More is more: beauty's new maximalist mood for summer

Glossy lips, coloured brows, glamorous eyes... This summer, more is definitely more  
Simon Emmett
Katie Service27 June 2016

Maximalism is back. Gigi is out partying in vampy lipstick, Taylor’s come over all Courtney Love, and Elizabeth Olsen is giving it the full Hollywood siren on the red carpet. ‘There’s something of the 1980s club kid look to this face,’ says Kay Montano, make-up artist for Chanel and creator of the shoot you see before you. She should know — her first ever magazine cover was for The Face in 1984.

Maximalist beauty

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At Topshop’s S/S 2016 show models sported thick black liner with bright red lips and gelled-up hair; we saw graphic, Bowie-style coral eyeshadow at Max Mara, and Rouge Noir lips worn with dressing-up-box tiaras at Miu Miu. On the Tube you’ll notice a trend for coloured mascara and brows. In make-up terms, it’s party time.

Simon Emmett
Simon Emmett

So why now? ‘It’s quite simple,’ says Montano. ‘All make-up trends are cyclical.’ Beauty is a tale of feast and famine. The full-on looks of the 1980s represented a reaction to the bare faces of 1970s bohemia, while grunge (‘when make-up artists didn’t put lipstick on models for two whole years,’ recalls Montano) was followed by the glossy, high-wattage glamour of the 2000s. Today’s beauty feast makes for a similarly refreshing change. Haven’t we all got a bit tired of the Facetuned selfies of ‘make-up free’ bloggers?

Chanel Le Vernis Long Wear Nail Colour in Roubachka, £16.20, at houseoffraser.co.uk
Simon Emmett

If you’re worried about this look being too dramatic, don’t panic. Thanks to new, lighter formulations (like Chanel’s Rouge Coco Stylo — a glossy lip stain) the heaviness of the 1980s is all in the past. Which means you can make up lips, eyes and cheeks (previously a beauty cardinal sin) without looking OTT. Pile it on with a trowel and you’ll still look delicate.

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