Magazine Beauty Features
GLAMOUR's Beauty desk talks you through the lip, eye, hair and beauty trends to take you through to party season. Summer Sexy Done: Photographs by David Gubert What's New For Lips: Photographs by Kenneth Willardt The Big Easy: Photographs by Simon Emmett Beauty With POW!: Photographs by Simon Emmett Get Ready For The New Season: Photographs by David Oldham
Summer Sexy Done
Make-Up
It's hard to look pretty when the sun is melting the make-up off your face. Our solution? Skip base and powder, and spotlight eyes or lips instead. And try these tricks from make-up artist Fiona Stiles:
Lay It On This If your skin needs a little help, mix a tinted moisturiser into your usual foundation – it will give a more skin-natural look, yet still cover unevenness.
Pure Colour Sensuous Rouge Lipcolor in Peach Pleasure £20 esteelauder.co.uk
Think Creamy Powder doesn't belong on the beach, but you don't have to go naked – just switch to cream blushers, which melt into the skin rather than sitting on top.
Watercolour crème Rouge Blusher in Soft Peach £15 Daniel Sandler
Skimp On Extras At night, a powder bronzer is all you need to pop your tan, tone down shine and even out your skin. Swirl it on to avoid patches.
Delice de Soleil Bronzing Powder £8.99 Bourjois
Do Your Brows Sweep a brow gel through your arches to darken and define them.
Love Your Curlers If you can't do without mascara, make it waterproof. Otherwise just curl and keep 'em bare.
No Smudge Mascara £18 bobbibrown.co.uk
Summer is a godsend for some skins and a nightmare for others – the general consensus is to pare it down as much as possible, focus on protection and leave more invasive treatments for the cooler months.
Power Up Your Wash
Humidity can clog up skin, so now is a good time to invest in a motorised cleansing brush. Use it with your usual cleanser and be amazed at how much softer and clearer your skin becomes.
Relax Your Eyes Sunning, squinting, rubbing – your eyes get a rough ride in the sun. Soothe and re-fresh them at night with an eye mask.
Boost Your Sunscreen Supplements are not a replacement, but an add-on... Tan Optimizers can up your skin's sun protection with a blend of anti-oxidant vitamins, including C and E, plus lycopene, which has been proven to protect against UV damage.
Try A Double Act Packed with eyebright, fennel and frankincense, lip and eye cream plumps and soothes lips while nourishing the eye area. A great find!
Oil It Up People get in trouble with face oil because they put too much on – but, used sparingly (2-3 drops), it revamps skin like nothing else.
HAIR
Your new summer hair mantra is: “If it looks good, don't touch it!” - focus on care, care and more care, and leave high-maintenance hair at home. Follow beach-hair guru Keith Carpenter's no-effort tricks...
Boost Your Conditioner While in the sun, put your hair in a ponytail and run conditioner just into the tail. The heat will make it penetrate dry ends, but your roots won't greasy.
Rinse On Shine If you want that tousled beachy texture, don't wash your hair everyday and let the saltwater do its job.
Rethink Your Styling Try working without heated appliances and embracing your natural hair. For texture, combine a little beach spray and some root volumiser.
Get Smooth – FAST Boost shine and smooth saltwater-battered hair with a mist. It also cancels out frizz.
BODY
So your pre-summer exercise didn't go to plan? We've found a bunch of quick tricks to get you beach-ready, fast.
Speedy Exercise Solutions For The Super Focused
Sweat yourself slim
10 days of Bikram Yoga (£113 for ten sessions bikramyogaprimrosehill.com) It's tough – 90 minutes of yoga poses in a hot room – but the results are stupendous. And the beauty is, you don't need to be a yoga expert to do it. The pay-off is a tightened body with better posture, a nipped-in waist and firm curves.
The express workout
Educogym 12 Day Programme (£495 educogym.com) Twenty minutes of exercise a day for 12 days sound good? Though the exercise time is short, it works you hard. Combined with blood sugar-stabilising diet, you burn off fat, build muscle mass and have a generally more toned and streamlined body.
Beach Body Diet Dos by nutrition consultant Ian Marber from the fooddoctor.com
Swap Fruit For Veg
Fruit is a great source of nutrients, hydration and fibre, but fructose can lead to bloating. Swapping fruit for vegetables is a great way around this without sacrificing nutrient intake.
Reduce Portions
Instead of dieting, simply cut your portion size by no more than 15%, which won't result in excess hunger or feelings of deprivation.
Cut Alcohol
It may not be popular, but leaving alcohol out completely for a couple of weeks can help focus the mind on eating well, as well as flatten your tummy.
Eat This Now
Eat plain live yoghurt every day – it increases probiotic levels and the beneficial bacteria helps improve digestion, which reduces bloat.
Tone Up Your Body The Gentle Way...
SMOOTH IT Super Slough Scrub £25.60 Bliss – buffs ever so gently
TONE IT Matte Body Perfection Gel Tan, £41, perfektbeauty.com – makes limbs look leaner.
DE-DIMPLE IT Skin Tight Toning Serum, £44, Mama Mio – reduces puffiness.
TAN IT Aroma Confort Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk, £30.50, decleor.co.uk – gives a sun-kissed gleam.
What's New For Lips
A hell of a lot! Here are four cool new ways to wear your lipstick. By Alessandra Steinherr
Photographs by Kenneth Willardt
Spring's prettiest make-up trend is sooo easy and quick to achieve with our expert guide to lips – play it safe in nudes, go spectacular with a powerful pout or shimmer your way through the season.
Give Summer Darks A Try
This autumnal staple looks pretty against pale, dewy summer skin. Choose a creamy satiny formula such as Dior Addict Lipstick in Arty, £22, Dior and smooth it straight on – don't worry about absolute precision, it looks so much cooler slightly 'off'. Skip the mascara and eyeliner to keep it all a bit undone.
Ground rules for darks Don't go too brown. Instead, pick a shade with a reddy undertone.
Be Different With Fresh Metallics
What, metallics on lips? Yes, but we're not talking uber-bling. Stay away from cool tones – which can look a bit frosty – and stick to a warm coral or bronze, flecked with shimmer. For a full-on '60s look, team with powder-blue pastels on eyes and metallic blue nails.
Ground rules for metallics Don't use lipliner with this look – it would jar with the shimmer.
Go Pretty With Pared-Down Nudes
Who doesn't love a nude? It's so easy and looks great on everyone – but what's new for now? Make it ultra-shiny and wear against a gently sun-kissed face, with freckles peeking through on bare skin. Add lengthening mascara on top and bottom lashes and define brows. Our favourite natural lippie.
Ground rules for nudes For the freshest finish, go for a shade one tone lighter than your natural lip colour.
Be Daring With Super Brights
Wearing punchy colours on lips does take some confidence, but if ever there was a time to bust out of your rut, spring is it. Pick a shade you love, even if you think it's not 'you', and just put it on – you won't know what it looks like until you try it. If you hate it, you can always take it off – it's only lipstick! Wear with smoky eyes and bright nails.
Ground rules for super brights Strong colour shows up any little imperfections, so wear with smooth, flake-free lips.
The Big Easy
Soft, playful and pretty, this is the best summer hair you've ever had. And, yes, it's the simplest, too! By Vicki Norton
Photographs by Simon Emmett
Creative director Charlotte-Anne Fidler
When it comes to the summer, ease is the word. Backstage this season, it was stylist code for the ultimate mane of full, shiny hair with just the right amount of bounce. It's the kind of hair that, when you want an up-do, slips into the perfect shape, first go. It's the opposite of scrunched, salted waves and pulled, slicked ponies. There's no hint of heat styling and no evidence of product. Just classic, pretty hair that's effortlessly sexy.
And who doesn't dream of that? So we asked the master of easy-looking hair, Sam McKnight, to show how it's done, “I always like looks that are a little more lived, that have a life to them,” he says. “soft, loose hair with a relaxed texture is perfect for summer. It's sexy, it's a little bit '70s – so relevant this season – and it's practical. It doesn't just look easy, it is easy.”
To channel that ease, you need to flip your whole approach to your hair. Instead of deciding on a style and then doing it, Sam advises the opposite: set your hair and then play around with different shapes. The aim is coax life into each strand and, once you've done that, the casual 'tails and fluffy topknots practically take care of themselves.
Best of all, because it's not too tamed or strained, you can always just shake it out into a touchable tumble. Like we said: summery, easy, sexy!
Natural Body
This was the first hairstyle of the day (after the set) and Sam just brushed it out. “But not to look incredibly brushed – it's lived in,” he says. Don't even think about straightening the ends, either. “It's more relaxed to have a curl – it looks less laboured.”
Easy Twist
“This is just a ponytail on top,” explains Sam. “It's pulled up in the back, then turned over on itself like a bun but it's only half done.” One elastic band (and a couple of pins if your hair is really thick) should do the trick.
Undone Up-Do
“This took two minutes,” says Sam. “It's a random parting, a few loose tendrils left out and a tiny bit of back-brushing on the crown. It's sexy but not too 'Bardot big'.” All you do is gently lift the top and sides, ease it all back and hold with a band.
Soft Bunches
Once you've done a set, this is ridiculously quick. Sam let the hair fall into a natural, off-centre part, then gathered the lengths into two ponytails. “They're tied very loosely with ribbon so they almost touch the shoulders,” he says.
Sexy Hair Starts Here
Perfect the set and the rest will follow...
Follow these three essential steps, then let down your hair and it will have just enough in-built bounce to be the building block of any style you like.
1. “Start with freshly shampooed hair. You won't get that unforced lift and healthy sheen if it's gunky,” says Sam.
2. “Massage some Pro-V Volume and Body Mousse, £2.99, Pantene through the roots and lengths, then blow-dry hair smooth using a large round brush (if you're naturally curly) or paddle brush (if your hair's straight),” says Sam.
3. “For the body, you can use hot rollers or Velcro's, but I like a big curling tong. You randomly twist slices of hair round the barrel and carefully pin it up until it's cool,” says Sam.
Beauty With POW!
Like the clothes we're craving this summer, the best hair and make-up comes in bold shapes and the brightest, cartoony shades. Prepare to make an impact, says Charlotte-Anne Fidler.
Photographs by Simon Emmett
Electric Blue Eyes
Here is an eye colour that will jolt you out of your cosy, neutral rut! “Eyes like this are fun and perfect for spring,” says make-up artist Kristin Piggot, ambassador for Rimmel UK. “It's all about bold, graphic shapes - no blending or soft shades.” Kristin applied a shadow with a brush from the outer lash line to the socket, tilting up at the outer corner of the eye so it's “flirty and sexy”. Resisting the urge to define the eye with liner and mascara, Kristen curled the lashes and added a few individual false lashes. “I wanted to open up the eyes but keep it young – almost doll-like,” she explains. “If you put mascara on it, it becomes very 'pretty' and more about the lashes than the colour.”
Red-Hot Hair
Hairdresser Kerry Warn, who created the styles in this gallery, calls this fire-engine red mane “glamorous hair that doesn't take itself too seriously”. “I like the vibrancy and extremity of red hair,” he reveals. “It's the archetypal colour for bad girls from Elizabeth I to Jessica Rabbit.” The style itself is pure Betty Page. “It's sexy and naughty,” laughs Kerry, who used curling irons to create the soft waves. “They add glamour – straight hair would have looked hard,” he explains. The short, blunt fringe keeps it modern. “It opens up the eye and the cheekbones,” says Kerry. “So it's the perfect frame for strong make-up.”
New Lines
Even classics like black liner and red lips can be given a fun makeover. “Blunting off the wing or flick immediately gives it more attitude and playfulness,” explains Kristen, who used a pen liquid liner to draw a very solid, very graphic” black line quite quite high on the lid, finishing off with a neat little rectangle on the outer corner. Lashes were larger than life. “They were very dense and heavy,” says Kristin. “This is not about being natural; it's about being fun and cartoony.”
Roll Call
Small heads are having a moment (check out Prada and Lanvin), but they're also a great base for kooky touches like this outsize roll and double bun. “Think of it as Olive Oyl on the town,” says Kerry. Despite its precise sleekness, it's surprisingly easy to do. Start by putting heated rollers into dry hair. “This gives hair flexibility so you can mould it easily,” says Kerry. For the “slightly rockabilly” roll, use a comb to create a triangular section from the crown to the forehead. Backcomb at the root, then smooth the length with a brush and curl it around two fingers “as if you're putting in a roller”. Pin inside the curl and spray with Moisture Barrier Hair Spray, £4.49, John Freida. To create the double buns, part the rest of the hair in the middle, pull into two sections behind each ear and tie each with a band. Twist each pony until it rolls in on itself, then pin to secure.
Sweet Lips
Scientists say that simply smiling releases feel-good endorphins. And if the Day-Glo mouths at the latest shows are anything to go by, make-up artists believe that bright lip colour has the same effect. “This spring it has to be bold and it has to be strong,” says Kristin. “Go for hot pinks, zingy oranges and vibrant reds.” Texture is crucial, too. “To keep it really modern and cool, go for matte,” she advises. “A glossy finish would make it very glam.” To make the colour uber-vibrant, Kristin fills in the entire lip with a matching shade of lip liner then applies the lipstick on top with a brush. “The liner creates a great base for the colour and stops the colour from becoming patchy,” she explains. Advice for the timid: if the strength of tis colour scares you, go for a bright gloss - “a gloss finish is always more wearable,” says Kristin.
Cool Coral
Playing with colour doesn't mean looking clown-like – particularly if you go for pastels. “They are easier to wear, and so pretty you can make them as strong as you like,” says Kristin. A case in point: this unlikely turquoise and coral combo on the eyes: “If you match the pastels they're ethereal; if you clash them they're bolder,” Kristin explains. Tip: two colours on a face is fine; three is a bit Bozo – hence the peach lip. “Match lips to the 'wearable' colour on the eyes,” says Kristin. “I picked up the peach in the cheeks, too.”
Get Ready For The New Season
The focus now is on bold statements with sunny skin and stand-out nails, says Alessandra Steinherr.
Styled by Alessandra Steinherr
Photographs by David Oldham
Hey, why wait for spring when we can show you the new season's prettiest looks right now? We bring you colour, colour, colour; on eyes, lips, nails... everywhere! If boldness isn't your schtick, try the gorgeous natural glossy tan, it looks pretty on everyone, you included.
Neon Bright Lips
You'll be hard-pressed to escape the bright lip trend this season and we mean bright – pick any shade from fuchsia to hot pink or even coral. What's new is the finish, which is slightly matte and with defined edges (it's time to dust off that lip liner lurking at the bottom of your make-up bag).
What's new? It's cool to match lips and tips again, so start looking after those nails now.
The New Glossy Bronze
The tan is dead! The tan is back! Confused? We don't blame you. What we know for sure is that this subtle, fresh, honey glow will make just about everyone look prettier in no time. First, even out skin with foundation one tone warmer than your usual shade. Then take a peach, rather rusty, bronzing powder and blend it along the outer contours of your face (temples, below cheekbones, under the chin).
What's new? Gloss is too beachy; stick to a creamy nude lipstick.
The Marbled Nail
We love this nail trend by pro David Barton. No, the marbled effect is not a stick-on, and yes, you can do it too. Visit the Girls On The Beauty Desk blog at GLAMOUR.com for our how-to film. All you need is a white base polish, two nail colours, a glass of water and a cocktail stick.
What's new? Contrast playful nails with a strong look on lips, like this glossy burgundy.
Candy-Coloured Eyes
We haven't seen this much prettiness on eyes for ages. The catwalks were brimming with all sorts of tutti-frutti shades, ranging from hot yellow and mint green, to sky blue and pearly pink. Our favourite is this gorgeous milky lilac worn as a smoky wash all over the lids. The key thing with pastels are a few coats of black mascara to frame the eyes.
What's new? Keep lips natural but don't go frosty, it'll make the look way too sugary.
