FOUNDATION Spring/summer 2012 foundation will be natural and fresh-looking, according to Bobbi Brown of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. "Make-up trends come and go but flawless, polished-looking skin never goes out of style. For a lit-from-within look, try a sheer, silky powder formula that'll help brighten your complexion," she says.
Also try Chanel's new brightening Perfection Lumière foundation or Maybelline's New York Dream Nude Airfoam Foundation (launched in the UK and online last month). Maybelline's whipped formula feels extraordinarily light on your skin.
HAIR As seen on the New York and London catwalks, ponytails - whether worn high or low - will be a key look this season. Other trends, according to Valerie Reynaert, general manager of Vog Color, a new French salon in Dubai, include the bob and the wet look. "Either slicked-back chic hair or loose saturated hair will be on trend this summer," says Reynaert. "Use oils to give an overly glossy, bordering-on-wet look to the hair and either scrunch with your hand and let it drop loosely around the face, or comb it back into a loose knot at the nape of the neck. Be sure to pair it with a bold eye or lip plus statement jewellery to look feminine, not ungroomed."
BLUSHER Cheeks will be soft and pretty this season, flushed in rose pink or peachy apricot tones. Spring fruits, macaroons and barley sugars are the inspiration for the two-tone blush of Lancôme's Roseraie des Délices collection. "Use a broad brush to blend the two shades together and apply generously to cheeks, chin and forehead," says the Lancôme make-up artistic director, Aaron De Mey. "Take a brush to apply the pink shade to the upper cheekbones or just below the eye to disguise dark circles. Result? A petal-fresh complexion."
LIPS The Seventies bohemian style is back, according to Make Up For Ever, and looks like a strong trend for spring/summer. The brand's La Bohème collection has a glam, gypsy feel to it with pastel and nude shades. Two new limited edition lipsticks (Red Coral and Peach Beige) moisturise the lips with a romantic shimmer.
EYES Clean, crisp eyeliner with full-on lashes is big news for 2012. "To make eyes really stand out," says Brown, "line your upper lashline with dark eyeliner like jet black or mahogany brown. Apply liner as close to the lash line as possible and line the entire length of the lid. For an unexpected touch of colour, apply a thin line of dark blue or green on the upper lash line. Finish with two to three coats of the blackest mascara for eyes that pop."
Wear your eyeliner with earthy or soft metallic eyeshadow and don't forget your eyebrows. "The focus for S/S 2012 is definitely on the brows. You should concentrate on getting them beautifully shaped and defined," says the Estée Lauder creative make-up director, Tom Pecheux. And for the rest of the year? "Invisible matte skin with subtly defined cheeks, pink-beige tinted lips and a sexy cat eye in a smoky-burgundy shade is a key look for autumn 2012," says Pecheux.
SKIN "In 2012 the breakthroughs will be in new technologies that deliver ingredients into the skin so that they work smarter, better and faster," says Loretta Miraglia, VP of global product development at La Mer. She cites the stem cells in La Mer's Regenerating Serum and the peptides in its Reparative Body Lotion.
