Summer signals new look in beauty products

NEW YORK-- It's time to let your hair down. Or is it time to pull it back?

Now that you're feeling that warm breeze in your hair, try a little more wave and cut some bangs, suggests stylist Oscar Blandi.

"What's happening now, as we go into spring, is a lot of bangs, layers to contrast the face -- not layers all over -- and you also will see a lot of short bobs," Blandi says.

This means relaxing the rules for many women who spend hours -- and dollars -- straightening their hair.

It's stylish and convenient to pull long hair back into a ponytail and it will look more modern with some graduation in the cut. And if hair is naturally wavy, it'll look great if you collect it with a wide-tooth comb, run some volumizer and gel through hair and secure it in a loose bun, Blandi says. Then, if you want a different nighttime look, you can just let the bun out and you'll have a sexy, tousled look.

"There'll be nothing coiffed; it's sort of 'Rita-Hayworth-in-the-1930s look'," says Blandi, whose eponymous salon is in Manhattan's Plaza Hotel. "The hair will match the lighter makeup."

With spring comes an influx of brighter, more optimistic cosmetic colors, instead of the deep colors that are most popular in winter, says MAC's chief makeup artist Gordon Espinet.

But just because the season is changing and trends evolving, you don't have to dump your makeup bag and start over, Espinet says; just add a few key items.

His picks: azure blue eyeliner or eye shadow, worn close to the lashline; waterproof mascara, which not only will stay on in the pool or during athletic activity but also will stay "set" on humid days; and foundation or bronzer for the face and body to help cover the blue cast often seen on "winter skin."

Espinet says an easy way to keep color cosmetics chic and sophisticated is to use brights only on one feature, such as the bright blue eye shadow paired with a beige lipstick or colorless gloss. The reverse works, too -- a coral-red lipstick on an otherwise neutral face, he says.

"In the spring you can cut back on the quantity of makeup but you can add some intensity of the color."

Key words are sheer, glowing, translucent and healthy skin, according to Espinet.

"You have to start thinking about body treatments, and the first stop is the legs. MAC has a face and body foundation. Mix it into your body lotion, using a darker color than your face -- remember you're mixing it with white moisturizer."

Be mindful to spread it evenly, and then to use a complementary shade on your face. Espinet uses "the chin-shoulder test:" raising the shoulder to the chin and making sure they look like they belong to the same person.

For a more subtle glow, apply bronzer with a brush as blush.

Espinet's advice for those who still insist on a suntan is to use sunscreen, either on its own or in moisturizer or foundation.

"Please don't shy away from SPF (sun protection factor). It won't stop you from getting color, but it will stop you from getting burned."