At this time of year, many of us are looking ahead to the trends we expect to see, hoping to get the jump on them before we're left behind. But for beauty journalist Triona McCarthy, trends don't have to be as strict as that.
We caught up with the beauty journalist at the Brown Thomas Spring Summer fashion show earlier this month and got her insider tips and tricks on the trends ahead.
The low-slung ponytail was an immediate hit with the self-proclaimed lazy beauty lover. "I loved that they had the paired back low-slung ponytail, which is very elegant but the most important thing is we can all manage it ourselves at home.
"You don't have to wash your hair, which is great – always very handy and eco-friendly, not to be wasting water – because it works better on second- or third-day hair. Pull it all back, get it very very sleek - your own natural oils will probably help that as well!" A spritz of hairspray and a gentle bobble tie is all you need to look runway ready in minutes, she says.
Less was definitely more when it came to the makeup, too, with fresh and radiant skin once again championed over heavy coverage and dramatic lines.
"I always say good skin is always in so I'm all about investing in your skincare", McCarthy says. She also spotted the importance of "a good foundation, which they had" in perfecting the dewy, luminous look.
"Yoga skin, lit from within ... basically, it's just dewy, fresh-looking skin, which is always on trend. I never think you need to spend money on lipstick or eyeliner, but I would invest in my skincare and my foundation. I always say, if I get my foundation right everything else I put on top of it will look fine, but if I get that wrong, oh... it'll be a bad day for us all!"
When it came to lips, it was equally soft. "It was almost like the red lip was just pressed in with a finger rather than perfectly applied, which let's face it, none of us can do unless you sit for an hour in front of the mirror.
"It stays on better and it's not meant to be perfect. Then you can drink your coffee and tea and won't have to worry about lip lash!"
McCarthy says all this with a clear caveat, however: "I think the trends aren't as strong." Whereas in years gone by what happened on the runway or red carpet was what happened to your face, now she feels that there's more of a take-it-or-leave-it approach.
"I think what's great about fashion and beauty is that there's something in it for everyone and you can find your tribe or your look. There are some people who will only ever want to do a heavy eye so they can focus on the smokier 80s looks. There's some who might want to do a more natural, paired back coral lip, they can look to the 70s vibe."
For her top tips on how to perfect runway-ready hair, makeup and her top beauty buys, watch the video above!
