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With the temperatures warming up and as the scents of a new season whirl through the air it is time to look at what is hot for the Summer of 2013/14. Runway shows from Europe to Australia have introduced us to some old makeup favourites and some edgy new looks.

Flawless, radiant bases are in. Brightening, highlighting and contouring the face are essential in achieving a fresh, youthful, ethereal glow.

Well groomed brows frame a flawless complexion while bright matte lips add the perfect splash of colour to this Summers season skin trend… au naturel.

Before we look at a few simple techniques to create your ‘on trend’ summer look it is important when selecting your base products for summer (i.e. moisturiser, primer, sunscreen, concealer, foundation, powder etc) to look for multifunctional products. Applying less, well blended layers will help to keep your base in place throughout the day… Even on those hot, sticky days!

Look for moisturisers and/or foundations containing sunscreen, pre foundation primers with iluminisimg properties and light weight powders th
at can be easily applied while on the go for quick touch ups throughout the day and into the evening.

The Base

A daily beauty regime is key – cleanse and moisturise morning and night! Exfoliating can be done daily or weekly depending on your chosen exfoliating scrub.

After prepping your face with your skin care routine apply a small amount of primer (a skin illuminating primer is preferred to create this no make up look) blend well all over the face.

Apply a small amount of concealer under the eye area, around the crease of your nose and to any problem areas. Orange based concealers will balance out any dark, purple toned colours, perfect for the under eye area to correct any dark circles. Green based concealers will counteract redness, great for any skin imperfections and blotches.

Once you have blended your concealer apply a thin layer of foundation focusing on the feature focus area of the face (nose, chin, cheeks) try to avoid taking the foundation to far towards your ears and neck… Avoid the forehead altogether to ensure your foundation doesn’t run or shift on those warmer days.

Highlighting and Contouring

Now to the fun part that will truly transform your look and create natural definition and brightness to your complexion. This image translates the areas in which we need to highlight and contour.

The dark areas represent the areas to contour

The light areas represent the areas to highlight

Contour with darker concealers, foundations and/or powders (darker = 1-2 shades darker then your natural skin tone and keep the layers nice and thin)

Highlight with lighter concealers, foundations, powders, shimmer products such as gleamers and blush/bronzers.

Always remember to apply a small amount of product and gradually add more until you reach your desired look… blend each layer well to give a more natural appearance.

contouring

* Image courtesy of ‘Making Faces’ by Kevyn Aucoin.

The Brows

Well defined brows will frame your fresh base. There are many products on the market to assist you in creating a perfect brow.

  • Eyebrow Pencils are fantastic however most have a wax base so while they are easy to apply the colour can slide and shift on your skin once it warms up. If you go for a pencil apply in short, soft, sweeping motions all over the brow from the inner corner to the outer corner of your brow forming a natural arch that follows your natural line. Use an eyebrow comb to brush through the brows to soften and distribute the pencil evenly.
  • Eyeshadow / pressed powders will give you a more natural look. Select a shadow that is similar to your brow hair colour. It is best to apply with an angled eyeshadow brush again starting from the inner to the outer corner of the brow. Remember to run your brow comb through the brows to soften and shape.
  • Brow gel, great to set your brows in place especially if you tend to have a few stray hairs that want to sit out of place. Another simple, more cost effective trick is to lightly spray your eyebrow comb with hairspray and run the through your brows once you are ready to set them in place.

Summer 2013/14 colour trends

Now it’s time to pump up your fresh flawless summer base with some colour. This season is all about to main looks

  1. The eu naturel no makeup look using the tips above to create a fresh flawless base
  2. Bright retro inspired splashes of colour

Bright matte lips look amazing… think red, pink, orange the brighter the better! Mix and match your mani and pedi’s with equally bright colours! Any colour goes this season so have some fun with blues, greens, yellow, reds any bright fun splash of colour you desire.

* Tip – apply lip liner in a shade similar if not the same as the lip colour you have selected. Line the lips before and after you apply your lipstick. Your colour will be set in place for longer, less bleeding of colour into the skin and by lining your lips at the end you can really define the shape of your lips perfectly.

If your not comfortable wearing bright lipstick experiment with some lip pencils in lighter shades of pink, red, orange to line and fill in the lips then add your favourite lip gloss. This will give you a soft splash of colour while hydrating your lip.

Apply your favourite blush or bronzer to give you a beautiful skin kissed glow. Pump up your lashes with 2-3 coats of mascara starting at the base of the lashes right to the tips.

I hope you enjoyed reading my article and can see yourself using some new tips or techniques in the summer days ahead!

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  • this is really good to read because i don’t know how all this stuff is supposed to blend and that. this is a good reference! thanks for including a photo because that really helps to understand it

    Reply

  • Thanks for sharing this informative article; useful tips.

    Reply

  • The highlight and contouring tips have been a great help for me, thanks so much.

    Reply

  • Since having a daughter I sometimes wear makeup, I do like how I look when wearing makeup and some good tips never go astray

    Reply

  • Can’t wait to try these out this summer.

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  • I’m so lazy with make-up, after years of having to be perfectly presented and made-up for work. Now, even when I’m going somewhere that make-up is necessary, I only use some bronzing powder, a little blush and mascara, and some lipstick. The easier, the better for me.

    Reply

  • Thank you for the highlighting and contouring diagram.

    Reply

  • Good read thanks for the information

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  • I’m hopeless, I don’t even own a lipstick.

    Reply

  • Thanks for this article – good read.

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  • a very good read, full of handy tips

    Reply

  • ive favourited this i am getting better at make up application and think this is the best outline ive read so far :)

    Reply

  • your author photo is just stunning

    Reply

  • I have a very natural look so I don’t often follow trends

    Reply

  • loved the article , thanks for posting

    Reply

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