The Spring/Summer 2012 season revealed a menagerie of extremes in makeup and hair trends. Here’s the pages essential trend guide for the season.

SO MINOR, IT’S MAJOR
Summer means skin. Minimal makeup was dominant (like at Stella McCartney and Chloé). The mistress of minimal makeup, Diane Kendall (for MAC) exposed all the right things and corrected the ‘wrong’, using only a little concealer, blush, lip balm and powder at Proenza Schouler. No mascara completed the look – seen also at Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen and Missoni.

DOLL FACE
A more doll-like quality transpired from last seasons 60s youth trend at both Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Fuller lashes (false) with a black liner was set against porcelain skin with a whisper of blush coloured lips and cheeks. Don’t forget the soft creamy highlights. This liner look was more exaggerated at Jonathan Saunders and cat shaped at D&G.

EMBELLISH
Fendi stole the show with metallic gold or silver leaf applied from eye lid to brow; Givenchy cut sequins in half and popped them in the centre of the eye line; at Gareth Pugh, gold nail foils by Minx were applied to the eyelids. Silver shadowed the eyes at 3.1 Phillip Lim, and at Armani mother of pearl powder hit the eyes, temples and cheekbones. At Chanel small pearls were applied as nose, brow and lip rings and elegantly down the neck and spine. Be careful if you are trying it at home – a little misplaced pearly white spot could be misinterpreted!

COLOURFAST
Paint box colours daubed across the face. At Mui Mui attention-drawing scarlet cat-eyes gave shape. At Manish Arora, colour was boldly striped across the brow. Lips were smacked in lime, fuschia and blue at Mary Katrantzou and orange red at Hermes and Dior; lips were adorned in lime glitter at Thierry Mugler. Wintery wine stains mutated into summer at Donna Karan and YSL and were ‘snogged’ at Giles. Two-tone wine lips were seen at Prabal Gurung and Issey Miyake to create dimension. The cheeks were tempered in monochromatic skin tones (Michael Kors) or treated to layers of purples and pinks (Vivienne Westwood Red Label) and sometimes even complimented the hair colour (Narciso Rodriguez).

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