Sheer summer colour:

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“Dear Charles, I never know how to change my look for summer because my makeup bag seems to contain the same things all year round, any advice on a quick summer spruce?”

    Charles says: You could opt for a tinted moisturiser as many people do this time of year. The texture is lightweight compared to a foundation and if you get one with sun screen in it is great for protecting the skin at the same time.

    As usual make sure that the colour matches your skin tone by seeking professional advice to achieve the correct shade.

If you do want to warm up the complexion, as sometimes the chest and arms can seem to be darker than your face, you should choose a bronzer that will match in with the tone of your skin,

    I like to use a matte bronzer on most people and then add a shimmer blusher just to create a bit of texture and highlight the cheek bones for a perfect summer look.

    The best way to choose a bronzer is to swatch three different shades of colour on to the back of your hand. You want to match it with the tone of the skin on your chest and arms so this is a good place to find the tone. Bronzers vary in texture and colour but your main tones will be golden (yellow), neutral (Brown-beige) and cinnamon (red-for deeper skin tones.) Which ever one blends in to the back of your hand is the one you should try on your face.

    Load up a wide cut bronzer brush that will distribute an even amount of colour on to the skin. Tap of any excess product back in to the bronzer compact as you need the colour to look even and natural. I see so many cases where bronzer looks patchy and un-clean, most of the time this is from too much product on the brush and then a severe panic afterwards to blend it!   

    Using very light sweeping movements apply colour across the forehead, down the nose, cheekbones and the chin (where the sun would naturally fall basically!) Don’t forget to apply a little on the neck to blend the overall colour from face to chest. I think it’s really best to build colour gradually as bronzer is really used to warm up the skin tone and not change it completely.

    When it comes to cheeks and lips choose something sheer such as a cheek tint or a shimmer blusher just to add a little colour in to the skin and to give you a fresh flush. There are so many colours out there to choose from – but choose one that will represent natural flush tones in your skin.

    For lips there is nothing better than real high shine glossy texture that says wow! With glosses you can get away with wearing colour that you normally wouldn’t delve into such as a red, plum or orange, because glosses are sheerer in texture and really just add a hint of colour.

    Many people just want a touch of shimmer on the eyes with a good black mascara to give some definition to the look. So why not use a wash of shimmer eye-shadow all over the lid from lash to crease for the daytime, then smoke it up for the evening with a cool tone for the summer like a navy or a khaki, something that is not quite as definite as black.

 

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Summer has come, apparently, and as people shed a few layers of clothing to catch a glimpse of the sun for a little colour, I was finding it hard to shed the winter clothing of a scarf and coat. For some bizarre reason I had become so attached to my multicoloured scarf that had a cocktail of different fragrances mixed together. Walking around the city I can see that everybody’s got into the summer spirit. People are parading around with no tops on when it’s cloudy and others are walking around the shopping malls in sunglasses. Yes we have reached the great British summer ladies and gentlemen where everybody just gets a little bit carried away.

    Looking at fashion, I've seen so many people out and about in blue and white striped shirts, t-shirts and dresses – very nautical looking.

    Although a stripy t-shirt is nothing particularly special, I was desperate to join in with the summer trend and set out on my quest to find one and get into the nautical spirit. After many hours of shopping, moping about and stops for coffee, I still couldn’t find one! I had to admit I was being a bit fussy as I had the cut and sleeve length in my mind.

    At the moment Bobbi Brown has created a ‘Nautical’ collection, the colours are very sheer and perfect for the summer. The new collection includes gorgeous cheek tints which look similar to a cream blush stick, but they give and amazing dewy sheer wash of colour that just looks like you’ve been parading up and down the pier for hours on end.

    Makeup like fashion will strip off a layer for the season, textures will become lighter and sheerer – as who wants a full face of makeup in the height of summer?