RSSMakeup Model : Light Summer
March 31, 2009
The palest pinkest women. A friend of mine sees a dermatologist who refers to her coloring as “you pasty white chicks”. That’s got to be Light Summer.
Remember Cool Summer’s gray-silver-ash brown hair? This season is light blond to white blond. The blond is not overly golden and certainly not red. The hair could also be light brown. As with Cool Summer, the keyword is ash. That’s means greyish-brown, kind of like the taupe of hair color. A Light Summer in warm brown hair is killing off what little color she has in her complexion.
But NOT platinum, like on Christina Aguilera. Platinum is too harsh, almost metallic in its lightness, though a few thin streaks could work among other light blond colors. All-platinum might work on some Winters but Summer wouldn’t go beyond a very pale blond. A child would might be flaxen or almost white, but not silvery/metallic.
This is an easy season to makeup. Just stay pink and light.
Reese looks great, better than the too-yellow-gold hair she often wears. She looks young and shines with an inner energy and light. Her eyes don’t look pale or faded. Her lipcolor is dark for the softness of her color scheme so my eye is continuously distracted by it. There is often a tendency for these women to wear vibrant colors because they feel it might bring color to the face, or the marketing industry told them a “pop” of color was in, but their coloring is easily overwhelmed.
The most difficult makeup choice this group has to make is with bronzer/contour. You can struggle at the makeup counter with all the too-yellow-for-you bronzers, and that includes the light and golden ones most of the time.
Or you can go the drugstore, look at Almay and Revlon, or any other non-animal-tested choices, and pick a powder a little darker than your skin. Beige. Not peach. Just the next shade deeper than what would be a match. Call it a day.
Oh, no wait. They’ve packaged their powders so that you can’t see them. How clever. Is this why we all end up at MAC and Sephora eventually?
MAC always has some of the best options for recreating skin’s real life colors, at a decent price point, with colors you can test. Their Select Sheer Pressed Powder is nice to use for its sheerness. Many of the shades have a peachiness that can work well as a bronzer for many seasons. This group, who just can’t take very yellow pigments, and certainly not orange, don’t want to end up with an overly colorful face. You should stick with pressed powders that are skin-tone beige. Remember though that this group also represents the Summer/Spring fusion with Summer coolness predominant. A slight hint of peach may be worth trying on those of you who can wear a few of Spring’s yellower shades.
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish/Natural offers some terrific choices. It’s still sheer, not sparkly, and comes in good skin colors. These products can be a tad glowy ( which is the last thing you want from the contour that’s supposed to recede things not make them more noticeable), but it’s not so extreme as to get in the way. For light skin tones, the Mediums to Medium-Dark and beyond are brilliant.
Not sure of your season? Pretty Your World is loaded with information and tips to help you.
Look at these shades
Lipstick : Clinique Glosswear Kissy Fit ; Bobbi Brown Bright Pink gloss; Revlon MineralGlaze Gloss in Continuous Pink and Eternal Blossom (Infinite Rose ? Nope, that’s for Cool Summer)
Blush: Clinique Iced Lotus; NARS Mata Hari
Eyeliner: Clarins Waterproof Gris/Grey 03 ; MAC Technakohl Earthline
Eyes: Bobbi Brown Tan ; MAC Omega ; you need a grey and a brown that look like this,
Eye hilite : Bobbi Brown Ivory or Shell ; MAC Yogurt
These are guidelines to get your eye looking at the right colors. They won’t be different next year even if the ad campaigns say they will. Try the products first to hit your own bull’s eye.
Comments
8 Responses to “Makeup Model : Light Summer”
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Christine, thanks for your writing!! i always look forward to your posts. I went to the MAC counter (had to go to a city to do so:) and took home a sample or two of the makeup you recommended… and I love it! I am a hard nut to crack (I do not love all foundation)
so Thnak you for sharing your insights! and also, this article… also, I enjoyed your book review today… you are attracting, but the ease you speak of is cumulative, so be patient!! (just my humble opinion ) Have a blessed Easter learning how to be a Color Analyst… karen raulerson
Hi Christine – I really appreciate your recommendations based on seasons. I’m a Cool Summer and tried Infinite Rose – it looks very bronzy on my lips. Love the texture and feel of the Mineralglaze formula but I’m doubting this color – but perhaps it’s just not what I’m used to? The eyeshadow recommendations were right on!
Hi, Louise,
Good comment. Thank you.
Your doubt about that colour brings up a couple of important points. The first is that I couldn’t try the colour because there are no testers. Makeup colour never applies precisely as expected even when you CAN test it. As much as I believe that you can buy good makeup at the drugstore, I have concluded that unless it can be tested, it is just too much of a risk. Though I would like to, I no longer buy them or recommend them. I liked the cool, soft lilac-plum of that shade but the bronze would get in the way.
That article was written before my understanding of the seasons, their colours, and their cosmetic needs had crystallized to the level they are at today (which is not to say that it doesn’t have a way to go, but it is evolving fast). I leave these articles as they were written because they are not that wrong, and hopefully they offer more organization at the cosmetic counter buffet that the haphazard approach makeup shopping usually takes.
I analyzed a True Summer 2 weeks ago, which is the Sci\ART counterpart to Cool Summer. We went makeup shopping. It was entirely frustrating. I can see why women get fed up, and I like buying makeup. We settled on lipstick in Lancome Provocative, eyeshadow in Lancome Optic and Mochaccino, blush in Estee Lauder Fresh Plum (this is a very soft colour; Lancome Aplum might work if you’re not too fair, but a light version of this season would look bruised from all the blue in it). Heck of a time finding eyeliner, but Lancome Gris Fume, or Clinique Slate (or is it Sable? there’s only 1 soft grey one) and Smoky Taupe were good.
True Summer is a complex palette. I think I analyze so many of them because they have so much frustration with finding clothes and makeup that feel right and familiar. The fashion and cosmetic industries don’t serve them well. Actually, for all the season, it’s sink-or-swim at the makeup counter, though the Softs do better because it’s that rosy-nude flesh-toned palette that we all buy so much of, so the marketers provide.
Thank you Christine! It is very frusterating because it seems everything is either too dark (like a Winter color), too browned, or too warm.
Right now I’m mostly wearing Burts Bees Lip Shimmer in Watermelon – which is actually a soft mauve.
Louise,
Those are good colours, those Burt’s Bees glosses. The colour you describe does sound perfect. If only it stayed on better, but in a balm-type tube and with a sheer enough application, you can reapply it whenever – better than lipstick in many ways. Glad you found something that works.
I’m a Light Summer and got most of my good makeup ideas from Christine- thanks!
- here are additional items that are favorites of this pasty white chick:
Bobbie Brown corrector (concealer) in Light Bisque,
Clarins Eclat Minute complexion highlighter- I mix it with foundation,
Clinique Different Lipstick in Glazed Berry, and my all time favorite OPI nail color, Hawaiian Orchid.
Oh, and I almost forgot—blush, eyeshadow, and mineral foundation from the Elea-blake Light Summer group.
Thanks, Mary,
I appreciate you taking the time to LMK. I add them to my suggestions for clients.