From the runways of Paris, New York and Milan, the beauty world’s giants recapped the four key trends of Spring/Summer 2012 at Procter & Gamble’s annual Beauty Debate. The trends celebrate femininity and the woman, expressed differently. Enough of the androgynous look from last season.
Held at Capella Hotel in Singapore, the three-day event kicked off with a forecast by global director for trends and innovation Vassiliki Petrou, followed by a phone-patch interview with Pantene global ambassador and renowned hair stylist Sam McKnight.
That was followed by a report by Wella Professional global creative directors Eugene Souleiman and Josh Wood, who created the hair styles for the runways. Fashion director Daniel Boey staged a multi-sensorial trend show of nine models.
A sweet and slightly innocent look, a strong sense of confidence, au naturel beauty and experimental colors made up the Spring/Summer 2012 beauty look.
Petrou’s list of four key trends and how to get them:
Visible aura
Inspired by: air and light, and well-being of mind, body and spirit. It has an ethereal, young quality, much like the Louis Vuitton girly hair and makeup combo of loose updo in hair band with fresh blush and lip shades plus thick eyelashes.
Runway: At Vivienne Westwood Gold Label, hair had random braids pinned in place. McKnight said it’s all about child-like romance and naivete. Hair has movement.
Get it: Make sure hair is clean and fresh, and has one or two loose braids. “Blow-dry your hair, take one element from the show like a braid or twist, and make it your own,” said McKnight. Mix some white in your eye makeup or light blues for that airy and light quality, as was done at Boey’s trend show.
Tango
Inspired by: Latin influences, black lace and embroidery, fiery temperament and strong and confident femininity, with pink as key color. Think: modern Carmen. For the ladies who love a single strong statement, this is for you.
Runway: Paco Rabanne’s structured pompadour up front, and a flowing, moving, long ponytail from behind.
Get it: Souleiman said to go for “minimalism, one piece of color in exactly the right place, which makes you look more modern.” Find the perfect pink fuchsia lipstick this summer and pair with precisely-lined black eyelids. Or if a bold chunk is too juvenile, pair your makeup with darker hair color for some drama.
Sand dunes
Inspired by: nature, its rich, natural colors and fluidity. “This is the first time we see such an elegant, luxurious and respectful interpretation of nature, compared to what we’ve seen,” said Petrou. It is about eco-chic, noble simplicity and understated luxury. Souleiman and Wood described this look as “hypernatural,” and it is the epitome of the no-makeup makeup-slash-no-color-hair color.
Runway: “It’s really the return to luxury, not ostentatiously, but something that’s incredibly glamorous. The hair at DKNY was actually done, but it doesn’t feel done,” said Souleiman. “It’s the anti-big blow-dry! It doesn’t look like we can’t touch it. It’s hair in premium condition,” Wood said.
The overall hair trend, McKnight said, is natural, healthy, shiny and glossy hair.
Get it: While the blondes from the runways got a fresh dose of color, it didn’t look it. Make sure your summer color isn’t too far away from your natural hair color, and that it doesn’t scream “I got my hair done!”
Go for natural tones in your makeup, from eye-opening browns to peachy blushes and lipsticks, and even a bit of bronzer. It’s how your man wants your makeup to look if he had a say.
Beauty graffiti
Inspired by: fun and color, celebrating creativity, individuality and spontaneity. McKnight said think of the young hip rock chick in the music festival. It is free-spirited, modern and artistic. For mature women, proceed with caution or in small doses.
Runway: DSquared2’s “Festival Glamour”-theme fashion show had models donning the classic long, wavy hair attributed to “music-slash-indie chicks” made new with a shot of color in their hair. Hair is stylish but un-styled, said McKnight.
Get it: Maybe the lowest-maintenance hair trend of all, this can be worn by “washing and conditioning your hair, and letting it dry naturally!” McKnight advised. If your hair is stick-straight, add some waves with a curling iron, and if you’re feeling playful, add a pop of color. Pick up an eyeshadow palette you normally skip at counters, like turquoise, green or purple, and match with new bold lip in red, bright pink, or the pantone of the year, tangerine tango. Or just try adding color to either your eye or lip makeup.