Summer Makeup Ideas For Every Occasion

Whether you’re heading to a festival or every weekend is taken up with a wedding, we’ve created two easy summer makeup looks that will see you through every occasion. If you’re feeling creative and want to inject some colour into your outfit, we recommend tapping into our maximalist makeup look. For those who prefer a minimal approach to makeup, you’ll enjoy the ease and simplicity of our tonal look – it can be created with just one product too!

And, because we all know your base is an essential starting point, we’ve started with the ultimate base that everyone is channelling for the summer of 2024. Think healthy, radiant, dewy goodness that will have everyone asking if you’ve just got back from holiday – and yes, it’s super easy to achieve.

The Ultimate Summer Base

As we mentioned, this summer’s base is all about achieving a luxurious dewy, glow. It’s where dewy meets wet look skin, so the more vibrant the glow, the better. Opt for a light base such as a tinted moisturiser or skin tint as these will give you a natural, ‘your skin but better’ starting point. A dreamy bronzer and cream highlighter are essential – Westman Atelier has all the goods for this looks.

Makeup artist Amy Brandon used the brand’s buttery powder bronzer under the cheekbones, along the jawline and down the nose for a subtly sculpted look. “Make sure you really blend the formula into your skin for a natural finish and to avoid blocky bronzer,” Amy says. Focus your highlighter on the high points of your face where the light would naturally hit and press it into your skin for a natural glow.

Whether you’re a makeup minimalist or maximalist, this is the base to channel this summer.

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The Maximalist Makeup Look

Hitting up a festival this summer? Maybe you just want to make a statement with your makeup. Whatever the occasion, if you’re looking for a colourful makeup look this summer, we highly recommend opting for a chromatic palette. Milk Makeup’s Colour Chalks have exceptional pay-off on all skin tones and glide onto skin, making them easy to apply and blend.

Amy used two Colour Chalk shades (Bounce and Skip It) across the model’s eyelids and added just a hint of the bold bronzy Jump in the inner corners. “You could take the eyeshadow further out and round your cheekbones for a more dramatic look and experiment with more colours depending on how bold you want to go,” says Amy.

Because lip oils are the must-have lip product for 2024, we finished the maximalist look with Milk Makeup’s tinted and super glossy oil. If you are going to a festival – day or weekend – make sure you invest in a mini makeup setting spray. Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip feels weightless and can be used to prime and set your makeup.

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The Minimalist Makeup Look

When the temperatures soar not everyone wants to wear a full full of makeup. Sometimes you just want a speedy glow-up that looks like you've made an effort, but took seconds to apply. Our minimal makeup look for summer is all about utilising the power of cream formulas across your lips and cheeks to achieve a gorgeous glow.

Amy used Chantecaille's bestselling Cheek Gelee in Vibrant across the model's cheeks, but you could as easily use the iconic Lip Chic's on the lips and cheeks to create a similar finish. "Blur the lip liner out slightly as will give your look a more relaxed vibe and ensure it lasts longer, especially if you're eating and drinking or it's super hot!" says Amy.

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Your Summer Beauty Essentials

Your makeup look might be sorted, but these nifty little beauty finds are perfect for your handbag. From the scent of the summer (courtesy of Phlur) to the skin-plumping face mask that will top up your hydration levels and leave you looking fresh-faced and well rested for every occasion, these are not to be missed.

Photography by Anya Holdstock; Makeup by Amy Brandon; Hair by Chris Sweeney; Art direction by Amy Galvin; Beauty direction by Victoria Hall; Models: Helena @ Premier Model Management and Esther @ Milk Model Management; Nails by Jasmin Samavati; Styling by Holly Gorst.