out at the outer corners. (Save the inner corner extension for evenings or more suitable occasions if you are not comfortable with it.) Liners to try include Perfectly Defined Gel Eyeliner in Sapphire by Bobbi Brown or Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliners by NARS in Abbey Road, Rue Saint-Honore and Khao San Road.

Step 3. You can set your liner and add a little extra colour using an eyeshadow in the same shade as your liner. Urban Decay makes gorgeous shimmery blue shades such as Radium, Evidence and Haight.

Step 4. Lashes are also taken to the extreme here, so go full-on with a good 2-3 coats of rich black mascara to frame your eyes! Try Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara in It Black.

Step 5. Soft and bare is where it’s at when it comes to the lips. We want the eyes to be the standout, so nothing on lips should compete. Try a sheer tinted lip balm, such as Benefit Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm, to add just a hint of colour.

Published May 31, 2014