SS14 Beauty Trends to Try

There’s a funny thing about this time of year; it’s still too cold to start buying spring items but it’s too late in the season to invest in another knitted jumper. It’s the same with make-up; there’s no way the cold weather is conducive to a bare-faced look and a deep red lipstick in March seems a little passé.

But before you start fretting that this between-season’s nothingness is a huge waste of your time, rejoice in the knowledge that is actually the perfect time of year to prepare yourself for the impending spring / summer season!

 Now is the time to soft launch that summer diet, think about what colour you’re going to go with your hair and crack out the gradual tanner in preparation for the main event!

So to get you all excited about what is on offer in terms of beauty trends for this year, we revisited the SS14 shows and rounded-up some of our favorite looks – which ones will you be trying out?

Barely there make up seen at Thakoon, Balmain and Proenza Schouler SS14

Barefaced Beauty

The bare-faced look is as predictable for spring / summer as floral print is so none of us were exactly surprised to see a bevy of beautiful models taking on the SS14 catwalks with a fresh faced looks.

For SS14 make-up artists paired back the natural beauty look to the extremes; Balmain, Philip Lim and Dolce & Gabbana all did bare faced beauty to absolute perfection.

Make sure to note that it’s called ‘barely-there make-up’; not to be confused with not wearing any make-up at all, the results can be dramatically different, and probably not as desirable.

There is a fine art to this look but it’s worth perfecting as, when done well, the barefaced look is a thing of beauty. The trick is all in the preparation; you need to be drinking at least two litres of water to keep skin clear and bright, invest in a brilliant primer or BB cream and a natural looking mascara (none of this ‘false lash effect’ mascara here ladies).

This look is all about clear skin and a vibrant dewy complexion so steer clear of heavy foundations and only apply a very minimal dusting of bronzer or blush to finish. Think of the money that you’ll save not buying your usual foundations and bronzers and spend the money instead on a really great day cream or CC cream.

We love the Benefit ‘That Gal’ brightening primer which has rosy pigments which lends the complexion a really healthy glow.

Gold detailing from Raf Simons for Dior SS14

Everything that Glitters

Despite the majority of SS14 looks being natural and ‘raw’ there was also a swathe of fun gilded looks, Pat McGrath’s looks for Christian Dior’s SS14 show was particularly eye-catching and dramatic with bold gold brows.

If golden brows are a little too dramatic a day-time look then fear not as the trend is open to interpretation. We love the idea of rose-gold dusted lids for a really pretty spring look paired with a hint of a tan.

Glitter and gilding as seen at Chanel SS14

Alternatively you can channel Chanel’s SS14 make-up looks which would work perfectly for a sophisticated take on festival style. If you’re keen to recreate this look there is a fantastic tutorial video by model and photographer Hanneli Mustaparta for Vogue.com which you can watch here - http://bit.ly/1ngRmrG

Marc by Marc Jacobs SS14 and left, Badgley Mischka SS14

Feeling Blue

SS14 saw an incredibly sophisticated take on a shade that is usually reserved for tweens and 80s throw-backs. Blue eye shadow was seen everywhere from Marc Jacobs to Badgley Mischka, the trick to keeping this look fresh is to keep the rest of your makeup relatively paired back.

There was everything from cobalt to azure and powder blue tones to suit almost any skin tone so this is a really easy one to try out.

Both Barry M and NARS have an extensive range of colours including some really cool blue hues so make sure to check them out if you’re looking to recreate these looks.

Orange Lips

On the other end of the make-up spectrum from the bare-faced look is a fun pop of colour from the likes of Rag & Bone, Altuzarra and Prabal Gurung who all sent their models down the runways with vibrant tangerine hued lips.

This is a great trend if you’re looking for a summery replacement to your winter crimson shade and looks great with a hearty tan. Keep the rest of your make-up minimal to avoid looking like Pat Butcher’s younger sister.

L’Oreal’s colour riche lipstick in Magnetic Coral is great but more muted corals are a great option too if you’re feeling like orange is a little bit too bright for you!