   |
Trends
Make-up artists at this season's London Fashion Week opted for light, fresh 'seasonless' make-up which transcends all seasons. The majority of looks are minimal, with a flash of colour adding some fun.
MAC make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury sums up - "The complexion is certainly more matte this summer, but it's not heavy. It's all about making the skin as light as possible, really minimising the amount of base we are using, and then adding an element of some shine or some highlight. The overall feeling is one of freshness and giving the face dimension."
There are three very definite trends for SS07: Luminosity/Metallic, Pretty and Neon.
Tans are out. Instead skin is luminous- more moonlit than sunkissed. Iridescent primers, such as BeneFit's San Francisco satiny pink/bronze face powder, MAC's Lightscapade Highlighting Powder and Clarins Instant Light Complexion Perfector, bring skin to life, accentuate features and banish pastiness.
It is not just neon clothes which have made a return this season, it's back with a vengeance in make-up. The new vibrant brights are modern, sharp and very graphic. But only ever used as a flash of colour - on eyes, nails or lips - with otherwise muted make-up. Relevant eye products are: Givenchy's Prismissime Eyes Arty Palette featuring nine neon shades including blue, pink and yellow; The Body Shop's Eye Colour Fusion, in Fusion Blue (aqua, royal blue and icy shimmer) and Fusion Green (emerald, lime and olive green); and MAC's Eyeshadow in Electric Eel. |
 | Ballet inspired nudes and pinks are popular colour pallettes. The pretty trend is particularly prevalent in packaging this season.
Clinique's Fresh Bloom Allover Colour in Peony is embossed with a flower; Elizabeth Arden's Color Intrigue compact contains a range of sorbet shades; Chantecaille's La Palette Les Roses includes two rose embossed blushers; and Paul & Joe's Face Colour Powder contains rose extract to reduce puffiness and comes in a flower patterned box.
   |
Complexion
San Francisco from Benefit bronzes and highlights, sculpting cheekbones in one fell swoop. As long as the brush is swept along the cheekbone (not swirled) the bronzer will go under the cheekbone and the highlight will go above.
Lorac's Cheek Stamp is a blusher with a round sponge applicator gives an instant pop of colour to cheeks which can then be softened with fingertips.
Lancome's new Magie Blush is a mousse textured blusher available in six shades. |  |
 | Eyes
The product all the magazines are talking about this month is Chanel's Lumiére d'Artifices. The sequin effect compact homes in on the current trend for metallics in the popular shades of silver, gold and white.
Dior's Eye Show has an easy to blend souffle like texture which dries to a waterproof powder finish. The shimmering, metallic colours give a multidimensional finish in shades including Queen of Green and Pop Aquadelic.
  |
1-Couleur Powder Mono Eyeshadow are single eyeshadows which come in shimmer, pearl and matte finishes. Twelve jewel rich shades are available including Metallic Blue, Amber Plum and Silver Dust.
- GTC Tested: Tried Amber Plum which was a nice deep colour shot with gold sparkle. It went on smoothly and layered easily but it was no more crease resistant than most eyeshadows.
A little or a lot of Urban Decay's Heavy Metal Glitter Eye Gel can be used depending on the desired effect. Available in six colours, the formulation consists of glitter suspended in a clear gel.
      |
| Lips |  | |
|
L'Oreal's New Color Riche Made for Me Naturals range come in five colour sets with two colours in each for blondes, dark blondes, light brunettes, dark brunettes and dark skin tones. Shade 231 Silk is suited to dark brunette colouring, shade 239 Bronze is suited to dark skin whilst 233 Taffeta is recommended for blondes.
Baby Balm Lipstick is new from Vincent Longo and brings together the moisturisation of a lip balm and the colour of a lipstick to provide lips with an emollient sheer veil of colour. Vitamins A & E shield the lips from free radicals and organic sun filters help prevent UV damage. Shades available include: Love Berry, Soft Saturn and Bon Voyage.
Shu Uemuru's Drawing Pencil in Bronze Gold can be used to highlight the lips as well as the eyes as part of the metallic trend. |  |
Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited lipsticks contain patent-pending high-tech pigments and come in 65 vibrant colours including nine artists shades. This palette comprises of mauve which subdues pinks, yellow which adds golden/peach tones, green which can be layered to increase sheen to shade and black which darkens all shades.
     
ExtraLasting Lip Colour is a new double ended product from Avon with a long-last lip paint at one end and a gloss coat at the other. It is transfer resistant, lasts for up to eight hours and comes in eight shades.
Avon's Glass Reflections Lipstick, a stick formulation which provides the shine of a gloss and comes in shades of Glossy Whisper, Glossy Berry and Glossy Nude amongst others.
Nails
Also new from Avon is Glass Reflections Nail Enamel, to compliment the lipstick and keep up with the trend for gloss. The nail polish is available in six shiny shades including Glossy Whisper and Glossy Mist. |
| |
|
| | |