(Published in the Caymanian Compass, Weekender, Friday, 7 February, 2014)
Each season, the global cosmetic giant MAC works with makeup artists from across the world to identify four key makeup trends for the upcoming season.
Along with invited fashion and beauty editors from across the Caribbean, Weekender editor, Joanna Lewis, headed to the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica, for MAC’s Spring Summer 2014 trend presentation. Leading the presentation was MAC’s New York-based director of makeup artistry, Romero Jennings, with models Miss Jamaica Universe 2013 Kerrie Baylis and Miss Jamaica World 2013 Ginal Hargitay.
Inspired by the fashion runways of Paris, Milan, London and New York, the spring-summer 2014 trends are “Day-Glow,” “CC-Thru Color,” “Light FX” and “The New Eye-Deal.” The thread running through these trends is one of freshness, radiance, health and femininity. Indeed, the gothic grunge and dark shadows that dominated the past few seasons have made way for a look that is much more subtle and alive. This season, it’s all about high-tech products to create low-tech beauty. Here’s how to replicate these on-trend looks at home:
Day-Glow
This trend is about gorgeous, translucent, almost spa-like skin with a soft, healthy flush.
“It’s all about skin and intelligent bronzing,” Jennings says of Day-Glow. “The skin looks natural. It’s a great way to wear bronzer, but in a way which is fresh and light.”
This trend is not about looking tanned, but more about skin that looks sun-kissed, fresh, glowing. Think peach and pink colors, mixed with nuances of sculpting creams and soft highlights. The skin should be dewy, not matte, with subtle highlights and emollient textures for an organically beautiful look.
Prepare skin with MAC’s Prep+Prime Skin Refined Zone before applying MAC’s Pro Longwear Foundation to even skin tone – a must-have product, Jennings says, to withstand Cayman’s hot and humid climate. Contour the skin under the cheekbones and at the temples. Add a very subtle pop of color to the eyes with MAC’s Pro Longwear Paint Pot in “Groundwork.” Add highlights and radiance with MAC’s Prep + Prime Highlighter. Finally, finish with a spritz of MAC Fix+. Infused with vitamins and minerals, this refreshing finishing spray is perfect for setting makeup or to hydrate the skin.
CC-Thru Color
Color makes a sensitive statement this season with soft, barely-there washes of cool lilacs and lavenders set against warm peaches and oranges.
“All the shades I’m using this season have a fleshy tone to them,” MAC makeup artist Lucia Pieroni says. “It’s all about playing with the tones that exist naturally on and in the skin.”
Lavender is a trending color right now – Pantone’s color of the year is Radiant Orchid – so it’s only natural that this pretty spring hue will feature heavily in fashionable makeup collections.
For a beautiful, kissable pout, Jennings suggests MAC’s Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in More to Love. Line and fill the entire lip for a fun, on-trend, vibrant pop of color. Finish with MAC’s lipstick in Snap Dragon, a gorgeous and wearable mid-tone, blue pink from the Fantasy of Flowers collections.
The New Eye-Deal
The New Eye-Deal focuses on accentuating the face with the femininity of the eyes, with liner that leans toward an artfully inspired, punkish edge. It’s a fresh, new approach to classically lined eyes. Lashes are the new brow; take your pick from a finely-tuned tint at the lash roots, or heavy lashes both top and bottom – Twiggy style.
“Certain details are timeless and beyond trend,” Barber says. “It is the canvas of the skin, their execution and the mood elsewhere on the face that makes them modern.”
Line eyes with MAC’s Fluidline in Blacktrack, an ultra smooth gel formula which provides the precision of a liquid liner with a silkier, softer finish. Finish with lashings of MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara: the blackest black mascara on the market, Jennings says. Perfect for creating those come-hither eyes.
Light FX
This trend relies on highlights, rather than contouring powders and cream, to bring out dimensions in the face. Indeed, skin has an almost moon-lit glow, with perfectly applied light metallic colors highlighting and brightening the face. White, gold, silver, glitter, shimmer and frosting are key.
“With glassy and opalescent clarity, these new light effects have an energetic, humid sportiness that makes them part of the healthy story that is omnipresent for spring summer 2014,” MAC artist Terry Barber explains. “It’s another mode of looking at the way that light works on the skin.”
Try MAC’s eyeshadow in Gesso with MAC’s Eye Kohl in Fascinating, an intense white kohl pencil with a silky-smooth, matte pearl finish.
Top tips for a red-carpet finish
“If you want to make sure you are camera ready, always take a picture to see what your makeup looks like digitally,” Jennings says. “That way you can make any necessary adjustments.” Finally, Jennings recommends learning your best feature and making it your own signature, whether it is fabulously made-up eyes, flawless skin or a burst of color on the lips.
Joanna Lewis 