The One Summer Collection Most People Should Buy
Summer makeup collections are curated seasonal edits of color, texture, and finish designed to deliver lightweight makeup formulas, dewy summer glow, and lively festival-ready looks that hold up in heat and long days outdoors. If you buy only one new launch this season, make it the Chanel Summer’s Calling collection, which pulls together sun-soaked corals, riviera blues, and golden-hour hues into one tightly edited range that goes from vacation to everyday makeup without effort. These shades bring the vibrant summer colors trend to life, and the textures are built to enhance a natural base rather than mask it. The Stylo Ombre et Contour eye pencils at Dhs185, Duo De Baumes glow sticks at Dhs280, Rouge Coco Satin Lipsticks at Dhs235, and Le Vernis polishes at Dhs160 give you a complete color wardrobe in coordinated tones. For most people, this is the most coherent, foolproof way to ditch neutrals and still look polished.
Glow-First Luxury: Givenchy’s Dewy Skin and Lip Duo
If your priority is a dewy summer glow that reads candlelit, not sweaty, go straight for Givenchy’s new radiance duo. The star is Prisme Libre Highlighter Powder, which is not a typical chalky powder; it is loaded with micro hyaluronic acid and squalane so it does not cling to dry patches and keeps skin looking hydrated while delivering long-lasting dewiness and a blurred finish through its Prismatic Light technology. Pair it with the Perfecto Serum Lip Oil, the brand’s lip treat that completes their two-pronged approach to long-lasting radiance by adding sheen and care to lips in one step. This duo is ideal if you like your base minimal—think skin tints and sheer coverage—but still want your features to catch the light. According to one report, these launches are designed to “help us achieve a sheen, no matter what our skin is up to”.
Low-Maintenance Daytime: Skin Tints, Dewy Blush and Waterproof Lashes
For daily wear in hot weather, build a small kit of low-maintenance heroes that give glow without effort. Start with Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Natural Dewy SPF30 at £39, which delivers instant hydration with a touch of coverage and “unifies your skin without feeling cakey or looking like you have much on”. Layer on a dewy blusher and a lip tint like the Amuse Dew Tint in ‘Mauve Grape’ at £18, a lightweight, sheer formula that gives lips a healthy flush and wears comfortably through the day. Finish with a waterproof mascara such as Diorshow Overvolume Waterproof Mascara at £38, praised for full lashes that last all day and hold a curl. This trio suits anyone who wants a low-maintenance glow built on lightweight makeup formulas, with products that can handle heat, commutes, and spontaneous after-work plans without constant touch-ups.
Festival Glitter Makeup: NYX, e.l.f. and Sparkle Sets
When you shift from terrace drinks to festival fields, summer makeup collections give way to full festival glitter makeup. Festival season is all about colour, creativity and plenty of sparkle. Start with NYX Professional Makeup Glitter Primer, a lightweight formula that helps loose glitter and pigments grip to the skin and reduces fallout so your sparkle stays put through long sets. Add high-shine impact with glitter eyeshadows and liquid shimmer formulas, then lock everything in with a setting spray bundle designed to keep looks intact during long days outdoors. The NYX Glitter Goals Cream Quad Palette is a top choice for anyone who likes a rainbow of colours, packing multiple glitter shades into one compact so you can swap looks across the weekend. Together with cult-favourite primers and setting sprays, these products form the backbone of any reliable festival kit built around vibrant summer colors and high-impact shine.
Playful Color: Pokémon x ColourPop and Other Bold Highlights
If your style skews playful and nostalgic, the Pokémon x ColourPop Eeveelution Collection is the colorful capsule to reach for. It taps into the same summer shift away from neutrals toward bold, character-inspired shades that still sit comfortably within lightweight makeup formulas. Use its bright shadows and blushes as accent pieces within a more classic base, like pairing a coral Eeveelution eye with a sun-soaked Chanel Riviera lip or layering a shimmery Eeveelution topper over an NYX glitter base for extra dimension. This collection suits anyone who sees makeup as a mood board: you can go subtle with a single shade or build a full graphic eye that matches your festival wristband. Combined with modern skin tints and glow products, it proves colorful makeup can feel grown-up, curated, and very much of-the-moment for summer.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the Chanel Summer’s Calling collection if you want a single, polished edit of corals, riviera blues and golden-hour hues that works for both holidays and everyday looks.
- Skip the Chanel Summer’s Calling collection if you rarely wear color and prefer strictly neutral, matte basics year-round.
- Buy the Givenchy Prisme Libre Highlighter Powder and Perfecto Serum Lip Oil if your goal is a dewy summer glow that feels hydrating on skin and lips.
- Skip the Givenchy Prisme Libre Highlighter Powder and Perfecto Serum Lip Oil if you dislike any visible sheen and only wear matte, full-coverage bases.
- Buy the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Natural Dewy SPF30, Amuse Dew Tint and Diorshow Overvolume Waterproof Mascara if you want a low-maintenance daily routine built on lightweight makeup formulas and waterproof lashes.
- Skip the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser, Amuse Dew Tint and Diorshow Overvolume Waterproof Mascara if you prefer heavy coverage, sharp contour and dramatic evening-only looks every day.
- Buy the NYX festival glitter lineup with Glitter Primer and Glitter Goals Cream Quad Palette if you are building a colorful, sparkle-heavy festival kit that can last from the first act to the last.
- Skip the NYX festival glitter lineup if you never wear glitter, have very sensitive eyes, or dislike any shimmer in your makeup.
- Buy the Pokémon x ColourPop Eeveelution Collection if you enjoy playful, nostalgic themes and want colorful accents that you can mix with luxury summer makeup collections.
- Skip the Pokémon x ColourPop Eeveelution Collection if you only invest in classic, minimalist packaging and strictly traditional color stories.
