If you want to achieve this seasons key make-up trends then take a look at the latest tips just in from The Zoe Clark Make-up School for a helping hand!

KEY LOOKS FOR SPRING / SUMMER 2010

The Spring/Summer look is all about minimal effort with stunning results with nude shades, perfect looking skin and paler faces. Think uber-nude and uber-cool!

To achieve this season’s look, start by distributing a pea sized amount of foundation onto the back of your hand. Using the pad of your middle finger, carefully pull off a small amount of product (don’t dip your fingers in to the pool of foundation- this defeats the purpose) and dab and pat on to the skin. NEVER rub or wipe. This way you can build up coverage to your liking and it also safeguards it from moving later in the day.

Use a concealer only where you need it (blemishes, redness or dark circles). Light reflective pens and concealers are easily confused. They are both used under the eyes, but while concealer covers, an illuminating pen makes the area look bright by reflecting light away. A light reflective pen goes on to areas that are dark and lightens them. So give your pen a click, check it on the back of your hand and put on a nice light layer on the eyes where they are darkest. To blend, pat gently and be careful not to rub as it will only move the product away from the area you want to highlight. If your skin is oily apply a very light dusting of loose powder focusing mainly on the t-zone to keep the look fresh.

For eyes, try soft peach and brown shades applied with your finger onto your eyelids for a soft and natural effect. To open the eyes and get rid of any redness apply a flesh coloured pencil along the inner rim of the eye. Curl your lashes, take a mascara wand loaded with a high shine gloss and brush through the brows and through the eyelashes. As this look is about texture and light reflection, for a little cheek definition use an alternative to powder and try a light gel or cream bronzer. This will give you that natural touch of sun. Team it with a fresh bare lip. This look is all about not caring….too much!

For an alternative spring look, super blended, soft focus eye colour is BIG news this season. Multi tonal and multi dimensional, this look is about bright colours applied with the softest touch. It’s about the juxtaposition of a vivid colour against a raw, naked skin. Think vibrant shades – bubblegum, fuschia, orange, red, blues, greens or purples viewed through a hazy cloud of smoke. It is colour that looks seamless and airbrushed.

Apply a base eyeshadow all over the eyelid and up to the brow to prevent the colours from creasing and to ensure longevity. Apply your chosen colour with a socket brush into the crease of the eye, then, using a firm flatter brush pat the same colour onto the eyelid starting from the outer corner, working your way into towards the tear duct. For added drama apply a black, dark brown or dark grey eye pencil to the inner rim of the eye to underline the look.

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Francois Nars, Founder and Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics has designed a collection for Spring 2010 that was inspired by Catherine Deneuve‘s role as Lucille in La Chamade. It features spring-perfect soft and light shades of nudes, pink and peaches and purple for nails.  Purple nails are another alternative to this season’s trend of pink nails, personally I prefer the purple, great toe colour!

“I love Catherine’s makeup look in this movie,” said François Nars, who chose supermodel Amber Valletta (above) for the campaign. “It’s very sophisticated and bourgeois in a Parisian ‘16th Arrondissement’ way. She is the perfect reference for this collection, and apropos for spring, a time to embrace color and get noticed.”

For the moment you will have to rely on Brown Thomas or House of Frasier for buying NARS as they don’t deliver to Ireland yet through their site but they intend to “very soon”.

As you can see from the picture above the NARS Cruising Lipstick- €25 is a subtle, sexy pink lipstick hue and is said to provide a sheer natural long-lasting color.

NARS Lip Gloss- €25. Easy Lover-Serious luster meets sexy color in this ultra-sheer hot pink lip gloss.  Again, pink is the colour for everything beauty related for 2010.

Ophelia- This high-shine strawberry nectar lip gloss is described as ‘deliciously sweet and seductive’, I’ll have two!

NARS Purple Rain Nail Polish – €18. This intensely gothic purple is a bright and audacious shade destined to become a modern classic, move over Chanel!

NARS D. Gorgeous Single Eyeshadow – €23. This dusty lilac powder eyeshadow yields just a hint of glimmer, a great subtle colour if you are toning down the eyes and pumping up your lips.

NARS Camargue Duo Cream Eyeshadow – €34. Named for the deep, dancing, sun-cast hues found in the French river delta, this pairing of golden moss and sienna, with multi-colored reflections comes in a soft-blending, glistening cream eyeshadow formula.  This colour duo is great for enhancing blue eyes.

NARS Kuala Lumpur Duo Eyeshadow – €34. Like its Malaysian city namesake, this perfectly harmonized gold infused rose and boysenberry pairing is influenced by contrasts—rich and subtle, traditional yet modern.

NARS Glitter Pencil – €28. This bright sky blue, silver glitter-infused hue delivers powerful, vibrant color that slides on smooth and remains creamy for blending.  It’s also a great colour to use with brown eyes.

You can get your mitts on any of the above gorgeous items from the end of January at Brown Thomas and House of Frasier.

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Lashes are the new spray tan!  Last year you wouldn’t leave the house without your spray tan now you can’t step out without a full set of lashes so here’s some ways of achieving the look from home…

1) If you have a traditional brush wand you can improve lash separation while applying mascara by moving the wand in a swift, zig-zag direction from the lash root to tip instead of using one sweeping motion.

2) Make sure to coat your inner lashes as well as your middle and outer corners, if you miss out the inner lashes it can make your eyes look closer together or narrow. Try and think of your lashes as a fan – a middle, outer side and inner side, this will really open up your eyes and flatter your eye shape.

3) Dab the tip of your mascara on a tissue before you use it to get rid of the glob that tends to form there. This will keep you from getting uneven, gloopy product distribution, especially on your shorter lashes.

4) If you use lash primer, particularly a white one, wait 10-30 seconds for the primer to dry before applying your mascara, otherwise your mascara can end up looking diluted and not as dark.

5) If you are applying a few coats of mascara to your lashes for a more dramatic effect, make sure not to let the previous coat dry as it will make it look clumpy.

6) Mascara generally lasts about three months, but the biggest sign that you need a new mascara is when it stops performing like the day it did when you first got it.

7) If it’s time to throw out your mascara, you can recycle the wand by cleaning it thoroughly in makeup remover and then reusing it as a very effective lash separation brush or a brow brush.

If you are thinking of buying a new mascara see our previous post where put several to the test.

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