I usually play it safe with makeup, but there’s something about the approach of summer that makes me want to experiment with colour. And this season, there’s an even better excuse to get creative, as the Spring/Summer 2012 catwalks were awash with bright hues and interesting textures.

If you’d like to step outside your colour comfort zone and rock an exciting new look for the warmer months ahead, I have listed a few of my favourite seasonal colour trends and suggestions below…

ELECTRIC BLUE
As seen at: Louise Gray, Moschino Cheap & Chic, and Paul Costelloe Spring Summer 2012.

Remember the electric blue eye shadow that everyone seemed to love in the 1980’s? Well, it’s back with a vengeance! I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready to pile the stuff onto my lids – so I’m sticking to blue liquid eyeliner instead, drawn across my upper lash line for a softer, prettier look. Stila’s Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Electric, Curacao, or Bora Bora, £14, is ideal.

WINE RED
As seen at: Donna Karen and Giles Spring Summer 2012.

Wine red lips were a big trend on the catwalks – and whilst it’s a darker shade of lipstick than I’d usually pick, I feel just about confident enough to pull it off. The finish of lips was matte, rather than shiny, so make sure you blot lips after application with a tissue and avoid topping up with gloss. The darker the hue, the better – so I will be wearing Dior Rouge Replenishing Lip Colour in Zinnia Red, £21.50.

PALE GREEN
As seen at: Manish Arora Spring Summer 2012.

Perfect for sunny days and garden parties, the catwalk saw models’ eyes rimmed with a pastel shade of green. It’s not something that would work on my pale blue eyes (although you should definitely try it if you are blessed with darker), so I am going to take inspiration from the trend by painting my nails in the stunning new Dior Vernis Garden Party Scented Nail Polish, £17.15.

METALLIC GOLD AND BRONZE
As seen at: Ashish, Emilio Pucci, and Fendi Spring Summer 2012.

Usually reserved for the festive season, sparkling shades of gold and bronze made a surprising, but welcome addition to the Spring Summer 2012 catwalks. Fendi made the biggest impact by applying glittering gold leaf to the eyelids of models – not so practical for the average day at work, but something we can emulate with the subtler, but equally pretty Clarins Single Eye Colour in Gold Leaf, £11.60.

LILAC
As seen at: Moschino Cheap & Chic SS12

The final colour to make an impact on the catwalks this season was lilac, swathed softly across the eyelids of models at Moschino Cheap & Chic. For me, the hue is a little too girly for eyelids (I prefer a natural look for day and a smoky look for night), so I am going to adopt the colour as my lipgloss hue of choice for the warmer days ahead. Clarins Gloss Prodige in Blackberry, £12.40, will work perfectly.