Ditch the wine lipstick — summer makeup is here

MANILA, Philippines - In spite of the cool weather we’ve been having lately, I can’t seem to enjoy it entirely because it only seems to serve as a reminder of how blindingly hot summer is going to be this year. It gets more unbearable every year, it seems, so I’ve been taking advantage of wearing tight pants and polyester in the daytime, along with wearing full coverage foundation, layered with cream blush and bronzer while I still can.

Looking through the MAC spring/summer 2014 beauty trends book, I see a lot of glamorous, ethereal “no-makeup makeup” looks this season. While I’m looking forward to wearing less makeup, I couldn’t ignore that it appeared a bit predictable. However, Gregory Arlt, MAC director of makeup artistry and Gwen Stafani’s favorite makeup artist, who flew in last week, explained that creating makeup trends is a lot more complex than saying “fresh and dewy” for spring/summer and “dark and dramatic” for fall/winter. “Before the shows, we meet with product development, who go to the fabric shows in Paris, like Première Vision, and they’ll talk about what’s happening for the next few seasons,” Gregory says. “So it’s kind of a combination of, this is what we see in fabrics in fashion that we think the makeup’s going to reflect, we also look at pop culture and see what’s going on in society, and then what happens is, when we’re backstage doing the shows, it’s a lot of different makeup artists, different designers, different stylists. Everyone is different, but then all of a sudden, there’s a sudden common theme. And we go, ‘Oh, now we see a trend forming here.’ So it kind of all works together, it’s all very strategic.”

This season, the team behind the MAC’s makeup trends for spring/summer identified four key looks: Day-Glow, CC-Thru Color, Light FX and The New Eye-Deal. After the un-wearable and intimidating makeup of last season (remember the lip gloss on eyelids and ombré lipstick technique?), Gregory promises that most, if not all, of the looks this season are completely user-friendly and more importantly, long-lasting, even  if humidity is working against you.

Day-Glow: Blush over bronzer

At Proenza Schouler, Giles, Chloé, Peter Som and Diane von Furstenberg, we saw miminal makeup that was all about freshness, health and femininity, according to Gregory. Two key products for this look: MAC Face and Body foundation, which will finally be available in Asia next month, and blush in pink, peach or coral.

Pro tip: While makeup artist Inge Grognard did the extreme version of this look by blending Dare You and Paramount lipsticks and applying horizontally across the cheeks for a “burnt” effect, Gregory has a more wearable version: “A cute way to apply blush is to start with the apple of your cheeks and blend upwards,” he instructs while applying Pro Longwear Blush in Stay Pretty to model Ana Sideco’s cheeks. He also begs to differ with critics who say that wearing foundation every day is bad for your skin: “We actually use these beautiful, spherical pigments that allow the skin to breathe, so it’s a really revolutionary technology. Actually, it’s more unhealthy to not wear it every day because our foundation has sunscreen and vitamin-derivatives, which help to prevent free radicals from damaging the skin and protect against the elements. I think just walking out, especially in a busy city, just barefaced, there’s a lot of elements you want to protect your skin from, so it really does create a healthy barrier.”

Light FX: Shilling the moonshine

Since summer is coming up, everyone expects the sun-kissed look to be in season, but at Marni, Roberto Cavalli, Max Mara, Issey Miyaki and Kenzo, we’re seeing a different kind of glow: moonlit, as opposed to sun-kissed. “It’s hard to say what’s in and out because a lot of people love bronzer, but bronzer’s always been the go-to. It’s obvious. Like, 'Oh, it’s spring/summer! Let’s do bronzer!”'But I think it’s more about highlighting,” Gregory says. “Doing the highlight, you create the depth of the face using highlighter. So I think highlighter’s definitely kind of taken the place of bronzer this season, which I like.”

Pro tip: “It’s about creating depth by adding light,” Gregory explains, referring to the look at Marni, which used highlighter, as opposed to bronzer, to contour the face. “I love highlighting. Gwen Stafani’s favorite highlighter is Shroom, which is actually a Satin eyeshadow. I use it on the high planes of the face,” he demonstrates. However, his favorite look from this trend was seen at Kenzo: “Using white eyeliner pops out the eye; it’s a statement of white,” he says.

CC-Thru Color: A loudmouthed statement

Gregory’s personal favorite trend was seen on the runways of Holly Fulton, Mary Katrantzou, Peter Pilotto, Prabal Gurung and Manish Aura. “It’s casual cool,” he says. “For spring, think bright lips: orange, red, fuchsia. Candy Yum Yum is what I call a ‘throw-and-go’ lipstick, especially when paired with soft, neutral makeup.” An LA native, Gregory also spotted this trend on the streets of the penennially sunny city: “I’m seeing a lot of lips, I’m seeing a lot of women going out to parties and clubs and dinners and wearing a little bit more on their lips, whereas before, it was always about an eye.”

Pro tip: “At Mary Katrantzou, we saw a red lip for real girls — red lips as a stain,” Gregory observed. “Because not everybody is Dita Von Teese!” Since the lips are the main attraction here, keep the skin and eyes muted, but don’t forget your eyebrows. “I wanted to keep it structured because it was a minimal eye, so it was this great eyebrow and a really strong lip,” Gregory explained. “I like using shadows because I find that shadow looks a little bit softer than pencil. I recommend the #266 brush by MAC. It’s a little angle brush. Put a little bit on the brush, tap, and then start by brushing up into the brow, and work towards the top of the brow. Follow the shape.”

The New Eye-Deal: Smoke gets under your eyes

Of all the looks presented, this is probably the trickiest, but only if you’re not used to doing smoky eyes. “The eyebrows are groomed and structure while the liner is a combination of a ‘50s flip with a ‘60s lash, like Edie Sedgwick or Twiggy and a ‘90s slept-in eye,” Gregory says, referring to the looks at Haider Ackermann, Missoni, Paul Smith, Carolina Herrera and Veronique Banquinho. “So think perfect liner on top and smokiness on the bottom,” he concludes.

Pro tip: “I love using Zoom Waterfast Lash on celebrities, especially at awards shows where they might cry. It’s a generous mascara, very feathery and great for humidity,” Gregory shares. “I remember hearing from a makeup artist named Tiffany Johnston, who works for MAC, that when she does mascara, she holds the eye up here,” Gregory says, while pulling up the area above his eyebrows, near his temple. “Because it’s easier to apply the mascara and you’re not getting your fingertips into the eyeshadow that you’ve done. Another makeup artist that I really look up to is Philippe Chansel, who actually hired me at MAC 21 years ago, and I remember him telling me, a lot of times makeup artists take their brush and poke it into the eyeshadow, but he said, ‘Go gently and swirl it, so it protects your brush.’”