Sixties Girl

The influence of the Swinging Sixties on spring/summer 2013's catwalk beauty was apparent everywhere from Louis Vuitton to Chanel, with graphic liner, pale lips and strong brows complementing the boxy silhouettes and short hemlines in the collections.

But this was a youthful and girlish take on Sixties beauty, with pouting nude lips paired with liner in the crease of the eye lids at Marc Jacobs, and silver eyes at Chanel looking like they came straight out of Andy Warhol's Factory. Glossy peach eyes at Louis Vuitton modernised the look, whilst the bold swoops of eye liner at Michael Kors were updated in aquamarine and acid green. And, for full-on Sixties style, the Moschino models wore their lips dripping with orange gloss and their eyes framed by Bambi lashes - an undeniable homage to that heady decade.

Keep the look classic, with a simple pale pink lip, lined eyes and lashings of mascara. Remember to set the look with a spritz of the Face Matters Collagen Spritz!

Softly defined eyes

Alexander Wang's Autumn/Winter 2013 collection Photo: GO RUNWAY

Alexander Wang may be a fan of 1990s grunge, but the make-up at his autumn/winter show was oh-so modern, a brilliant example of a subtly defined eye as reported by Telegraph's Beauty Editor, Sonia Juttla .

To achieve the look, the first thing to do is to even out the eye area with a brightening concealer, such as By Terry's Touch-Expert Advanced (£29, spacenk.co.uk). Blend the light, luminous liquid under the eyes and on the lid a little to soften dark circles and brighten the area. 

Then for easy-peasy eyeshadow, apply and blend Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lots o' Latte (£16, clinique.co.uk) on the lid and in the contour. It provides a soft, pretty sheen, nothing more than a gentle focus on the eyes. 

Then, to give your eyes defined focus, try Dior's Style Liner Intense Liquid Eyeliner (£22.50, houseoffraser.co.uk). Rest it on the lash-line and, staying as close to the bed of your eyelashes as possible, draw a thin line from the inner corner of the lid to the outer edge. 

Finally, set the effortless with our lightweight Collagen Spritz (£39, facematters-skincare.com). It's refreshing touch will bring you instant cool in a hot day like today and it will keep that beautiful makeup of yours intact throughout the day (Psst! - we're also giving one away on Twitter ).

There's no need to flick: the beauty of this look is in its subtlety.

Image: Telegraph

Summer Beauty Guide for Lazy Girls

gregsorensenphoto.com

I can admit, summer brings out a case of the beauty laziness in me. Who wants to spend countless hours blow drying their hair and applying a full face of makeup?

Summer is supposed to be carefree, fun and somewhat wild. You shouldn’t feel imprisoned each morning or night with hours of getting ready to do.  Here are some absolutely great summer beauty products for those of you who are like me and want to spend less hours getting ready and more hours poolside!

Hair

Okay, first things first, dry shampoo - you just got to have it! Whether you’re looking to make your style last another day or you’re simply trying to avoid the whole washing process, dry shampoo is your answer! Spray this little gem at the roots of your hair to absorb access oils and to give your hair a fresh scent. (There is nothing worse than dirty smelling hair!)

A salt spray is another lazy girl beauty must for the summer! Simply spray B&B’s Surf Spray into your hair while wet and let it dry naturally.  Can it get any easier than that? I’ve found the seaweed extract in this spray makes it less drying for your hair than most other salt sprays. This one also gives really beautiful waves and has great hold. With this spray it’s safe to say you can put away the blow dryer until fall!

Eyes

Just a coat or two of mascara can make your eyes pop enough to make you look presentable even when you’re not really trying. The brilliant thing about this Lash Accelerator Mascara by Rimmel is that it doubles as a mascara and a lash treatment in one.

These 'chubby' eye pencils are perfect to add a touch of color to your eyelids without the fuss of using eye shadows and brushes. Just a swipe or two of the pencil over your lid and you’re set. Try the Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint - it glides on so effortlessly and makes getting ready so much quicker!

Face

A beauty elixir cream is perfect for the laziest of girls. You can literally put our Face Matters Anti-Ageing Elixir on your face in the morning and be done for the day. Simple as that! You would be moisturised enough to hit the beach until sunset, it would even out skin tone and make your complexion glow. (and you can win one on Twitter too!)

What are your Lazy Girl beauty secrets? Share in the comments.

Wonderful World of Braids

It’s summer (or will be in t-minus one day)! Your neck is getting a bit sweaty when walking down the street/waiting for the tube. Bars are getting a bit too stuffy for beautiful, long, free-flowing hair cascading down your back. The summer may offer the opportunity to show off the perfect beach hair, but if it’s really humid and you just can’t deal with strands sticking to your skin, why not venture off into the wonderful world of braiding?

When it comes to crafted hairstyles, there are few things more beautiful than an artful braid. You may be thinking, “Well, there’s the normal braid, and then there’s the French braid, and that’s about it, right?” Wrong! Technically, sure, every type of braid is really a variation on a theme (take a few strands of hair, cross them over some others, and then keep going until your fingers bleed, you lose feeling in your arms, or you run out of hair), but there are seemingly endless versions: the standard braid, the single French braid (not just for girls heading off to play tennis), the French-braided pigtail, cornrows pulled back into an updo, cornrows braided all the way down (add some beads at the end to really get the party started), the twisted braid, the knotted braid, the inside-out braid, the milkmaid braid, what we’ve deemed the "Reverse Heidi" Braid, and oh-so-many more. Keep it simple, á la a very young Kate Moss and her face-framing twists or go crazy. (Check out the complete gallery for inspiration on Into The Gloss)

Team your braids with a natural, glowing skin and which also happens to be the top trend for Summer 2013. Apply a light layer of Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Eclat Foundation on moisturised skin (use our Anti-Ageing Excellent Elixir for the ultimate moistire boost), team with rose pink cheeks, best achieved with Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks (use as lip colour too!) and neutral eye-shadow (try Estée Lauder Pure Color Duo palette) - perfection!

So why not take a few moments, find some inspiration above, watch a YouTube tutorial or two, and braid like there’s no tomorrow (and when tomorrow comes, test out something new)! Show me the results, I'd love to see.