Your suitcase is packed with the chicest summer outfits and your out-of-office is on. All that’s left to do is dust off your passport and sort out the best part of a summer getaway—the beauty bag. Whether you’re jetting off to the Amalfi coast, enjoying a city break, or cosying up at a coastal retreat closer to home, summer always provides so much opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone and level up your beauty look. For me, summer beauty is all about embracing a glowier, brighter and even more joyful version of yourself. Think bronzed skin, juicy lips and glossy hair.
And when it comes to finding inspiration for the best summer holiday looks, it’s the A-list who consistently get it right during the summer months. Whether it’s red carpets or their very own holiday selfies, this season has already given us plenty of celebrities serving up fresh, fun and wearable summer beauty looks that you can copy for your own vacation.
Ahead, some of my bookmarked celebrity summer beauty looks that I’ll be adding to my holiday vision board, along with the products to pack if you want to recreate them yourself.
Celebrity Summer Beauty: Sun-Kissed Blush
While sunburnt skin is not at all cute (wearing SPF every day is a non-negotiable—especially during the summer months) this extreme sun-kissed blush look has been emerging as a trend for the season and I’m somewhat obsessed with it. Makeup artist Carolina Gonzalez created this flushed cheek look for Sabrina Carpenter at the BRIT Awards earlier this year and I’ve been reaching for a slightly terracotta-toned blushes all summer long to enliven my naturally pasty complexion ever since.
Celebrity Summer Beauty: Cherry Pop Lips
Let’s be honest, a bright lipstick pretty much always looks good but there’s something particularly beautiful about a red lip on a balmy summer night. Maya Jama’s cherry-hued lipstick looks so gorgeous teamed with simple, glowy skin and a teeny slick of eyeliner to create a look that would be perfect to wear to an alfresco dinner at dusk.
Celebrity Summer Beauty: Slicked-Back Bun
Wet-look hair styles make perfect sense for summer as, if you’re lucky, you might be holidaying somewhere where you’re spending time in and out of a pool or the sea. Hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos describes this look on pared-back look for Dove Cameron as an “I had no time bun” and its beauty really does lie in its simplicity. Just slick it all back and leave a couple of strands untucked at the front for a little movement.
Celebrity Summer Beauty: ‘90s Smokey Eye
We tend to think of bronzes and brights when it comes to summer makeup, but in a summer that’s been dominated by the revival of the Britpop era and soundtracked by the return of Oasis it’s no surprise that we’re seeing ‘90s grunge influences remerging. Alexa Chung’s grey-toned smokey eye look is undeniably chic, but still feels current thanks to the way makeup artist Zoe Taylor has paired it with dewy skin and a nude glossy lip.
Celebrity Summer Beauty: Golden Highlights
From shimmering body oils to glassy highlighters, summer is a chance to shine when it comes to your make-up, as model Jourdan Dunn illustrates perfectly with this gleaming golden makeup look. Every element has been perfectly executed, but it’s the light-reflecting cheekbones, ultra-glossy lips and shimmering eyelids that give this look its expensive-looking polish.
Celebrity Summer Beauty: Swishy Ponytail
There’s a theme to the hairstyles mentioned here to copy—they’re easy. After all, nobody has time to be messing around with complicated updo’s when there’s relaxing to be doing. This chic mid-height ponytail that Jodie Comer wore to Wimbledon this year is perfectly polished, ultra-shiny, and enviably bouncy. Recreate it on your own break by keeping a small centre-parting at the front with two face-framing tendrils of hair.
Celebrity Summer Beauty: Faux Freckles
A scattering of freckles across the nose and cheeks has the instant ability to make an otherwise simple make-up look feel effortlessly summery. Of course, some people are blessed with them naturally, while others enhance theirs by using a freckle pen like Hailey Bieber has been known to in the past. Just dot a few across the bridge of your nose for a fresh-faced make-up look for summer.
