Orange Vibrations - How To Recreate the Makeup Look from Giorgio Armani Prive Spring/Summer 2017

I often get emails from the high end beauty brands I work with, outlining how they did the makeup look for this or that starlet on the red carpet or, more excitingly, looks that are fresh off the runway. Show makeup is always my favourite. Particularly when it treads a careful and thin line between wearable and fantastical.

Giorgio Armani Prive SS17 was exactly that; a peachy pretty look that is not dissimilar to a marriage between the Igari makeup trend and something plucked from a sci-fi film. The dewy skin, rose-petal lips and light brows are all important but the key element is the orangey-pink blush tones carried around the eye and over the tops of the cheeks. For Spring/Summer, it is an incredibly light, sweet, suitable and somewhat fairy-like look.

Best of all? It's actually pretty wearable (IMHO). In fact, I followed the steps and wore it out to a friend's birthday dinner the other night.

Linda Cantello, International Makeup Artist at Giorgio Armani describes it as "A new take on orange" and goes on to say that it offers "a fresh vibrant Summer face."

@ Kevin Tachman for Armani Beauty

Here are her steps to recreate it for yourself.

1. Prepare and massage skin with the Armani Prima Glow-On Moisturizing Balm (or any rich moisturiser you have on hand), ensuring the cream is absorbed before adding the base.

2. Use a concealer and foundation to correct natural skin tone, matching it to the color of the neck. Cantello suggests pairing their High Precision Retouch and new Power Fabric foundation.

3. For the main action, apply some Lip Maestro Notorious (In the shade #301) or any peachy cream blush widely on  cheeks & eyelid, making sure the angle from the brow bone down to the cheek is clearly defined. If needed, redefine the shape with a concealer.

4. Fill in the eyebrows creating a straight line.

5. Intensify the eye by adding a slight shadow from the inner corner to the brow with a taupe-coloured brown gel product such as the Armani Eye & Brow Maestro in 02 “Wenge Wood”. Then add a thin line of black eyeliner as close as possible to top lashes. Use finger to extend outer corner.
Apply a mascara such as the Eccentrico mascara in “Obsidian Black” to the top lashes only.

6. Mix lip shades in peach and rose tones such as the Lip Maestro Notorious shades 301 and 515 and gently dab onto lips.

7. Finally, powder at the end using a product such as the Luminous Silk Compact for a matte finish.

@ Kevin Tachman for Armani Beauty

@ Kevin Tachman for Armani Beauty

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Primark SS17

Primark gets cooler and cooler each season and I'm pretty damn excited for SS17 to land in stores. In fact, I think a lot of the pieces could do with dropping right now. The silhouettes and concepts being presented are exactly what the cool-girls of Instagram are sporting right now - lots of streetwear, sporty, edgy pieces in an array of vibrant colours that people are normally too afraid to even dream of wearing.

This particular strand through the collection is very strong. Think Vetements-inspired oversized tees with text down the arms, the gothic fonts adopted by Kanye and many others, wide-legged pants with sportswear-inspired stripes down the leg, exaggerated silhouettes, neon oranges and a vast selection of slides (including some furry versions that evoke a certain Puma collection long since sold out) and baseball caps to choose from.

However, streetwear and edgier clothes are not all that there is to SS17. You'll also find a very pretty section of dresses, shirts and tees in pale blue, white and cream cotton that epitomise breezy summer dressing and look great layered or as is. This is complemented by gingham looks in the same fabrics that are tailored beautifully and offer a very feminine and sweet look.

In addition there is a strong strand of the collection that serves a seriously pretty rock and roll look: leather jackets that are both embroidered with roses and studded, broad-striped monochrome blazers and brilliantly tailored killer jumpsuits.

Finally, there is also a strong 80s vibe that runs through a lot of the collection: over-sized, light-wash denim, pink suits, metallic bombers and densely patterned floral tops and dresses.

It is in the accessories, though, that Primark really killed the game this time around. There will be plenty of awesome sunglasses, hats, shoes and bags to choose from next season, which make for a cheap, cheerful and easy way to incorporate new trends and ideas into your wardrobe without an overhaul of the whole thing.

Be excited. Be very excited.

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COS SS17

COS SS17 is a sensual collection. Texture and fabric choices are king. It is an even more pared back collection than we have seen in the past from COS, if you can imagine such a thing.

The pops of colour that often stuck out in previous seasons are absent and, instead, the palette remains an almost utterly undisturbed ocean of natural, neutral and earthy tones - blushes, beiges, denims, blues, olives, greys and white tones. Even the more glamourous garments are dark metallics that shimmer but do not shout.

Translucency, silkiness and texture abound, drawing the eye to the form and the hand to the garment, wanting to touch and explore. COS silhouettes that are more oversized or boxy are present, as one might expect, but this proliferation of billowing fabrics also allow for more fluid garments that move, drape and hug the human form.

Do not expect elaborate detail - none of the embroidery, brocades or prints we've seen elsewhere for SS17. However, that is not to  say that there is no visual interest at play or charming details. A-symmetry, draping, gathering and origami-inspired details adorn the collection. 

Contrast is key throughout the whole collection. The contrast of boxy and billowy. The contrast of earthy and industrial tones. Soft and rigid. 

There's something particularly sexy about this collection - the fabrics, the movement, the ease, the simplicity, the not-having-to-try-very-hard, It's not a million miles from what COS normally does but it does feel as though new life was breathed upon existing ideas. 

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