8 Trending Summer Beauty Looks Our Editors Are Obsessed With

If you ask me, summer is the ideal time to switch up your beauty routine and experiment. This year, I believe this to be particularly true. After two summers of restrictions, summer soirées, festivals, and holidays are firmly back on the agenda, and there’s a celebratory mood in the air. 

As such, we’re seeing this reflected in beauty trends. Models at MSGM’s and Versace’s S/S 22 shows were sent down the runway with vivid green eyeliner, which feels so right for festival season, and colorful hair accessories have made a major comeback amongst the fashion set this season, as seen on the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy and on the runway at Max Mara. In nail salons, everyone is opting for colorful nail art right now, and rightfully so. Who doesn’t want a dopamine hit on their fingertips? "With summer underway, neon and bright-colored nails are making a comeback,” says Holly Wolff, nail technician at Neville Hair & Beauty. "Whilst most people tend to currently still opt for neutrals, we have noticed an increase in bright and neon shades, whether it be French tips or other nail art alternatives such as abstract designs. Self-expression is the ultimate trend for nails, so I think it will gain further momentum as people start going on holiday with either solid color bases or multicolored shades,” she says.

Ahead, Who What Wear editors and contributors put summer beauty trends to the test with the help of the best makeup artists, hairstylists, and nail technicians in the business. We guarantee they’ll deliver some serious beauty inspiration for you to experiment with this summer.

Hair Trend: Silk-Scarf Ponytail

Tying a silk scarf into your ponytail is the ultimate hack for elevating your hair this summer. Here, Zoë Irwin, global ambassador for GHD, created this French-girl look with some key styling essentials. "When you’re wearing a scarf in your hair, it can really elevate an outfit—it’s ideal for wedding guest hair,” says Irwin. "Having some movement is key, so I’ve worked GHD Body Goals Mousse around the hairline before blow-drying to create a sleek finish and to elevate the crown, which is very Parisian.”

She recommends taking a triangle section at the back of the hair and teasing it slightly to give volume and lift before securing the ponytail in place. Then, she used the GHD Platinum+ Styler to add curls throughout the lengths, twisting the iron 180 degrees as she moved down the length of the hair to create a glossy, tumbling wave. Silk scarves have a tendency to slip, so her top tip is to roll the hair scarf and thread it through a hair grip before pinning it at the base of the ponytail and tying it in place.

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Hair Trend: Half-Up Claw Clip

Claw clips are a chic accessory for styling your hair during heatwave weather, helping to keep your hair up and away from your face. While we love a claw-clip bun, Irwin showed us how to elevate lengths with a half-up, half-down style, which can be dressed up or down for summer occasions. To create these loose waves on editor Emma Spedding, she applied hair mousse through the hair before blow-drying with the GHD Helios Hairdryer to create body and volume. Once dry, she tonged the lengths of the hair with GHD’s Curve Classic Curl Tong. "Alternate the direction of each curl for the most natural-looking effect,” she says. Then, she sectioned the top layer of the hair back, taking two pieces on either side of the head, and twisted and tied the lengths together before securing them with a claw clip. If you find hair accessories have a tendency to slip out of your hair, her top tip is to spritz your hair with a texturizing spray or dry shampoo to help give the accessory grip and extra staying power.

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Hair Trend: Ribbon Braids

"Ribbons look amazing braided into the hair, and this was one of the most popular looks at Coachella,” says Irwin. "I was totally inspired by video editor Remi Afolabi’s green blazer, so I chose this vibrant green grosgrain ribbon to match, which really pops in her dark hair.” To find the best placement for each ponytail, follow the line of your cheekbone for the most complementary look. Then, split each ponytail in two and knot the ribbon at the base to begin. "You want to continue alternately knotting the ribbon and the two sections of hair on top of one another,” says Irwin. "The only rule is that, whichever way you knot the ribbon, you stick with that pattern. So if you’re tying left over right, continue this all the way through,” she says. If you find it fiddly, use a clip to hold each section in place as you alternate the knotting of the hair and ribbon. Secure the ribbon at the bottom and leave the lengths flowing, or tie the two ponytail ends together to effortlessly change your look.

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Nail Trend: Negative-Space Nails

This cut-out negative-space nail look on WWW contributor Andrea Cheong is from Townhouse’s spring/summer 2022 seasonal collection, which features abstract shades in varying colors. Get the look by applying a sheer neutral color to your nails first, then take your colored polish and paint randomized shapes across each nail. Alternate by painting diagonally, horizontally and vertically on different areas of the nails. For crisp lines, apply a small blob of polish on the nail before laying the brush flat and smoothing the color over the nail. 

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Nail Trend: Colorful French Tips

Neon French tips sizzle on top of a sheer wash of color on the nails. If you’re indecisive on what color to pick, choose the rainbow with a different clashing hue on each nail. Woolf created these neon French tips using a microfine nail brush to add a slither of neon to each nail. We guarantee these will give you a serotonin boost every time that you catch sight of your manicure.

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Makeup Trend: Pastel Wing

Lan Nguyen-Grealis, makeup artist and founder of Studio One Makeup, gave us a masterclass in tapping into the trend for bright eyeliner this summer. "This look is all about the eyes, so we’re keeping the base minimal and glowing,” she says. Here, she prepped affiliate editor Emily Dawes’s skin with an exfoliating pad before hydrating with a beauty balm and applying concealer just on the areas that need it. For the eyes, she mixed a pastel-blue eye shadow with a fixing spray—which helps to create a fluid texture and long-lasting formula—and mapped out the shape with a firm, angled eye shadow brush. "If you have a hooded eye shape, use the bottom lash line as a guide to drawing your wing, and ensure you look straight ahead into a mirror to get the best shape,” says Nguyen-Grealis. "Then, connect the outer wing to your eyelid and build in layers to up the intensity.” If you make a mistake, use a Q-tip to tidy up any areas for a crisp cat-eye shape.

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Makeup Trend: Vinyl Eyeliner

High-shine eyeliners glimmer in the sunshine, making this look perfect for the warmer months. On social media editor Joy Ejaria, Nguyen-Grealis applied a turquoise liquid eyeliner to the upper lash line, starting on the very inner corners of the eyes and winging on the outer edge of the eyelid for a bold twist on classic black eyeliner. "Look for waterproof eyeliner formulas for the most long-lasting wear,” says Nguyen-Grealis. A waterproof liner will stay put in warm weather without the need for top-ups. Pair this look with a natural base, such as a tinted moisturizer or lightweight foundation, and you’re good to go.

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Makeup Trend: Ombré Eyes

Shopping editor Remy Farrell’s vibrant orange dress was the inspiration for her graphic negative-space-eyeliner look, where Nguyen-Grealis combined two orange hues to create dimension. "To get this look, first map out the upper lash line with your eyeliner and wing out using an angled eye shadow brush. Keep your eyes open and look straight ahead to get the best shape,” she says. Nguyen-Grealis recommends experimenting with the thickness of your eyeliner to switch up the look. On Remy, she created a ’60s-inspired shape by connecting the wing to the upper eyelid and just underneath on the outer edge of the lower lash line. "When you open your eyes, you get this beautiful butterfly effect where the two areas of eyeliner just meet on the lid,” says Nguyen-Grealis.

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Up Next: A Chanel Makeup Artist Told Me the 4 Biggest Beauty Trends of 2022

This post originally appeared on Who What Wear UK.