4 Summer Makeup Tips From An Aussie Makeup Artist

You may have only just started your spring cleaning (or is that just us?) but summer is right around the corner. And with the weather heating up, there’s no better time to get your summer skin care sorted, plan your party season glam and hone your makeup skills. So who better to call upon than the Aussie makeup queen herself?!

Rae Morris is the genius behind Jessica Mauboy’s The Voice glam, a Fashion Week veteran and the master of no makeup-makeup. And we sat down with to get all her go-to tips, tricks and thoughts on upcoming trends to help you perfect your summer makeup.

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A post shared by Rae Morris (@raemorrismakeup)

Ready to create a summer makeup masterpiece of your own? Scroll on for a masterclass in pared-back glam…

Rae Morris summer makeup tips

Start with a hydrated base

You’ve no doubt noticed the shift away from heavy full glam looks in recent years, and summer is the perfect time to embrace the no makeup-makeup look. “It still takes more effort, but it’s just more polished,” Rae says. “So no hard edges, no sculpted-out brows. Everything is being pulled back. It’s softer, the skin is velvety and lightly mattified, but not too glowy.”

The key is to start with an ultra-hydrated base and keep the coverage to a minimum. Rae starts every makeup application with the Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Balancing Emulsion ($69 at Sephora) to keep her clients’ skin hydrated and soft without feeling sticky. Hot tip: you can mix your favourite emulsion with your concealer or foundation to create your own lightweight skin tint. Genius!

Add some colour

And no, we’re not talking about a tan (unless it’s fake tan, then go wild!). Rae is all about blush – or cream blush, to be precise – and bronzer. The perfect duo, in our opinion…

If you have pale skin, Rae says to keep the bronzer around the hairline. “The face actually looks more tanned when you bronze just the hairline,” she explains. “I don’t use a lot of bronzer on really pale skin because a bronzer on the face doesn’t make sense if the body is still really pale and creamy.”

But that doesn’t mean you have to steer clear of blush! Rae sticks with apricot blush for pale skin a la Angelina Jolie, and more vibrant pink blushes for medium to dark skin tones. “There’s a great trick they used with the Victoria’s Secret models in the shows. They always used to mix blush and bronzer because it looks like you’re tan but you’re slightly sweating, that perfect bronzy-pink flush,” she says.

Keep contouring to a minimum

“Most people don’t need contour,” Rae says. And hey, if it means one less step in our daily makeup routine, we’ll take her word for it.

“Creating a cheekbone can make the cheeks look too big, it can make the face look too hollow or too round. You’ve got to make sure it suits you,” she continues. Her best tip? Find a makeup artist who does tutorials on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube who has the same face shape as you and follow what they do.

If you love contouring, by all means, go for it. Rae suggests sticking to cool-toned taupe shades for light skin, but medium to dark skin tones can use warmer shades. “If you have tanned or dark skin, you can use your bronzer as your contour because it works with the warmth of your skin,” she explains. “You can use bronzer exactly how you would contour but then shade it up into your cheeks.”

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Don’t be afraid of a little shimmer

Because what’s party season without a little shimmer?! “Shimmer and shine on the eyes is always a big thing for summer,” says Rae. Don’t be fooled by the cliché that mature skin and shimmer don’t mix. A splash of glitter on your eyelids or above the cheekbones will make your summer makeup pop.

And remember, a lot of makeup products have multiple uses. For example, a cream blush can be applied to the lips for a wash of colour, or a shimmery shadow can be applied to highlight the cheekbones. “The good thing about cheaper eyeshadow is that sometimes they put too much shimmer in it. So it’s actually great for highlighter,” Rae says.

Rae Morris’s summer makeup essentials

Want to know what a makeup artist reaches for most in their kit? Here are Rae’s summer makeup essentials…

Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Oil-Infused Serum

“I use this on the face, on the skin. Scents, especially rose, are just really calming.”

$92 at Sephora

Australis Lip Pencil

“Australis has some really nice [lip] pencils… I like to use them on the eye. Sometimes cheaper ones are softer and melt more, which makes them great for the eyes.”

$5.97 at Australis

Rae Morris Radiance Foundation Brush

“I use it on the body, on the face, for skin prep, for face masks, moisturiser. It’s probably my most-used tool – aside from tweezers.”

$200 at MECCA

Maybelline Cheek Heat Blush

“I love a cream blush! Maybelline and L’Oreal have great options.”

$15.99 at Chemist Warehouse

Main image: Getty

Do you have many summer makeup tips and tricks?!