MakeUp Trend

Go Sheer With Our Makeup Trend Du Jour

It only took one above-90-degree day to make us start pining for kiddie pools and cherry popsicles. But the heavy heat also has us longing for makeup, dresses, and blouses that are as light as arctic air. Thankfully, fashion's sheer trend has inspired a slew of makeup and skincare products that mix a flush of summer color with some barely there formulations. Think berry-washed lips, sun-kissed cheeks, and just enough shimmer to make your skin really shine. From rosy lip stains to moisture-packed face tints, these sheer essentials are a hot summer girl's best-friend.



Clinique SPF15 Moisture Sheer Tint, $27, available at Neiman Marcus—For those of you who have zero time for morning primping, this super-clean feeling moisturizer gives you a quick, healthy glow of color along with sun protection and a boost of antioxidants. Beat that!

St. Tropez Instant Glow Face Lotion, $14, available at Amazon—Kind of like a self-tanner but with it's wash-off formula, you won't chance having to live with that icky orangey "Housewives of New York City" look all weekend. See the application video here.

The fashion, from left: Adam Heart-Print Silk Blouse, $245, available at Net-A-Porter; Valentino Haute Couture spring 2010 runway, via Valentino.

Streak Your Hair With These DIY Tips!

Feeling in need of a 'do-over? Why not try this season's most daring hair trend and add some shocking streaks to your locks. For a more colorful approach, channel the runways and add streaks of bright color through temporary clip-in extensions or colored styling gel. Wella Professionals lead colorist Eva Scrivo, owner of Eva Scrivo Salon in NYC, created dimension at Cynthia Rowley fall '10 by adding custom-made jewel-toned natural extensions. Wanna keep it more natural? Go for creamy chunks on the ends of hair with some gently lightened pieces around the face. "The beachy style is easy to maintain and won't wash your skin tone out as long as you still have darker pieces near your face," recommends Erin Bogart of Sally Hershberger Downtown. Just buy a box of temporary hair dye and use your fingers to streak face-framing bits and pieces. Wear your hair messy and it won't matter how imperfect the streaks look—lucky for you, this trend looks even better when done haphazardly!

Try Summer's Bright Makeup Trends Now!

There's something contagiously fun about bright, bold makeup colors. While we love the easy, breezy sun-kissed look, that visual shock to the system delivered by a techno lip, vivid eyeshadow, or strong cheek has crushed any lingering ambivalence we have about making a daring summer statement. This season's foray into high-wattage makeup colors is sassy, playful, and evocative of the spirited '80s pop star vibe, but take care not to overdo it and don it all at once—remember, there can be only one Cyndi Lauper! So zero in on one feature for a beauty trend that packs a simple yet stunning punch of color.

Eye Tech

For tasteful, showstopping eyes, makeup maestro and international lead makeup artist for NARS Cosmetics, Uzo, shows us the way. "Brighter eye shadows will add depth and intensity to the face, especially when applied along the upper lash line, or as part of a smoky eye summer routine," she says. "Pair a taupe or plum shadow with the turquoise side of NARS Burn It Blue Duo Cream Eyeshadow along the lash line or use a dark black or gray color all over the lid. Then, layer a small amount of Burn It Blue's ocean blue shimmer all over the dark shade, blending the shadow seamlessly into the crease."

New Nail Polish Changes Colors With Your Mood

Remember way back when mood rings were cool? Well, we still think they're pretty rad (in a funny nostalgic way), and apparently we're not the only ones. Perfect Formula is reinventing the mood ring, but this time in the form of a fingertip fad—nail polish.The top-secret special formula changes your shade from cool colors to warm bright hues depending on your body heat, which triggers the polish to magically transform. And around here, it's no big secret we're big fans of nail art, so this trend may just become our newest obsession. The collection launches in June, so be patient and don't get moody! (Stylelist)

Editors' Picks: Our Top Summer Beauty Buys

After a few clean-outs and some mini upgrades, you've almost got your closet working at optimum levels for spring and summer. Next step: Your beauty routine. Lord knows we are a very—VERY—low maintenance bunch of ladies over here, but we will, however, admit to falling in love with a few new products from time to time. To give you some spring/summer beauty inspiration, we've whittled our lists down to the essentials—lotions, potions, and tubes of color that not only address the needs of thirsty summer skin, but also give us that sunny, healthy glow the season is known for. One more tip: Definitely toss all those old half-used products from when you can't even remember. Time to start fresh, pretty lady.

Christene Barberich, Editorial Director




John Masters Hair Pomade, $20, available at John Masters. "My hair can get crazy frizzy in humid weather, and this pomade made of essential oils and mango butter not only hydrates and adds shine but it keeps me from looking like a wild woman. It also travels well and smells amazing, which is great when I want to skip the perfume."

Tarte Natural Lip Stain, $24, available at Sephora. "I turned into my grandmother—I never leave the house without lipstick, not even in the heat of summer. But a friend just turned me onto Tarte's new natural lipstain, and I'm totally psyched there's a light summer product that's devoid of parabens and gross synthetic dyes. Finally!"

Elemental Herbology Cell Food, $68, available at Space NK. "I keep my skin-care routine super simple especially in summer, and I love that this concentrated serum kind of does it all, from stimulating collagen production to reducing those little baby wrinkles that are showing up around my eyes. It seriously makes your skin feel more nourished right after you put it on."

NYX Powder Blush in Pinky, $6, available at NYX. "I have red hair, and while I'm probably not supposed to wear a super pink blush, I always do...it just kind of wakes up my face. Lately, my product of choice is this powder blush in the most perfect rosy-bubblegum shade. I love it and it's only $6!"

Chantecaille Naturelle SPF 46 Face Powder, $65, available at Chantecaille. "I love this effortless, non-toxic totally translucent SPF powder. It goes on easily and almost acts like an incredibly light foundation, smoothing the skin-tone."

I DIY! Sexy Beach Hair Made Easy

Few accessories offer a girl as many opps for experimentation during summer-time as your hair. And because we're already day-dreaming about those first few sandy weekend romps in Montauk and Maine, we've decided to get our sexy beach-hair routine down pat. Since the bottom line for truly successful summer hairstyles is always a 'do that is super easy, we've enlisted mane experts to school us in the art of perfectly wild, perfectly textured and tousled beach hair. Our own R29 tips? Weave in a little relaxed braid on one or both sides, letting the ends fray a bit to make the look even more castaway chic. Or, post-product (and especially for shorter hair), try twisting up the ends and securing with a few bobby-pins here and there to get a messy-elegant up-do that's pretty much as easy as a day at the beach.

Instant Beach Hair DIY! Bumble and bumble's Editorial Stylist Sabrina Michals tells us how to get that sexy beach hair look nice and easy.

1. To get that great beachy ropey texture start with damp hair and spritz with a texturizer like Surf Spray, $22, part hair into six sections and loosely braid. Spritz each braid with a soft- to medium-hold styling spray like Does it All Hairspray, $22.

2. Blast each braid with a blowdryer until dry, or sleep on the braids.

3. Gently unravel the braids and rake fingers through hair. Spray a little with Bumble and bumble Hair Powder, $35, to create more texture.

4. Use the pads of your fingertips and massage hair along the crown to create some cool flyaways and a subtle lift at the crown.

5. You can also use an 1 1/4" curling iron to create a few face framing waves. Wind the hair around the curling iron, twisting the hair a bit to create a bit of ropiness, leave about an inch of hair out of the iron, so the ends remain flat. The flat ends give the look a more unstructured cool-girl vibe instead of being too pretty. Rake hands thru the curled pieces to loosen.