If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
James Molloy, M.A.C.’s director of makeup artistry (Asia-Pacific) reveals the hottest trends for Spring & Summer
Simplicity is the name of the game in beauty for Spring & Summer. The hard lines have been replaced by a gentler, softer look, which places emphasis on fluidity and a minimalist approach.
“This season is about keeping it simple. It’s about choosing one element and making that the feature,” said James Molloy, M.A.C.’s director of makeup artistry (Asia-Pacific), who was in Kuala Lumpur recently for its trends presentation.
“Imagine a girl just coming out of the waters,” Molloy added.
He also said that this season, the focus is still on the quality of skin and the desire for a naturally matte face.
The four key looks for Spring & Summer are Sig-nature, Nu-ance, Puri-tan and Sci-chedelic.
Here is everything you need to know about the hot new looks and how you can achieve them at home:
Sig-nature
The Sig-nature look banks on the “perfect blank canvas” and luminous skin. For this look, skin is smooth, with a luxe, hydrated feel, and lips are neutral or with just a touch of lipstick to heighten the natural tone.
“It stays away from too much hi-shine or the glossy look. There’s also a return to a handsome brow, or what we call, the boy brow,” said Molloy,
“M.A.C.’s chrome eyeshadow was a big hit on the runways this season. There was also lots of soft clothing with strong makeup, making it an interesting mix,” he said.
To get the look, Download MAC’s Sig-nature looksheet
Nu-ance
Nu-ance flirts with playfulness, with the look focused upon flashes of silver and cold metallic to create a futuristic appeal
There is use of bright colours like lemon yellow and turquoise to add pizazz, along with mint and aqua. Softer shades like lilac, apple and peach are also popular.
“With Nu-ance, lips are not so full, but more of a sweetheart lip. We want lips to do all the talking in Nu-ance,” said Molloy.
If this sounds like your kind of thing, Download MAC’s Nu-ance looksheet to learn how to take the look from the runaway to everyday life.
Puri-tan
Looking for the perfect sun-kissed look? Then Puri-tan is right up your alley. Think healthy, golden honey-beige tones, which give off the appearance you have spent a day at the beach,
“Puri-tan is about creating the sun-kissed look, with sepia tones around the eyes against nude skin,” explained Molloy, who uses Molloy M.A.C.’s Matchmaster Foundation to “let the natural radiance of skin shine through”.
“The Matchmaster gives a great matte finish and blends evenly over skin to even out skin tone,” Molloy said.
To steal this golden style, Download MAC’s Puri-tan looksheet
Sci-chedelic
Do you consider yourself a free spirit, but with a gutsy edge? Then Sci-chedelic will be perfect for you.
The trend, which could be seen on the runways of Vivienne Westwood, Missoni, Moschino, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Mugler, features color blocking with primary pigments, contained shapes that wrap around features and a burst of colour on the lip.
“We saw a lot of references to the 60s, to The Beatles, to Psychedelia. This trend is really about expressing yourself through colour, having fun, being a bit free-spirited, and enjoying either a bold eye or a bold lip statement,” explained James.
To add some color into your life Download MAC’s Psi-chedeliclooksheet
The before and after below is of Tania Hahm‘s mom.
So she’s getting on in age but there’s no need to not get dressed up and paint the town red (or pink, in this case.) I am loving the deep fuchsia lips and blush colored outfit.
As you can see, she’s got a fair bit of yellow undertone to her skin. Almost all Asian women have yellow undertones and without the right foundation you can look grey or ashy.
What I always do to my foundation is add some yellow pigment to it (Make Up For Ever carries them) or use loose powder with yellow in it (good brands are Ben Nye and T Le Clerc) to set the powder.
Products used for the look:
- Too Faced Poreless Primer with Beauty Blender
- Graftobian foundation in Bombshell with MAC DuoFibre Brush and Beauty Blender
- Ben Nye Banana powder with Artnet Powder Brush
- Dior blush #020 with Dior blush brush
- Stila brow powder with Makeup Forever Eyebrow Brush
- Bobbi Brown Espresso Ink gel liner with Crown Brush liner brush S-170\
- Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow in Incognito #030 with Crown Brush angle brush for highlighter, Dior eyeshadow brush for lid.
- Generic Lipliner in Plum
- YSL Lipgloss Golden Gloss 310
Well this should be inspiration enough for you ladies out there to put on some bright lipstick, gather some girlfriends, go out and have fun ; )
Thank you Tania and her mom for letting me share this.
xoxo
Ladies,
The photos below just drives home the point: Never underestimate the power of makeup. The exotic babe below was looked fine to begin with, but with the help of her fairy godmother AKA Tania Hahm, her exotic looks were enhanced further.
As with a lot of women, her primary area of concern was her under eye circles. With the help of the right concealer and a pop of bright pink blush, her skin looked much more radiant.
Left: Before, Right: After
And I am loving the pale pale lips.
Tip: For those of us with darker lips, try not to use a lighter lipstick than our skin tone. It will actually make you look like an extra from a bad zombie movie.
Happy Easter everyone.
PS/ FYI, the photos were not retouched in anyway.
I know a lot of girls, especially Asian girls shy away from wearing red lipstick. When asked, the response I get is usually along the lines of “too bold/too strong/I can never wear red.”
It is true that red lipstick is loud and bold. And that is a good thing. Sometimes, you want to make a bold statement with your look and trust me, if done right, red lipstick can make you appear strong, bold and confident, without appearing any less feminine, for what can be more feminine than red lipstick?
The only reason you haven’t worn red lipstick is because you have not found the right red lipstick. So I’m going to share some tips on how to choose the perfect shade of red lipstick for you.
Step 1: Pick A Red That Suits Your Skintone.
Pale Porcelain Skin ( think Nicole Kidman or Dita Von Teese) – Choose a True Red color (primary red). Think the London Bus. Porcelain skin also fall under the cool skin tone family, so any blue-red lipcolor would flatter them.
For porcelain beauties, stick to a true red color lippy.
Cool Skin Tones i.e. blue or pink undertones ( think Dita Von Teese or Anne Hathaway): Choose lipsticks from the blue-red family – for example berry reds. If you choose reds that have orange in them, it would look too bright and glaring. Also, blue-red lipscolors help make your teeth look whiter.
Anne Hathway always look breathtaking with red lipstick.
Warm Skin Tones i.e. olive, gold or yellow undertones (think Aishwarya Rai or Rosario Dawson: Choose a red with from the orange-red family. Orange-based reds add spark and compliments your skin perfectly. It also helps to brighten up darker skin tones.
Girls with warmer skin tones need to choose reds with a bit of orange in them.
Step 2: Pick A Red Lipstick Shade
Once you have figured out which family of red you should go for (warm or cool) , its time to experiment. Go to the department store (or drugstore) and start to experiment.
Megan Fox (cool skin tone) wearing a deep blue-red lipstick.
Red is a very strong pigment, so dab some on your finger and then apply it to your lip. I don’t recommend applying it on your hand as your hand has a different shade than your face, and besides, you want to see how it would look like when you wear it on your lips, not on your hand! Continue playing around with various shades, until you find one that matches your complexion.
Step 3: Putting Together A Red Lipstick Look
Fabulous! You’ve found (and purchased) your red lipstick. So now you would want to put it on, and paint the town red, right?
Kim Kardashian does it right. Pair (precisely applied) red lipstick with black mascara and subtle blush.
Yes… but first please pay attention to these simple rules when wearing red lipstick:
- Because red is a very very bold color, make sure to tone down the rest of your other makeup. Keep eye makeup limited to nude eye shadows, black liner and/or mascara, and keep blush neutral. Anything else and you risk looking like a clown.
- When applying your red lipstick, line your lips with a nude/red lipliner first. This helps to prevent the color to bleed. And please use a lipbrush for precise application
- If you are thinking of going all out and wearing a red dress to go with the red lips, make sure it is the exact same shade as your lipstick. And when you do go for this route, try to keep everything else simple.
- If wearing nail polish, aim for nude, black or red polish (in the exact same color) as your lips.
And it’s really that easy to wear red lipstick. Happy Experimenting!
