Some S/S Beauty Trends I'm Looking Forward To...

Hurrah! Summer officially begins in 3 days - so it's time to say good bye to burgundy hues and porcelain skin, and say hello to bright coloured lipsticks and tanning mits.

 The S/S 12 catwalks displayed an array of different makeup trends, ranging from an avant-garde, colourful, doll inspired look at Meadham Kirchoff, to a slightly more wearable coral lip at Erdem. If you are feeling slightly out of sync with what trends to wear this season, take a look at my top three looks and see what tickles your fancy.


Bright Coloured Lips

              

A prerequisite for S/S each year. Why? Because it's so versatile and easy to wear. Use

the lipstick as a stain or paint on the layers for a powerful coral punch.This look goes 

perfectly with a sun kissed tan, bushy brows and a sweep of black mascara.

Try:

No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in 'Gay Geranium' £10.00

MAC's 'Lady Danger' £13.50

Barry M Lip Paint in shade '151'  £4.49

Pastel Nails

Satisfy your sweet tooth by choosing one of these pastel shades to keep your bare nails company this summer. Don't be afraid to mix it up with two or more shades, the more resemblant to neapolitan ice cream, the better!

Try:

Revlon Nail Enamel in 'Minted' £6.49

Barry M Nail Paint in 'Peach Melba' £2.99

Essie Nail Polish in 'Lilacism' £9.95

                                                                              

Bronzed Skin

If the Michael Kors s/s show was anything to go by, it's time to get down to your nearest Boots and pick up a bottle of St Tropez. The models looked like they had just stepped off the plane from a week in the Greek Islands. WARNING: Try not to get too carried away, we are aiming for a natural shade of brown - not a TOWIE orange spray paint job.

For an everyday gradual tan, try St Tropez Naturals Self Tan Lotion £26.59

For an instant tan, try Rimmel Instant Matte Tan £6.99

So there you go, three of the hottest beauty trends for Summer to get you started. Don't be afraid to get experimental, have fun with them!

Bronzing for Spring/Summer

I've always had a love hate relationship with tanning products. Bad examples include, disgusting biscuit smell that lingers on you all day long and not so natural, tangerine legs. I have tried and tested a number of self tanners, Dove, Johnsons, Garnier you name it - all of which have never really boded well with my pale, sensitive skin. So, in the Christmas holidays I took the plunge and decided to invest in some pricier tanning lotions, one for face and one for body. I made sure did my research before splashing out on these two 'luxury' items. I turned to none other than tanning expert, James Read - also founder of the website thetantalist.com. His website is home to all things 'bronze' ranging from tutorials, catwalk trends, interviews and reviews.  

When I looked into what face product to choose, he seemed to highly rate Chanel's Soleil Identité. I'd never sampled any of Chanel's beauty products before, so I was happy to see that my skin felt incredibly smooth with a subtle, bronzed glow.

 For body, I turned to trusty tanning brand St Tropez. I chose the Gradual Everyday Tanning Body Lotion which worked well and gave me a nice colour, but it didn't seems to last very long and I was only using it twice a week. Last week I returned to Boots to re-purchase some more and stumbled across a new St Tropez product standing on the shelf. St Tropez 'Naturals' with Vegetan is a new creation perfect for people like me who don't like to layer on lots of parabens and synthetic ingredients onto my body. It also works well for sensitive skin, great for me! 

So far, so good! It hasn't reacted with my skin which was my main concern, and it hasn't turned me a questionable shade of orange. Unfortunately, there is a tiny hint of the dreaded digestive biscuit scent, but only a little - no where near as bad as anything I've tested in the past. They have some other products in the range which I look forward to trying out. Big thumbs up!

To find out more about the Naturals range, visit http://www.st-tropez.com/naturals