The lazy girl’s guide: Summer beauty collections round-up

Come with me and dip your toes into a sea of bronzing products and sandy-turquoise eye looks. For all of you, overwhelmed by the sheer masses of same looking summer collections, I have your back and pare down the must haves and the must skips for you.

But first, what makes a summer collection great? After seeing gazillions of seasonal collections I personally like to be surprised from time to time. With a unique, fresh concept, a hero product that’s actually not gimmicky but great and a cohesive theme that runs through the collection. I don’t demand much, right?! But honestly, if I see bronzed skin with turquoise liner one more time I’m going to puke. I get it, not every consumer is an avid beauty junkie. But please, don’t churn out the exactly same thing as the year before, huh? So, to keep things fresh, I’d decided to add a recommendation to every overview. Because this time, we have a whopping ten collections to review. (I’m tired already. Get a coffee.)

The round-up

Chanel – Les Indispensables de L’Été (Cruise Collection)

Cruise collections release usually between Spring and Summer, but this is apparently the summer collex. Huh? This the quintessential collection for a middle-aged woman who isn’t interested in makeup at all, but wants to buy something “natural”-looking and high-end. Where was Lucia Pica when this one was conceived?! The collection consists of powders-slash-bronzers-slash whatever, sheer lipsticks and the proverbial “pops of colour”. (Mascaras and liners in brown and blue.)

I’ve also no idea what has happened to Chanel’s once great and innovative nail polish line – we’ve got a peach, a pink, a coral and a deep green. Someone send help to Chanel’s HQ, please. They must be bored out of their minds. (Some swatches from The Happy Sloths.)

Noteworthy: Whatever you do, don’t buy the Poudre Belle Mine Ensoleillé Powder. While the texture is better than previous Les Beiges iterations, all shades run yellow. There’re better bronzers around. And if you think of using them as a setting powder, you’ve got to be in luck, because there’re exactly five shades.

Dior – Care & Dare

The concept sounds kinda cute, right? Like colourful makeup that at the same time protects your skin. But it looses me after glancing at Dior’s description. Both for the (pretty) Nude Air Care & Dare Protecting Glow Powder and Nude Air Luminizer Serum I can’t figure out why they’re protecting the skin. There’s some wishy-washy wording about ‘protection against pollution’ and some nourishing oils. Sorry Dior, that’s rather vague and doesn’t convince me.

The Dior Addict Care & Dare lipsticks have a moisturizing core and should be both pigmented and glossy. Both palettes are rather pretty with different nuances of beiges and browns and a pop of colour (one in yellow, one in pink). Then there’re those double-ended eyeshadow sticks they’ve come out with before, and a rather nice colour palette of nail polishes: white, coral and brown. (Some swatches from Eleni at Rouge n Apples.)

Noteworthy: If you dig the products, go for them, but I wouldn’t put one iota of trust in that skincare component.

YSL – Solar Pop

Hey, it’s neither Cara nor a super-sexualized model in the promo image! But let me break it to you gently, YSL – when you say “inspired by the vibrant colors and exotic adventure of a jungle safari” – why then is the promo pic shot in a desert?!

Star of the show is clearly the bronzing powder “Solar Pop Bronzing Stones Collector Palette”. It’s a matte bronzer in different colours and a cool design that reminds me of sand dunes, while the box has a lime-green faux croco print. The Couture Metallics (liquid eyeshadows) were always way back behind Armani’s Eye Tints quality-wise (gold and purple). Then there’s their Tint-in-Oil (yawn) and two nail polishes (green and orange cremes). Next.

Notworthy: Nothing.

Estée Lauder – Bronze Goddess

Okay, EL’s Bronze Goddess collections aren’t designed to reinvent the wheel. They’ve been around since the 90s (I think), and since then they include the same bronzing powders that are also permanent. There’s also an eyeshadow palette with some bronze and turquoise shades every year (it seems like it). They also release the wonderful Bronze Goddess fragrance and body care line every year.

I love the scent (the best kind of sunscreen with coconut and tiare) and there’s a scrub, a cleanser, a body oil, hair oil, the Eau Fraiche fragrance, and, for the first time, an Eau de Perfume. I’m all over this (it’s a more intense version of the light Eau Fraiche)! EL clearly thinks the Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelee (think a “poured” texture like MAC’s Extra Dimension and Nars’ Dual Intensity products) is their hero product. (Some swatches from Ommorphia.)

Noteworthy: If you like summery scents, try this one. It’s a classic for a reason, and Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc is very close. I’ll also check out the Eau de Perfume, and will likely hoard it.

Tom Ford – 2017 Summer Soleil

Speaking of Tom Ford, after his Holiday collection that was basically a summer collection, I was curious to see if his summer collection would be dreaming of a white Christmas or something. It isn’t. It’s an utterly boring thing made up of three bronzers, a contouring palette and a highlighting palette (again that poured texture). A cheek and eye palette for a whopping 155$ consists of a highlighter and a blush shade and four beige and brown eyeshadows. Two nude-ish cream and powder eyeshadow duos. A bronzing gel, last year’s Orchid Soleil fragrance, and a travel bronzing powder that comes *in* a kabuki.

Then we have six mini-sized (oh, sorry, they call them clutch-sized) lip balms that retail for 36$. Kill me now. I’ve given up. (Some swatches with comparisons from Sweet Makeup Temptations and By Georgia Grace.)

Noteworthy: The price. Otherwise, there’s nothing here that you wouldn’t get from other brands, be it colour- or quality-wise.

MAC – Fruity Juicy

Thanks MAC for coming to the rescue and going for the fun, tropical route. The packaging is fun, and while the colour palette is summery, it also brings some freshness to the table. Let’s hope the quality is there as well. Of course there’re bronzers in different textures, liquid highlighters and a wonderfully designed blush/bronzer combo.

Then there’re both lipsticks and Cremesheen Glasses (my fave formula) in nudes, pinks/purples and reds. And then there’re three eyeshadow palettes in a neutral-red combo, a neutral pink combo and a neutral-green combo. Sadly Karen reports that the formula isn’t all that for two of them.

Noteworthy: MAC proves that red eyeshadows aren’t just for fall/winter and can indeed look summery. Go and swatch, because the colour combos look interesting and fresh.

Givenchy – Gypsophilia

A mini collection consisting of just five products – a bronzing powder, two coloured mascaras and two lipsticks, refreshingly packaged in light blue and named for ‘Baby’s Breath’ flowers. The Poudre Bonne Mine Healthy Glow Powder is supposed to have a “Bonne Mine” effect (you know, your skin but better), and while the embossing is certainly stunning, swatches show an alarmingly amount of orange.

We just leave the mascaras aside, shall we, and concentrate on the lipsticks. Certainly covetable, the Le Rouge is an orange-red, while the glossier Le Rouge a Porter is a strawberry-pink.

Noteworthy: A breath of fresh air with its light blue packaging and pared down size. The powder is not for me, but the lipsticks are definitely enticing with both excellent quality, nice universal colours and great packaging.

Nars x Charlotte Gainsbourg

You might know actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, 45, for her pared-back French Girl chic. Nars translated her favourite looks admirably into a collection of 18 items. It’s absolutely bronzer-free! There’re three Multiple Tints for cheeks, two eyeshadow duos (one nude and dark teal, the other nude and dark green) with coloured liners (green, navy, grey) to match. Lips are either matte (a tearose pink and wine red) or glossy (Lip Tints) in red, pink and plum.

Then there’s a brush roll with five brushes that looks very nice, but feels superfluous in this collection. Would Charlotte use them? I’d have pegged her as a girl who applies all products with her fingers… (Some swatches by Troves and Roses.)

Noteworthy: I love that Nars partnered with a woman older than 25! My favourite product is the eyeshadow duo in Old Church Street (champagne nude/ dark teal) for an effortless smokey eye (swatch here by Chrystal Candy Makeup Blog).

Lancôme – Summer Swing

The 70s are back! Both in the promo pic as in the description – but also their blurb reads “basking in the summer sun with your best friend”. I thought that “basking in the sun” is generally frowned upon both for health and beauty reasons now?

Oh well. It’s the quintessential summer collection that centers around a prettily embossed and encased bronzing powder and products for your eyes and nails that are nude, brown, and turquoise. Yawn.

Noteworthy: I’ve no idea if the metallic liquid eyeshadows (swatches here) are any good, but their matching liners generally are. And don’t go basking in the sun, please. Or do it with lots of sunscreen and under an umbrella. Skin cancer is real, yo.

Clarins – Sunkissed Summer

Wonders will never cease, but for the first time in history, I think Clarins actually achieves what Chanel, Lancome, YSL etc. tried to do, but couldn’t. They took the established formula of a summer collection for a rather staid clientele and made it look modern and on trend.

Forget the embossed bronzing powder (though Clarins make good ones), but look at the little eyeshadow palette, featuring four shades of beiges and browns with a pop of orange and their accompanying eyeliners in bronze and gold. Winner! (Swatches by the Beauty Geeks here.)

Noteworthy: Clarins manages to incorporate the red-toned eyeshadow trend that nevertheless doesn’t feel scary in their otherwise conventional summer collection. Well done!

Beauty summer collections 2017 overview

Summer trends

Bronzing powders and turquoise slash sandy-colored eyes don’t go anywhere. Both MAC and Clarins incorporate the red eyeshadow trend in their collections and make it look summery and fresh.

Best buys

If you hate conventionally looking summery makeup, have a look at Nars that released a classically chic collection with Charlotte Gainsbourg.
If you like summery fragrances, check out Estee Lauder’s Eau de Perfum.
If you like red eye looks, have a look at MAC or Clarins.
If you like bronzing powders, you’re in luck! Have a look at Dior, theirs are traditionally good, or at Clarins (same).
If you like the Bonne Mine look, skip both Chanel’s and Givenchy’s powders. Too yellow, too orange. Have a look at MAC’s bronzing powders instead, especially the “poured” ones.