This Summer’s Biggest Makeup Trends Are Cooler Than the Air From Your A/C Unit

Old way of thinking: makeup in summer needs to be lighter, fresher, and more pared down. New way of thinking: unless things get unbearably sweltering or you can’t stand up on the subway without leaving a puddle of sweat on the seat, now is the time to experiment with your makeup more.

Give us color! Sparkle! Drama! (Because Euphoria didn’t start a beauty movement for nothing, are we right?) From watercolor eye makeup that pairs perfectly with your face mask to 90’s inspired frosted lips and a gradient glitter cat eye, there’s no shortage of inspiration that make it worth whipping out your cosmetics bag this season.

Don’t worry: we’re here to ensure getting the looks is easy. In the slides ahead, NYC-based makeup artist Anne Kohlhagen walks us through this summer’s hottest makeup trends that you won’t want to ice out.

Summer Makeup Trend: Gradient Glitter Cat Eye

Unexpected, dramatic, eye-catching — a graphic glitter wing can take any look to the next level. (Just ask Lucy Boynton or Rowan Blanchard.)

“Start with the lightest color first and work your way to the darker shades,” Kohlhagen told Makeup.com, adding that “once the dark colors are applied you can’t remove that without starting over.” To get the look, use a thin eyeliner blush so you have added control, and go slowly to ensure it blends seamlessly.

Gradient Glitter Cat Eye

If you want to add a bit of bling, throw in some glitter. “For maximum shine, use two to three different sizes and colors of glitter,” Kohlhagen said. After priming the eyes, use your finger (or a glitter brush like one from the Sephora Collection Moschino + Sephora Makeup Brush Set ($58)) to start with the smallest flecks first, and apply them all over the darkest part of your wing. Then, add a larger glitter on top, but keep it more spread out. “You want to make sure that your smoky wing is perfected before placing the glitter down to ensure a seamless look,” she said.

Summer Makeup Trend: Frosted Lipstick

The ’90s are calling (by way of a Nokia 3310 mobile device, obviously) to tell you that frosted lips are back, baby. Keep reading for the easiest how-to, like, ever.

Frosted Lipstick

Getting the frosty finish is easy, Kohlhagen said. You can either opt for an opal lipstick that you can apply straight from the tube (she likes the NYX Professional Makeup Glitter Goals Liquid Lipstick ($9)), or, if you want to add more oomph (and it’s Summer, so why wouldn’t you?), “try lightly brushing a frosted eye shadow over the center of the lips” to add extra shine, Kohlhagen said.

Summer Makeup Trend: Watercolor Eyes

You don’t need Vincent van Gogh’s painting skills to create the season’s coolest eye makeup trend, but you should have an affinity for watercolor. The first step, Kohlhagen told Makeup.com, is to map out an outline of four to five colors you want on your lids using powder shadows. This allows you to spotlight every shade, as opposed to accidentally blending them together.

“You want to avoid taking a blending brush and mixing the shades together,” she said. “Focus on letting the colors overlap, but do not combine them.”

Watercolor Eyes

Next, apply a cream or liquid eye shadow in the corresponding color on top to set the look and make it pop. “I also think it helps to use a mix of matte and metallic cream colors to build dimension and texture,” she said. Blend out any harsh edges with a fluffy eye shadow brush, and finish with a spritz of setting spray, like Huda Beauty’s Resting Boss Face Waterproof Setting Spray ($32).

Summer Makeup Trend: White Eye Shadow

You don’t follow the rules and wear white after Labor Day anyway, so why not kick off the color with your eye makeup? Kohlhagen told Makeup.com to “start with a really light concealer on the lid first” to make the alabaster shadow pop.

White Eye Shadow

Any white pigment will pop against your skin tone, but the most flattering shades have a slight shimmer and gold undertone, which can also help brighten the entire eye area. A good bet: the Nars Previous Metals Single Eyeshadow in Isla Bonita ($19).