By leading hair stylist and makeup artist Penny Williams at Blush!
With summer in full swing, (and it’s already a scorcher!) thoughts are beginning to turn to holidays abroad, conjuring images of beautiful, bronzed skin, glowing cheekbones and rosy lips. But of course the reality is that all too often we end up with sunburnt noses, sweaty, shiny faces and smudged mascara. There is a knack to achieving a barely made up, yet perfectly chic look, and even more of an art to keep it looking good in the heat, but below are my ten top tips for fresh faced summer beauty.
1. Use an oil free sunscreen such as La Roche Posay’s Anthelios Melt-in Cream Spf50+ or a primer containing SPF to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays while creating a good base for your makeup to stick to.
2. It’s all about thin layers. Apply your makeup too heavily and it will simply slide off your face leaving an unsightly mess. If you like to wear a heavier coverage, apply several thin layers rather than a single thick one. If you can though, stick to a tinted moisturiser, BB cream or ultra light foundation.
3. Don’t be heavy handed with powder. Use a translucent, loose powder and sweep lightly across the T-zone.
4. Use a liquid highlighter and blend across the tops of cheekbones and over the Cupid’s bow of the lips to create a dewy finish to the skin and a fuller pout.
5. Use a wash of a rosy gold eyeshadow across the lids for a 9 carat glow. Rose gold looks especially gorgeous when paired with bronzed skin.
6. If you must wear eyeliner, make it long wear. For summer, trace a thin line as close to the lash line as you can, to add definition to the lashes, rather than creating a heavy flick.
7. Mascara should be waterproof to avoid the panda-eyed look, but I recommend having your lashes tinted instead. Not only do you not have to worry about smudging, but lashes look long and luscious all day long without any effort on your part at all!
8. To keep the look natural, cream blush is easy to apply and can also be used on eyes and lips! Pat onto the apples of the cheeks and blend out.
9. For lips during the summer months, a tinted balm gives a wash of colour and is much more suited to a warmer climate than a heavy lipstick. Choose a bright, juicy hue to add a pop of sheer colour to the lips without leaving them looking overloaded.
10. To keep makeup from sliding off in the heat, a fixing spray is a must. Spritz over your face and your makeup will stay put all night!
