How to wear summer's pretty makeup palettes (2024)

Dreamy, light neutrals are sure-thing shades for a pretty summer eye, but it's with that bolt of electric blue where we leave our comfort zone. Start by layering the peachy tone over the top left taupe all over lids, creating an almost rose gold wash with a sheer touch of shimmer. Then, gently blend the darker brown into the eye socket, tapping the off-white on inner corners to lend a brightening boost.

Now, here's where things get interesting; use the blue as a bright liner, working it in with the tapered brush as a streak through the lash line. Give it a boost by wetting the brush if you want it to look intense, or apply and lightly smudge it down for subtle definition.

Clarins Colours of Brazil, £32

We go to great lengths to ensure fake tan never turns our skin orange, but pop the shade on eyes and it has a brightening effect. Which why we've fallen for this eye duo from the beauty brains at Topshop, who seem to have their finger on the pulse of the biggest makeup trends.

This duo is night eyes in one palette and looks great against blue tones, simply prime your lids and sweep on the orange right up to the eye socket. If you want more definition, work the dark shade through the crease, or create a pretty, rose gold effect by sweeping over the orange shade. Dreamy.

Topshop Long Weekend Eye Duo, £6

This neon palette means business when it comes bold makeup; the shades are super pigmented and the pay-off is second to none. And while it might look scary at first, it ticks the trend boxes and pushes you to really play with your summer beauty look.

First up, why not work that bottom left blue as a neon eyeliner? Smudged into the lashline, it pairs up well with the silver on lids. It also looks really pretty with the purple in the crease, though these deep purples also work well blended for a sleek aubergine eye.

Not to mention, the green shades slot right into the on trend aqua look, and you can blend them together with a little yellow to adjust the colour as you like. We've also found the pink and red make pretty blusher shades, just be sure to really blend them down for a rosy, polished flush.

Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette, £38

This gorgeously weighty palette is a dream for sun-seekers, boasting a quad of powdered shades in bronzes and sun-kissed pinks. And, sure, it's tempting to swirl your brush over all the gorgeous shades, but there is a technique to turning this palette into a contouring tool.

Use a contour brush to work the lighter bronze in the low points of your face - the temples, hairline, jawline and most importantly, hollows of cheeks. Then tap the deeper bronze in a light wash through your eye socket, before smudging it through the lashline for a some light definition.

Now with a blusher brush, pick up a little of the pink and pretty peach, and swirl them in a sun-kissed blend on apples of the cheeks. Finally, use the shimmering gold in the centre as a highlight, dotting it over the tops of cheeks and centre of eyelids.

Guerlain Terracotta Sun Celebration, £47

Every summer Estee Lauder wows us with their Bronze Goddess collection, and this year they've really treated us with a palette of wow-worthy neutrals. Going from the wearable beiges to sultry deeper shades, this is a sure-thing palette to take you through from day to night.

We'd recommend wearing the lightest shade as a neutralising base, blocking out all the tired tones that appear on our lids. From there, you're safe with the first three shades as pretty washes for lids, while the next two along are contour colours that really make eyes pop.

The black is ideal for smudgy, smokey eyes and you can nudge it in the lashline, while the white hooks prettily around tear ducts as a brightening highlighter. Finally, the end two are shimmers in sexy, deeper tones, which look beautiful as one-wash shades with glossy, black, long lashes.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess The Nudes, £40

Have you ever seen anything more divine than the casing on this palette? It's everything we want our friends to see sitting in our handbags this year. And the joy doesn't stop when you click it open and see the array of shades, mixing mint greens, peachy tones and sultry navy blues in the pigments of our dreams.

YSL got the aqua memo when they pulled these shades together, offering up three blues and greens to create the pretty look. Create a dreamy shimmering blend with the two bottom blue shades, then nudge the navy into the lash line to make brown eyes look huge.

And, as this is a two for one job, you can get a peachy eye look, too, layering the lighter peach over lids and the deeper shade in the crease.

YSL Bleu Lumiere, £39

Pink hues are a no-brainer - they look great on lips and cheeks - but where this palette has us stumped is that we want to wear them all at once. However, instead of wasting these creams by piling them all on, here's your guide for when to wear each of the pretty shades.

The three on the second row and bottom middle are all subtler hues, and work well for a fresh pink flush as part of your day look. Pick one and match it to your lip - a huge, key summer trend - to give that just-bitten effect against your BB cream.

The other five are more vibrant and work well for evening drinks, in particular the top, middle hot pink shade makes teeth look brilliantly white. Slick these on after a day of work for a brighter nighttime face - what makes this palette extra delicious is that it fits in any bag. J'adore.

Givenchy Euphoric Pink Lip & Cheek Palette, £44.50

If you think this is just another bronzing powder, you've got this palette all wrong; in fact it's a tawny complexion trio for creamy, dreamy skin. It does contain the brand's best-selling bronzer - the matte READY High Dive - but it also boasts a second bronzed shade, The Big Splash, and a luminizer in The Long Weekend.

So, what do you do with two bronze shades? Well, grab that contouring brush, taking the darkest through the low points of your face to deepen natural shadows. Then grab the lighter bronzing hue and buff it over your forehead, cheeks and chin, following up with the gold luminizer on cheekbones and the bridge of your nose.

Finally, as an added bonus, you get a brush and a lipgloss with this palette, all of which helps you create that gorgeous, ad campaign-worthy tan.

Bare Minerals The First Resort, £34