The Top 10 Insta-Trends You Need To Try This Summer

This is the year of the swan. Whilst a donut or whale were acceptable last year, this year the only inflatable animal to be seen floating by on is a huge swan.  Annoyingly this does require water of some form. But if you have a holiday booked, forget packing until you have ordered your bird (much like Christmas).

Before Instagram (B.I.) there was Myspace. This was a place of worship for many an emo kid. And their profile pic of choice? Taken from above to make them look super long /skinny/erm emo. These bad boys are back. Make like Jourdan Dunn, Miley Cyrus and Alexa Chung and get retro. Bin the selfie stick though, your arm must be in shot – otherwise you are in danger of looking less emo and more as if the world’s tallest man has taken your pic.

This one is simple. Grab your sunglasses and combine with a vista for this year’s take on the ‘cocktail in front of a pool’ shot. The more creative you get, the better. For inspiration, check out super-bloggers, SongOfStyle and SongDani and Shionat who have it down to a tee.

All summer, the A-listers have been snapping up a storm in paper collagen masks. Liv Tyler, La Lohan and Diane Kruger have all Instagramed themselves sporting these slightly sinister-looking masks in recent weeks. And if we have even the slightest chance of looking anything like Liv Tyler then count us in.

A selfie with your best mate will no longer suffice. It’s a numbers game this year. You should aim to fit as many of your pals as poss into all snaps, as demonstrated ably by Selena Gomez, Cara Delevingne and Nick Grimshaw.  The only downside to this is that the more bodies you have, the more eyelids you have that may blink. Please note: It’s crucial that every single person looks as fabulous as humanly possible so you may be perfecting that shot for some time.

No longer just resigned to the bedroom, this take on the no-makeup selfie is prettier and far more whimsical than the late #IWokeUpLikeThis. So unfurl that brow and get snapping.  A word of advice: Ellie Goulding, January Jones and Suki Waterhouse all make this look effortless, but it may take several attempts for us mere mortals to reach their dizzy heights.

The iconic instant snaps are going strong on Instagram for a second summer running and the craze shows no signs of subsiding. The upside to these expensive prints are that they are super flattering and of course cooler than cool. And if they are good enough for Miley, Gigi Hadid and Nicole Richie...

The Cara Delevingne tongue is back in full force. Everyone from Pixie Geldof to supermodel Karlie Kloss is at it. Just make sure you aren’t showing TOO much tongue.  Trust us: less is more. Feel free to poke it out all the way but make that mouth isn't gaping. No one except your GP wants to see your tonsils.

 The key to all the best Insta shots is a good backdrop. Look no further than Beyonce Knowles for tips. From graffited walls in Miami, to a lodge with a faded vintage US flag on Independence Day, Ms Knowles knows that getting the right backdrop will make her pics pop. Also check out Daisy Lowe and Harley Viera Newton for inspo.

The beauty of this snap is that you don’t have to be reading anything chic for it to work. In fact, we would much prefer to see a guilty pleasure on your sun lounger. Not going on holiday? Pop a bright towel/cushion/picnic blanket down in the sun and no one will be anymore the wiser.  Check out Rosie Huntington Whiteley, St Vincent and Jaime King for inspo...