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Golden days: Making sense of the season's hair and beauty trends

Joanne Sasvari

CanWest News Service

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

CALGARY -- In summer, when it comes to beauty, we tend to get relaxed about things. Hair is worn sun bleached and just-out-of-bed tousled. Makeup is minimal. Our beauty routine focuses on sunscreen and pedicures.

Of course, stylish women know that getting an easy, breezy summertime look is anything but easy or breezy.

Summer brings its own beauty challenges -- sun, heat and wind outdoors and dry, Arctic cold air conditioning indoors. Not only do we have to put more effort into protecting our hair and skin from the elements, we have to put more effort into looking good despite those elements.

This year is an especially challenging one. There are so many fashion trends right now, it's hard to know exactly what is fashionable -- until we get it wrong.

"In fashion, we're seeing such a broad range, with renditions of the '60s and '70s and '80s, even punk," says Ashley Harrison, artistic director for EvelineCharles Salons and Spas.

The same thing is happening in hair and beauty, he says: "Everything coincides -- fashion to hair to beauty."

So, we wondered, just how can we look cool when it's hot out this year? For the answer, we turned to the pros at EvelineCharles Salons and Spas.

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- SKIN CARE
With more skin on display in summer, we have to work harder at keeping it smooth and moisturized, says EC spa director Cherie Van Buskirk.

"There are so many outdoor activities that can dry out the skin, dry out the hair," says Van Buskirk.

"The sun is drying. Even if you use an SPF -- and I hope everyone does -- the sun is still drying. Dehydrating the skin can also increase oil production and cause blemishes."

After being in the sun, she says, always cleanse, tone and apply a hydrating mask to rehydrate and plump the skin from a long day.

Then use a moisturizer, making sure you choose a lighter one in summer than winter.

She recommends exfoliating your entire body once a week, paying special attention to the bikini line.

And, yes, she suggests waxing, not shaving, the bikini area.

Also, Van Buskirk notes, it's especially important to take care of your feet in summer, when women tend to wear a lot of open-toed shoes.

"Your heels get dried and can get cracked. Your cuticles get exposed to the elements, too," she says.

She recommends using a moisturizing product that also includes an antibacterial agent, such as tea tree oil. And definitely get a pedicure.

Just as in makeup and fashion, the hot colours in nail lacquer this season are pinks and bronzes.
Bronze is also big for skin, whether it's in the form of bronzers brushed on cheeks, shoulders and decolletage, or sunless tanners that mimic a tan without the sun's damaging rays.

If you decide to try our hand at creating your own faux tan, the most important tip is to make sure to exfoliate first.

It not only makes the tan more even, but extends its longevity.

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- HAIR
This season there are two strong and very different, trends in hair: short, modern and gamine, or long, soft and curly.

"We're finally starting to see short hair coming back," Harrison says happily.

The trend is largely inspired by a batch of newly cropped young stars -- Sienna Miller, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley. And, Harrison says, "We will definitely see it into the fall."

Although short cuts and bobs have been in style before, what makes this look different is a softness and texture achieved by "disconnection."

"When we say disconnected, we're not talking undercut. It's almost a shorter version underneath, with longer layers over it," he explains.

"The look is not as blunt as it used to be," Van Buskirk adds.

The season's other big look is what Harrison calls "soft feminine," which involves gently tousled random curls.

With hair colour, again, there are two strong trends: rich, solid tones in reds and browns; and blonds, which are always popular in summer.

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- MAKEUP
When it comes to makeup, the most important thing to do, says Van Buskirk, is to keep it fresh. And one of the easiest ways to do that is with a bit of bronzer.

"It's a great way to give a hint or a glow to the skin without doing all the damage," she says, adding that bronzers can also even out your skin tone when, say, your nose gets darker than the rest of your face.

Other than that, there are three big trends in cosmetics this season.

One, involves using gold and metallics primarily on the eye area.

"It can be a darker metallic followed by a lighter lip. And a hint of bronzer on the skin, of course," Van Buskirk says.

The second, is a pale face, minimal eye makeup and really red lip, which could also be a really pink lip, or a really orange lip.

The key, says EC makeup artist Cheri Romanow, is "making the lip the focal point."

The third look is a soft and natural look that Van Buskirk describes as a " '70s tawny cast, but with '90s overtones. Not as heavy and harsh."

Also look for the return of the natural brow. Eyebrows are becoming healthier, fuller and not as defined as they have been in recent seasons.

As for what not to do, Van Buskirk notes the biggest mistake you can make this season is focusing on every aspect of the face instead of emphasizing either a dramatic eye or a vibrant lip.

To highlight both would be too old, too '80s. And even though the '80s are back in style, the point isn't to recreate that decade of excess, but to use it for inspiration.

Or, as Harrison says, "We always take what was in the past, and add in the future."

EvelineCharles Salons & Spas are located in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.

Calgary Herald

posted by Cheryl Levesque @ 1:44 PM