Must-Try Summer Beauty Trends

The heat continues to rise on these smoking summer beauty trends. Our resident beauty expert, Emma Charlotte Bangay, has you covered this season!

Learn all the tricks, trends and tones that you need to keep you beautiful at the beach and beyond.

Skin:

The hotter months are prime time to allow your skin to remain fresh and breathable and the huge surge in BB Creams on the market – complete with serious SPF – make vibrant complexions a viable option for everyone, explains leading Australian makeup artist, Michael Brown. “Skin is very fresh and creamy which has been largely inspired by the popularity of BB Creams. Coverage is nude, and barely there. It’s all about a real ‘no-makeup look,” he says.
If you are not blessed with an entirely clear complexion, all is not lost. Exfoliation is paramount as you age so that cell-turnover – to get rid of dull surface cells and reveal brighter skin – is more important than ever. Gwyneth Paltrow exfoliates up to four times a week. Need I say more?
Michael’s additional top trick to getting bang on brilliance of complexion is to mix your serum and foundation together. “This keeps everything light and silky and adapts makeup to your skin,” he explains.

Eyes:

Old Hollywood looks have been hitting the red carpet of late, with lash line definition pulling focus. “There is less of a smoky eye movement and more of an emphasis in winged liner and lush lashes,” he explains. “Liquid liner is back and becoming an everyday effect, whether you use a gel liner, powder or liquid, a slight lift at the end of the eye is here this season.” Lara Bingle wears this with aplomb, worked back with the perfectly pristine complexion and either a nude or deeply hued lip.
Michael notes that this may not be for everyone, so if you opt for an eye shadow beneath your sunglasses this summer, keep your shades simple. “Shadows and creams in metallics are really on-trend for summer.”

Lips:

Lips are stained – rather than overtly glossy or perfectly matte – says Michael. “The biggest trend is bold, stained colour in shades opposing to your skin tone,” he says. So if you’re skin is pink-based, go for a warm-toned lip and if you are olive or darker skin, then choose a cool or blue-based lip colour. Confused? Any cosmetic counter staff member worth their weight in gloss will be able to colour-match you perfectly.

When it comes to application, “Fingertip is best for this look,” says Michael. “Pressing the lipstick on so it bonds the pigment will allow the natural ‘grain’ of the lips texture to show through.” Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba champion this chic look, notes Michael, by choosing creams and tinted-balms - rather than glosses - so lips boast saturated hydration rather than high shine.