August has arrived – and now we know which of summer’s sizzling beauty trends are the biggest: try them now, before the sun goes down
No make-up selfies
What better time to bare all than high summer? In the heat, a naked face feels fresher and there’s no chance of your make-up melting. From celebs to Insta-influencers, the beauty-pack has been busy sharing snaps of make-up free faces. Of course, it helps if your complexion is flawless. If you’re posing make-up free, prepare for your close-up with a multi-tasking skin prep product such as Dermalogica’s Hydrablur Primer . Offering three benefits in one formula it provides intense hydration, neutral coverage and pore-refining properties. A multi-tasking primer for all skin conditions, particularly dry or dehydrated skin, it has a lightweight, non-greasy formula with a dramatic blurring effect. The result is a flawless canvas – and a naturally radiant, make-up free appearance, when used alone.
Yellow blush
No one knew if this would be a fad, but using a mustard-hue instead of highlighter or blusher has been a massive look this summer. It looks great on a range of skin tones and you can either coordinate with lemon tones on your lips and eyes, or contrast with cobalt eyeshadow and red or plum lips. It’s quite hard to find a yellow blusher product, but an eyeshadow can be used instead.
Colour-pop eye shadow
The stunning actor Lupita Nyong’o has led the way with this trend, and it’s an easy one to wear once you’ve found your favourite colour. Lupita has experimented with blues, greens, cyan and rich burgundy on her lids. She’s also tried a smattering of glitter, graphic green liner and a rainbow effect. Follow her lead, as we head towards summer’s end, with vibrant eyes and a nude or natural pout.
Pearl eyeliner
Kristen Stewart started this one in Cannes when her MUA used actual pearls on the actor’s lash line to create an elegant and unique effect. You can copy the look by using a mid-beige tone across the lids, to just below the brow bone. Then create a cat eye flick using a creamy off-white shadow and finish with white liquid liner to ramp-up the definition.
Natural lips
The trend for fillers and injectables could be on the decline now that Lip Queen Kylie Jenner has deflated her super-sized pout. To perfect the natural look, treat lips to a product that defines and firms. Elemis Pro Definition Eye and Lip Contour Cream has a rich texture and contains active plant stem cells to work with the skin’s natural function to protect the shape of skin cells, tighten the collagen network and hydrate evenly throughout the day.
Kick-flare lashes
Lashes that flick at the outer corners look sultry, sexy and totally summery. The look is hugely wearable and although you can buy false kick-flare lashes, the look is stronger if you have naturally long lashes and can achieve the effect with mascara and perhaps an individual false lash or two. To get the look, simply apply your mascara in a horizontal motion, flicking up as you reach the far edge of the lash. If you’re using individual falsies, drop them right on the outer corners and then repeat the trick with your mascara wand. At the end of a hot summer night, remember to remove mascara fully using a gentle cleanser: Medik8 Eyes and Lips Micellar Cleanse is a gentle triple-phase cleansing system that removes long-lasting lip and eye make-up without being tough on skin. It glides over tough waterproof mascara and high-pigment colours, dissolving make-up in seconds.
