Few things make me happier than the arrival of spring. And it’s not just the promise of warmer weather, longer days and balmy summer nights that gets me feeling giddy. In fact, there is no doubt that one of my favourite things about the arrival of spring is the promise of a lower-maintenance beauty routine. After many, many months of trying to find ways to get skin convincingly glowy and dry hair silky, the warmer months are finally here to do the hard work for us.
And while I typically spend this time of year furiously scrolling Instagram and grilling every beauty expert I know for inspo and insights into the upcoming season’s trends, this year, I’m feeling a little different. I don’t have the urge to save down every awe-inspiring makeup look that crops up on my feed, and I’m not pinning hairstyles onto my mood board. I’m also certainly not pre-booking in my salon appointments as I usually would. There’s a sense of laid-back coolness in the air, and it’s urging me to forget the trends and do whatever the hell feels right for me.
It seems I’m not alone in this feeling. In fact, virtually every beauty expert I have spoken to feels the same way about the arrival of spring/summer. That’s why this year, our spring/summer beauty report is less about the mostly unwearable trends dubbed to be the next big thing, and instead more about how we can utilise the shifts in our seasonal desires to create truly feel-good beauty. From hair and nails to skincare and makeup, keep scrolling to discover the 10 spring/summer 2022 beauty trends that you’re going to want to know about.
I speak to a lot of hairstylists every single day, and more recently, I have noticed their desire to dish out insights into upcoming haircut trends is dwindling—and I kind of get it. There’s something about telling everyone exactly what haircut to go for that feels inherently dated. “It’s choosing a style to suit your face, your body and your lifestyle. Not everyone wants drastic or dramatic cuts—they just want their hair to look like they care about it,” reveals Paul Edmonds, Shu Uemura Art of Hair ambassador and CEO of Paul Edmonds.
Whether you lean towards a bob, a lob, a pixie or a super-long shag, no one hair trend is proving more prominent than the other. Instead, it’s about investing in whatever cut you desire and making sure it works. “The investment is going into the cut, and people are relying on this because they don’t want to have to spend time styling it,” says Luke Hersheson, Kérastase Official Expert and CEO of Hershesons. “It goes against the idea of having a regular blowout and daily styling. It’s about tailored haircuts and treatments doing all of the hard work. A great haircut should do great things as it grows out,” he adds.
It’s worth noting here that this trend is less about styling curls and much more about embracing them. “This season, it’s all about keeping and enhancing your natural curl, however it comes,” says hairstylist and Founder of Arkive Headcare, Adam Reed. “Use products that work for you, whether that be to get soft definition, tight coils, springy curls, bouncy curls, big curls or small curls—just embrace them and make the most of them,” he recommends.
If you’re not used to finding ways to make your natural curls work for everyday wear, Michelle Sultan, Imbue ambassador and Creative Director, says it’s important to look for curl-focussed products. “Texture in all its forms will dominate the hair world this season, and it’s important to use products specifically designed for curly hair,” she advises.
Look, I am all too aware that experts have been trying to make copper-coloured hair happen season after season. And for the past couple of years, I have very much taken a Regina George mentality to the situation: “Stop trying to make copper happen—it’s not going to happen.” But it seems as though S/S 22 is actually copper’s time to shine, and the more I see it, the more I’m starting to come around to the idea. “From a colour-trend perspective, natural copper and warm toffees are having a moment,” says Edmonds.
As with all trends this season, it’s important to think about how it will work for you personally. “Copper is hard to wear, but it’s a less risky colour move in terms of permanent hair damage because it’s easy to reverse. Colour is never a one-size-fits-all thing. I would be scared to say that everybody should go and dye their hair red. It’s about making sure your colour works for you,” advises Hersheson.
It’s officially time to take a different, more custom approach to colour, particularly when it comes to the shade du jour, copper. “I talk about custom copper,” says Reed. “It’s beautifully intense oranges and marmalades but with a rich, deep tone.” If your hair isn’t naturally red-toned or copper but you’d like to switch things up by incorporating tones into your lengths, be sure to get a bespoke consultation with a colourist.
Glowing skin has been on the makeup agenda for ages, but this season, a more natural approach to makeup is key. And no, it isn’t just applicable for those with smooth-as-butter complexions. The trend is moving far more towards skincare being fully entwined with makeup, rather than makeup being seen as a cover-up.
“Skin is a key component in executing any makeup look. Skincare should feel low-maintenance, quick and uncomplicated. I always push skin as a makeup trend, but it’s not really a trend. It’s about loving the skin you’re in and creating a lit-from-within look. Beautiful skin really does start from within,” says Campbell Ritchie, celebrity makeup artist and Chantecaille ambassador.
Getting a great base in 2022 is all about adopting the self-care rituals typically associated with skincare and making it work with your makeup. MAC Cosmetics National Artist Carly Utting explains, “Self-care and giving your skin the attention it needs will minimise the layers of foundation you need. People want to put their best foot forward in terms of their skin right now.”
To achieve this, look for foundation and base products that work with the skin, paying special attention to prep. “Brands are now producing foundation-skincare hybrids, recognising just how invested we have become in our skin,” says No7 Makeup Ambassador Joy Adenuga. Think tinted moisturisers, balms and skincare-focussed foundations.
You likely don’t need us to tell you that the effect of Euphoria Season 2 across beauty trends has been huge. The loud, Y2K-inspired beauty looks have taken TikTok and Instagram by storm. “We saw embellished eyes on catwalks this season, paying a nod to Euphoria,” says Ritchie. But this trend isn’t about following embellished eye looks step-by-step. In fact, it’s about embracing your inner creativity and expressing yourself however you wish without fear of judgement. “We are in desperate need to express ourselves and release the traumas of the past two years. It is a freeing, young and euphoric way to get back to yourself. It’s about not taking yourself too seriously,” she adds.
If you’re looking to dip your toe into the trend, try adding some embellishment to your eye looks or start soft and go for a graphic liner. “Double-winged, graphic liner on the tops and bottom of your eyes will be huge,” says Anthony H. Nguyen, KVD Beauty Veritas Artist. “Try extending the centre of your eyes with liner to create an extra feline effect.”
A few years back, blusher really fell off the radar, however, with more and more of us choosing to embrace our skin and all of its natural flushes, blemishes and textures, it has made quite the comeback. No, I’m not talking about bright-red powders that sit on the cheeks looking totally out of place, but rather natural-looking flushes that suggest the cheeks have been kissed gently by the wind.
“I’m loving flushed and rosy cheeks this spring/summer,” says Nguyen. Look for creamy formulas that give a flushed, natural look and apply to the apples of the cheeks, blending upwards to the temples and adding excess across the bridge of the nose. “We’re going to see a lot of very low-maintenance, natural-looking, fresh, glowy looks with minimal, multiuse products applied,” reveals Nikki Wolff, Global Creative Director of Artistry at KVD Beauty. We’re talking balmy and creamy products that can be dabbed onto both lips and cheeks.
A skincare revolution has been brewing for some time now, and this season, it’s time to say goodbye to our old, toxic ways for good. The truth is the need to layer a number of skincare products onto our faces every morning and night was a notion totally invented by marketing geniuses. Not only does hoarding products leave us feeling totally confused about what we’re applying, but it also costs us more money, as well as causes the planet more harm.
“We have seen an overload of skincare products in recent years. Consumers will be cutting back and simplifying their skincare. People want low-maintenance regimens that do the most for their skincare needs. We’ll move away from being bathroom chemists, mixing single-ingredient products and towards more comprehensive formulas,” reveals No7 Skincare expert Dija Ayodele.
Look to invest in well-formulated creams and serums that tackle skin health from all angles. Keep an eye out for products that promote a healthy skin barrier, containing ingredients such as niacinamide, ceramides and gluconolactone. Whenever your skin needs a helping hand, look for what Ayodele calls “bolt-on” products. “It’s including certain ingredients/products into your routine as and when they’re needed to give your skin a boost,” she explains.
Vitamin C is without a doubt one of the most powerful and efficacious ingredients in skincare. It possesses intense antioxidant benefits that help to protect the skin against damage caused by daily life, such as UV rays and pollution. On top of that, it also helps to boost glow and improve the appearance of uneven pigmentation in the short term.
The problem, however, is that vitamin C is a very unstable ingredient to formulate with. As soon as you try to put vitamin C into any skincare product, it loses its potency very quickly. This means that a huge amount of products that claim to contain vitamin C might not deliver even a fraction of the benefits you would expect it to. This season, it’s about investing in highly potent, effective vitamin C products. “The words juicy, glowy and dewy will be a big deal this spring/summer as consumers search for skin that is naturally radiant. Including a good quality vitamin C serum in your skincare daily is one of the fastest ways to make your skin pop,” says Ayodele.
The French manicure is going nowhere this season. Its timeless elegance means it transcends all seasons. And very much in line with the beauty climate of 2022, experts say that the classic French is getting more creative updates. “The French is as popular as ever! Evolving over the seasons, from tonal to colour pops to the super-stylish micro-French. A new twist for S/S 22 is alternating French on some nails and an accent design on others,” says Juanita Huber-Millet, Founder of Townhouse. “Springtime pastels of lilac, green, pink and blue will also be super popular.”
Embellished nails might be best associated with the festive season, but with more and more of us turning to nail art as a means to express ourselves, who says we can’t have fun with our nails all year round? “Stiletto nails were the preferred shape on the catwalks, with lots of crystals featured too,” reveals Dani Bailey, OPI Nail Boss Artist.
If adding gems onto your nails seems like too much fuss, why not use foils, glitters and shimmery polishes to give your nails a three-dimensional effect? “Sparkly, glitter and metallic accents are set to be big. They can be worn all year in so many different ways, depending on how subtle or daring you want to be. I like to wear them as a minimal detail, such as a tip, dot or reverse French,” says OPI Brand Ambassador Georgia Rae.
