The Best Spring/Summer 2021 Makeup Trends To Recreate IRL
Easy peasy ways to cop the runway beauty looks.
By Arissa Ha,
We lay out the most noteworthy trends from Spring/Summer with a how-to that takes them from runway to street.
Goth took on different faces this season, with Chanel going the soft and feminine route with smoky grey matte lids, and Dior and Chloe dialling up the drama with eyes rimmed in the most intense of black.
Creamy, non-waterproof eyeliners work best as the pigments are the most intense. Line around the eyes, giving a gentle flick at the outer ends for subdued seduction. Any mistakes can easily be cleaned up using your ring finger: Blend the flaw upward towards the brow bone, then apply a dark grey eyeshadow with a fluffy blending brush.
There was no room for subtlety as the vivid, saturated hues of the '80s made a triumphant comeback. Take your cue from Tom Ford with a full-on intense eye and lip. Or go the way of Bronx and Banco and Soeren Le Schmidt, and pick just one feature to play up with an audacious pop of unexpected colour.
Ramp up the vibrance by using an eyeshadow primer or spray on your favourite facial mist on an eyeshadow brush with synthetic bristles before dabbing it on the eyeshadow pan. The latter will give a foil-like finish when used with metallic eyeshadows.
It’s been a while since the last big brow trend (not since Cara Delevingne invaded the runways), so we welcome the flair at the top. Give your look a cool edge with artful eyebrow slits – as seen at Miu Miu – or add a touch of whimsy with graphic feathered brows such as those spotted at Yohji Yamamoto.
Comb through fluffy brows with a spoolie brush to neaten them before brushing on a brow gel in an upward motion. Sparse brows, in particular, will benefit from a tinted gel, which instantly makes things look thicker and fuller. To help brows stay in place all day, go for a heavy-duty gel such as Anastasia Beverly Hills’s Brow Freeze.
A scarlet pout never goes out of season and this time round, it’s the universally flattering blue-toned reds that showed up in full force. Dominating the runways was a matte, velvety finish that favours a more sophisticated and polished look.
Striking eyes continued their reign with new energy. Francesca Liberatore gave cat eyes an edgier vibe by switching out the outer flicks for horizontal V’s teamed with winged inner corners and subtle shimmer. Salvatore Ferragamo, meanwhile, upped the cool quotient by trading in regular black for arresting white.
Graphic lines require precision, which is exactly what liquid eyeliners deliver. Select one with a brush tip so it doesn’t drag along the lash line, giving you more control. The way to work liquid formulas is to map out the lines with a series of small dots and just connect them to complete the final look.
A version of this article first appeared in Harper's Bazaar Singapore