Make up Looks for the summer

I’m fully aware that just because it’s summer it doesn’t mean you need to change the way you’ve always been doing your make up… BUT, what if you fancy something different this year? What if you are looking for something to inspire you and create something you’ve never tried before?

Here are 3 different make up looks that will hopefully speak to you and you will want to recreate at least one. I also suggest some cool green make up products along each look incase you don’t have anything at home that could work for the look you choose.

I took inspiration from many different places to do this, such as films, iconic fashion campaigns, other make up artists, everyday people, the romanticism of warm golden sunlight, and brightly colored fruits! Hope you like them!

The “Naturally Effortless” Look

This is the category I definitely most resonate. In the summer, I like not wearing any make up at all. There is something magical about summer time and it’s bare skin that speaks to me; it mirrors everything I want my summer to be; liberating and free. But if you are not comfortable with having zero make up on, then don’t worry, I have some product recommendations for you further down. First up, the mood board:

So as you can see, it’s literally “barely nothing” make up, or sometimes even literally nothing. However there is an art behind the “no make up make up” look which make up artists learn to master, and just because it looks like these models have nothing on, it doesn’t mean they don’t. For a more in depth discussion around this topic please visit an older article of mine called “My literal “no-make up make up” routine: how to look fresh without make up.” Here, you can find many product recommendations that I still stand by strong, but a few more recent products that caught my eye are:

Manasi 7 – All over colour – Manketti

Manasi 7 – All over shine – Cristallo

Ilia – Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40

Kosas – Lipgloss

Watch this tutorial by make up artist Lisa Eldridge if you need a more practical and in depth video guide on how to recreate a no make up make up look on your self.

The “Pop of Color” Look

Previously on WMC I wrote an article about how to incorporate color into your make up routine, so I would definitely recommend reading that one too if you are itching for some color but don’t know how to do it. I think there is nothing more fun than wearing a bright pink watermelon shade or a fuchsia pink dragon fruit shade on your lips! Even to wear a vivid mandarin or a light sky-blue shade on your eyes as eyeliner. The sky is the limit! Here are some photos for inspiration:

The most important thing to keep in mind when doing these colorful looks on you is to keep everything else muted. For example, keep the base as light as possible, no harsh brows, no strong contour, not too much powder, just keep it fresh, so the overall look has a modern and effortless feel to it. Again, if you need to watch a few video tutorials to fully grasp how to recreate these looks on yourself then watch these: Video 1 (watermelon lip), Video 2 (coral lip), Video 3 (guide to pink lip), Video 4 (fuchsia lip), Video 5 (how to wear a bright lip).

There aren’t many options for natural colorful eyeliners right now on the green market, but you can always take a natural eyeshadow and use it on a slightly wet brush to create a similar effect. Brands like Alva, Concrete Minerals and Benecos (eyepencils) do them. For lips, cheeks or even eyes (if you fancy a cream eyeshadow), I highly recommend the Manasi 7 all over colors. They have amazing longevity and they come in super fun colors.

Manasi 7 – all over color

The “Ibiza Pool Party” Look

This is most certainly not my personal go to look for the summer as I’m not really a party girl but I LOVE people who are and can rock a glam party look! The inspiration for this category was one of my favorite videos from Lisa Eldridge. She created a super cool, modern, effortlessly smudgy kohl eyeliner look with very natural, bronzed, translucent skin. In her own words she said “I’m going for a kind of Ibiza night time look, so I’m imagining Pucci-esque or Roberto Cavalli type of clothes, or Missoni, a bit glam but at the same time really chic, sophisticated and cool”. Naturally, I went down on an Internet rabbit hole to research big fashion and film moments that had that vibe. See the mood board below:

Movie – The Great Beauty (2013)

Tom Ford – Soleil Summer 2019 Campaign (video directed by Steven Klein

My mood boards leave the Ibiza look quite open for interpretation, and that’s intentional. I wanted to suggest more of a vibe rather than an actual look, but if you want to see what Lisa came up with on her video click here. It’s brilliant!

In this video, Lisa doesn’t use any natural products, but I chose a few green products that I believe are great substitutes to what she used, and will give more or less the same effect.