After seasons of enhanced, dewy and hyper-real bases, skin-finishing trends have taken an altogether less glossy direction for Spring Summer 2013. In one simple sweep of a loaded brush, the signature dewy-skinned look that we had, finally, mastered has become old news. After months of layering radiance-boosting serums, glow-enhancing primers and luminous foundations, learning how to seamlessly blend liquid bronzer, and finally, revelling in the plumped up finish (that conceals any number of skin sins) and the cheek-bone sculpting sheen, it is back to bases this season.
As a breed of silky-skinned models appeared on the Mulberry, Burberry and Paul Smith catwalks it became apparent that a velvety-matte face was the beauty update we have been missing; forcing gloss back onto lips and colour onto eyes. And so it is, that we embrace the new skin texture for Summer.
No longer a lesson in powder-puffing, the movement towards a ‘fresh-matte’ finish, as described by Pat McGrath at Valentino, will have you reconsidering everything you thought you knew. Clean, bright and modern, a slew of luxe skin finishers offer a natural, your-skin-but-better boost that sit somewhere in between a glow-saturated skin and a fully powdered face.
At Burberry Prorsum, make up artist Wendy Rowe, offset the showcase scarlet lip with a sophisticated and silken backdrop by buffing the brand’s Sheer Foundation into models’ skin. MAC’s new Mineralize Moisture SPF15 Foundation was used at more shows than we could possibly recall creating a flawless, barely-there base with added lit-from-within radiance. Meanwhile, at Derek Lam, Tom Pecheux reworked the classic Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay In-Place Makeup over intensely hydrated skin to create a seamless, cotton-soft texture. And to complement Alexander Wang’s minimalist collection Diane Kendal worked Nars Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder, a new generation of finely-milled skin-enhancing powders, over gleaming moisture-enhanced faces for a futuristic feel.
Burberry Sheer Foundation, £35 Burberry.com | Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-In-Place Make Up, £27.50 Boots.com | MAC Mineralize Moisture SPF15 Foundation, £26 Maccosmetics.com | NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder, £25 Selfridges.com