Don’t Sweat It: Top 10 Summer Beauty Tips

When it comes to putting on our makeup in the summer, many of us think, why bother? It just seems to sweat right off when you walk out the door! Still, you want to look your best. And yes, you can look cool and collected even in the summer months, according to the beauty pros at Francois Nars Cosmetics, who keep up with the latest beauty trends and transform hundreds of models for designer runway shows each season.

Francois Nars, founder and creative director of the company, has just put together a new book, “Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself,” and offers these tips for looking great all summer long:

1. Have a professional help you choose the right shade of foundation and concealer.

2. Always prep before applying color cosmetics: skin and eyes with primer, eyes with liner or an appropriate base of powder or cream shadow, and lips with a softening treatment balm.

3. Blend any excess foundation on neck to create a uniform canvas.

4. Lightly apply blush around the hairline, on the temples, along the jaw line and on the tip of the nose, as well as the cheeks, to create a natural look.

5. Less is more. Start with a minimal amount of makeup and build up color or coverage slowly.

6. Use loose powder to soften an effect.

7. Erase small mistakes with a little extra foundation applied with a brush.

8. Lighten lip color by topping it with a light shade of lip gloss.

9. Tweeze eyebrows subtly, if at all.

10. Have some fun! It’s only makeup!

Here are some of the trends from the designer runway shows where Nars’ artists pulled together the latest makeup looks. Take a few cues from them to update your summer face:

SHOW: 3.1 Phillip Lim

LEAD ARTIST: Lisa Butler for NARS Cosmetics

TREND: Nude lips and sculpted cheeks

INSPIRATION: “The looks are best described by saying they have the spirit of a modern female dandy — city girls in their strength but subtly whimsical,” says designer Phillip Lim. “Each girl is elegant with a sense of buoyancy.”

LOOK: “Youthful elegance was what we were aiming for,” says Lisa Butler about the look. No shine … polished, radiant skin “with dimension through sculpted cheeks.”

Below are some key products and steps for recreating the look:

Face:

— NARSskin Brightening Serum

— NARS PRO-PRIME Pore Refining Primer

— NARS Madere Pure Matte Lipstick mixed with NARS Barbarella Lipstick for the cheeks.

Eyes:

— NARS Eyebrow Pencils (for sculpting and defining eyes)

— NARS Hollywood Land Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

— NARS Bali Single Eyeshadow

— NARS Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara

Lips:

— NARS Madere Pure Matte Lipstick

SHOW: Sophie Theallet

LEAD ARTIST: Lena Koro, NARS International Makeup Artist

TREND: Smoky eyes and glossy red lips

INSPIRATION & LOOK: “We wanted to fuse together both color and light. We were inspired by Chavela Vargas, the Mexican singer,” says Lena Koro. “The makeup is polished and bright — and coincides with the prints of the clothing.”

Below are some key products and steps for recreating the look:

Face:

— NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

— NARS Deep Throat Blush

Eyes:

— NARS Calanque Trio Eyeshadow

— NARS Cordura Duo Eyeshadow

— NARS Tzarine Duo Eyeshadow

— NARS Okinawa Trio Eyeshadow

— NARS Larger Than Life Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara

Lips:

— NARS Vesuvio Pure Matte Lipstick

— NARS Triple X Lip Gloss

SHOW: Marc Jacobs

LEAD ARTIST: Francois Nars

TREND: Glossy green eyes & deep matte lips

LOOK & INSPIRATION: “The look is very reminiscent of Angelica Houston in the ’70s — the bleached brows and the deep eyes,” says Francois Nars. “I wanted them to look like iconic models from the ’70s with a modern approach. Marc had images of what he wanted the makeup to look like — mimicking the colors of the clothing but not matching exactly.”

Below are some key products and steps for recreating the look:

Face:

— NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

— NARS Orgasm Blush

Eyes:

— NARS Night Porter Eyeshadow

— NARS Nouveau Monde Duo Eyeshadow

— NARS Celebrate Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

— NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

Lips:

— NARS Volga Pure Matte Lipstick

— NARS African Queen Lip Liner Pencil

— NARS Mambo Eyeliner Pencil

SHOW: Thakoon

LEAD ARTIST: Diane Kendal for NARS Cosmetics

TREND: Golden luminosity

INSPIRATION: “The clothes are light so I wanted the makeup to have a little more impact this time — as if the girls were beautiful, cool fairies,” says designer Thakoon. “I wanted the whole aura to feel like opening windows and letting in a breeze — fresh and romantic but tempered at the same time.”

LOOK: “Golden, but not tanned. As if the girls are glowing from within … with, of course, confidence,” said lead artist Diane Kendal.

Below are some key products and steps for recreating the look:

Face:

— NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

— NARS PRO-PRIME Pore Refining Primer

— NARS Laguna Bronzer

— NARS Zen Blush

-NARS Etrusque Single Eyeshadow

Eyes:

— NARS Cordura Duo Eyeshadow

— NARS Etrusque Single Eyeshadow

— NARS Calanque Trio Eyeshadow

— NARS Coconut Grove Eyeshadow

— NARS Hollywood Land Soft Touch Shadow Pencil

— NARS Madere Pure Matte Lipstick

— NARS Hopi Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

Sharon Mosley is a former fashion editor of the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock and executive director of the Fashion Editors and Reporters Association. To find out more about Sharon Mosley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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