The Fall 2013 shows brought us countless beauty looks to try (some crazier than others!), but the ones that caught my eye were at Bottega Veneta and Jil Sander. Both runways were dominated by prominent brows, flush nude lips, and soft eyes. This focus on easy beauty is just what you want in the summer. Take advantage of that warm, sunny glow and go as natural as possible. To achieve the understated eye look, try luminescent shadows like in Givenchy’s Le Prisme Quartet (at Sephora for $57). You can use the Purple Show palette to build up to the “I pretty much just rolled out of bed” insouciant face. Swipe the purple shadow along the crease, taking it out towards the temple to ever so subtly open up your eyes. Then highlight the brow bone by layering and blending the bronze pink with the light pink and using the light pink right below the brows for contrast. When it comes to the brows themselves, I had a head start by getting temporary tattoos. If you want to stick with pencils, though, the best are Kevyn Aucoin (at Barneys New York for $24) and Shu Uemura.
Of course you need mascara, but I find that every Snob has her favorite, so just stick with that. Keep it light – stop a few strokes short of your usual amount just to make sure it looks even more natural. Then there’s gloss – By Terry’s Terrybly shine (at Barneys New York for $44) is simply the best for summer. You don’t want to be smacking your lips out in the humidity, and this natural looking tint goes on silky smooth. Laura Mercier’s lip stain (at Laura Mercier for $20) is great if you don’t want to worry about making touch-ups. It’s not like a matte stain that leaves your lips looking dry (although you could still put gloss on top to give it extra shine). Plus, it works amazingly on your cheeks. I used it there as an emergency fix one day, but loved it so much that I do it all the time now. It offers a light touch of color that you can blend to your satisfaction. Put it right on the apples of your cheeks for a gorgeous summer flush!
Aw, I was Googling Kevyn Aucoin for an article I’m writing and your website/this post came back. I worked with him in the Tents waaaaay back and he was too amazing for words. I’ve been monitoring his brand, which has done very well since before and after his death. Anyway, it’s heartwarming to see some still respect his vision and drop his name in blog posts and reco his product. Thanks for doing that!
Love the natural-glow look!