The Summer Makeup Looks Everyone Wants To Try

Whether you’re off to the beach, a summer wedding, a festival or simply want to switch up your makeup for the summer months, we’ve taken inspiration from the Spring/Summer 25 Fashion Week Beauty Trends, combined it with our pretty pastel Summer Society palette, and created four wearable hair and beauty looks to take you through the season.

From the best way to wear blue eyeshadow to that gorgeous barely there glowy skin everyone wants on holiday, makeup artist, Lan Nguyen-Grealis and hair stylist Alex Price, show us how to get your summer hair and makeup on pointe.

Feeling Blue

Blue eyeshadow has been doing the rounds since the 60s making appearances throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s and now in 2025 it’s back and it’s beautiful. On the catwalks there was everything from frosted pearl eye shadow to electric blue eyeliner and deep blueberry swatches but it’s down to you how subtle or striking you go. “Usually a wash of colour is a good place to start, nothing too fancy as the bold statement of colour can be enough and then if you want to add a bit more intensity you can,” says Lan.

With blue, a single shade is all that’s needed making it super easy to apply too. Cream formulas give a highly pigmented colour pay off, while shadow is softer and often has a shimmer or pearlescent effect. Simply use your fingers to apply or buff the colour across the lid with a soft fluffy brush to diffuse the colour. Or if you just want a hint of blue, a simple blue eyeliner or a layer or two of blue mascara will give a nod to the trend.

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Watercolour Blush

Possibly the freshest cheek flush you’ll see, the watercolour blush effect is flattering, youthful and leaves your complexion summer-ready. The trick is to create a diffused colour on the cheeks that’s soft at the edges and looks balmy and sheer which is where liquid and cream blushers really come into their element as they can be dabbed, buffed and blended into the skin.

“Use your finger to dab your blusher onto the centre of your cheek where you can feel the bone and use a soft round brush to buff and blend the edges. You want the colour to graduate and fade naturally towards the hairline so it looks natural so keep a light hand to avoid too much product on the skin,” advises Lan. You can always use the back of your hand as a palette to dab your brush into before swirling onto the cheeks if you’re nervous about over applying. We also recommend a cheek highlight if you're looking for something with a little less coverage and more of a shine.

Lan also recommends tapping a little of your blush on the nose and then setting with a fixer spray to ensure your dewy blush lasts all day. Pastel pinks and peachy nudes that complement your skintone are perfect for this trend and will keep it looking natural.

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Wave Machine

You don’t have to be by the sea or pool to serve up covetable curly hair and wet-look whimsical finger waves and sports-inspired kinks were no stranger on the catwalks this season (granted the latter could have been inspired by sweat and not sea water!). Either way, it’s a style that works equally well on hair that’s down as tucked up into a ponytail and helps give off those effortless vibes. Pop a clip in the hair or a cap on top and voila, you’ve entered the cool but casual club.

As for how to recreate the look, Alex says if your hair doesn’t have a natural wave, you can mimic it with heated tools and high-tech products. “My absolute favourite product for creating a wet look is Color Wow Pop and Lock as you can use it on any texture hair to create a wet look,” she says. “If your hair is already curly, apply some mousse and then diffuse your hair and if it’s straight, tongue your hair then add the Pop and Lock. Finish with a large helping of shine spray that again, helps with the glossy, ‘wet’ effect and your work is done.”

There’s also plenty of beach-inspired formulas to help enhance your waves as the sun goes down so keep something like a texture spray nearby for top-ups.

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Nearly naked

Over the past decade, backstage at the fashion shows, skincare has become equally as important as the makeup used. At Erdem, models were given 111Skin cryotherapy treatments and lymphatic drainage to depuff and give skin a glow and at Prabul Gurung, moisture pads, essences and glass-effect serums were slathered on to create plump and luminous skin.

“If you have the time, use a hydrating mask and massage your skin to get it looking plumped,” says Lan. “Then apply a glowy primer or highlighter under your base products. Highlighters add extra light to the skin and even out colour and pigmentation – I like sticks or liquids that give a soft, pearlised colour, and then your primer can mattify the t-zone and minimise the appearance of pores.”

As for base products, you can use a foundation but you might risk losing the ‘nearly naked’ effect which is where skin tints come in. “You can add layers and you have more control to perfect,” continues Lan.

Maintenance wise, it’s not as simple as you might think to keep the glow going so keep a facial mist on hand to refresh and reset during the day. And for the rest of your features; “dab some cream highlighter on the eyes and make sure lips are well moisturised or use lip oils to keep the whole look juicy and glowy.”

Photography by Agness Trawczynska; Makeup by Lan Nguyen-Grealis; Hair by Alex Price; Art direction by Abigail Volkes; Beauty direction by Becci Vallis; Models: Thais @ models1 and Charlotte @ Body London; Nails by Metta Francis.