The best makeup products for summer 2022

Beauty director Eve Cameron touts this as ‘the best eye pencil’ she’s ever used. ‘It glides on without dragging and offers enough playtime for smudging and softening. It can also be used for a crisp line – even a little flick – and then it stays put all day.’

Senior beauty editor Alexandra Friend has been wearing this juicy tinted lip oil on repeat. ‘It’s a colour and care hybrid, really – it looks lovely, and it feels like a wonderful cross between a balm and a gloss.’ Four shades give a pretty, lip-defining wash of translucent colour, and there’s a clear one too, for summer makeup that never looks overdone.

Alex is also leaning heavily on Jones Road’s Miracle Balm this summer, which ‘gives skin a pretty, outdoorsy flush’ as well as lending a healthy-looking gloss to the high points of the face. ‘Dig in deep and warm this up on your fingers before applying, and try across the bridge of your nose and even over your eyelids,’ she says. Try the shades Tawny, Sunkissed or Dusty Rose for an easy sun-flushed look.

And on Alex’s nails? ‘My favourite summer pedicure is a bare-look one,’ she says. ‘Translucent varnish looks fresh and is more forgiving when it chips. This one is pink, healthy-looking and super-shiny. I won’t go back to colour any time soon.’

Acting beauty editor Anna Lao-Kaim is pregnant, so doesn’t anticipate jetting off to the med anytime soon. Her answer? This bronzer. ‘Over self-tan, it completes my two weeks on the beach effect,’ she says. ‘It’s a plant-oil infused powder, so blends in quickly, and the peachy undertones add fatigue-fighting brightness.’

Beauty writer Phoebe Lee opts for cream eyeshadows come summer, and this is her new favourite. ‘It’s so beautifully creamy and offers the prettiest wash of colour over the lid. One layer lends a subtle daytime twinkle, or it can be built up to something more dramatic in the evening. The best part? They require no brushes or expert skill; just dab with a finger, blend gently, and go.’

Acting beauty ed Anna also relies on this bargain concealer as a finishing touch. The formula is full of hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin, so if you’re prone to dry patches, this is less likely to cling to them. The texture is plush and serum-like, lending glow as well as light coverage.

Anna’s final port of call for her low-key, low-effort summer makeup? This 3-in-1 brow product. It has a pencil, pen and spoolie brush to define and add subtle colour to brows, which frames the face and pulls a look together, pronto.

Beauty editor Fleur Fruzza calls this her ‘favourite hyaluronic acid-packed summer base.’ It’s an under the radar find from Clinique, which supplies a plush, juicy finish to skin, as well as a tiny amount of coverage to even out tone.

Also in Fleur’s arsenal are these highlighter drops from Dolce&Gabbana Beauty. ‘When I’m not wearing foundation and want something super lightweight, these create a very natural-looking, luminous glow without shimmer.’

‘When it comes to makeup, texture is key,’ says Fleur. ‘I find I’m always drawn to light, sheer formulations. I love these cream blushers for their barely-there finish.’