Spring Fling!

Spring has finally sprung and it is time to refresh your makeup bag! Just as you would your wardrobe, start cleaning out all of your old, broken, smelly, expired and drab cosmetics and purchase some products that liven up your face.

Cosmetic lines jump on the spring bandwagon and always release products that are colorful, flirty or bold this time of year. All over the pages of the current fashion and beauty magazines you can find everything from warm golden peachy tones to sweet and saturated pastel colors (a la Easter eggs)!

Whatever you choose to embrace, remember that you are updating your look for this season and that purchasing an entire cosmetic bag full of new makeup is not necessary. Always keep that smoky eye palette, nude lip gloss and shimmer highlight because those never go out of style!

If you adore Fashion Week as much as this Pro does, then you will know that the runway always brings consumers a variety of interesting new looks because makeup gurus like Bobbi Brown, Pat McGrath, Gucci Westman, Dick Page and all those incredible MAC Pros spend hours creating, testing and implementing looks for the hottest designers. Sometimes entire cosmetic collections are created during those “test” periods and we benefit from all their hard work and effort!

Allure Magazine reports a peachy glow is hot for spring and I think they said it best when recreating that look by advising, “most shades of peach are pretty on the cheeks and lips, but avoid looking theatrical and stick to brownish versions on the eyes!” I totally agree and you don’t want to look monochromatic by having a peach tone all over your face! Matchy, matchy isn’t the trend for this season.

If you love color then check out W Magazine’s review on pastels! Clinique, Estee Lauder, Shu Uemura, Guerlain, Prescriptives, Nars, MAC, Revlon, Dior and OPI have designed some beautiful colors and Gucci Westman reports, “pastels are coming back in and are more refined instead of tacky, it’s not a disco anymore!” I love the pink hues and aqua-teal colors that will make your eyes really pop!

The Beauty Biz says that bright, bold neon colors are “back with a bang” and that eyelashes will be “longer and thicker than ever before!” The Biz also wants you to look for rich, intense colors that range from bright oranges to the hottest of pinks to vibrant greens! Please don’t attempt to wear all of those colors while pitching to your big wig clients in the boardroom (unless you work at Vogue), but maybe spice up those after work cocktail mixer meetings with a wash of fuchsia stain on your lips!

Want to have some fun? Then wander over to Bionic Beauty's website and check out her “rainbow lip” creation. Two-toned lips were all the rage on the spring runways (two-toned lips = one color on top lip and a totally different color on bottom lip) and Bionic wanted to try out this look, but took it up a notch or five by inventing a rainbow lip. You will want to investigate exactly how and what she used for this application because it may surprise you! I can totally see wearing this beautiful look out to a dance club! Keep the other makeup neutral and let your lips do all the talking!



We also observed that platinum and metallic shades are very “hip” this spring with shimmering colors from pewter and silver to bronze and coral! Heather hues (purple tones) made their mark as well and combined with a wash of silver will make eyes sparkle.

Here is a list of this Pro’s favorite spring colors:

Nars: Night Sun single eye shadow is a wonderful gold-yellow tone that would add an amazing shimmer to your brow area. Combine with the Hula Hula Duo eye shadow that features strawberry and hazelnut colors and you will have one hot spring eye look! This Pro also loves the Orgasm/South Beach Multiple Duo, which compliment any skin tone.





MAC: Sugar Sweet collection just screams spring! Tricolour Lipglass is three shades in one with a pearlized finish. It is a limited edition, so get yours immediately! This gloss comes in four different shades with our favorite being Consume Me!



L'Oreal Paris: Juicy Lip Gloss in Peaches-n-Crème is a gorgeous warm tone that will brighten up your face. Great shine and good staying power! Combined with the Nars collection listed above and you will have an updated spring look immediately!



Bobbi Brown: The Platinum Collection is so hot you will want to use it all year round! These colors make an incredibly strong statement and provide just the right amount of shimmer for a smoked out, cool-toned eye! This Pro fell head over heels for the Platinum Pink Shimmer Brick, which is now a staple in our makeup kit and for the Long Wear Cream Shadow in New Heather, which is a perfect pale purple color that looks great as a lid color or as a liner.



Estee Lauder: Peach Nuance powder blush is the perfect color if you need to warm up your skin tone. Gorgeous as a contour to create a cheekbone or in place of bronzer on the apples of the cheek creating that perfect sun kissed look.



Yves Saint Laurent: Palette D’Artiste is a quartet of amazing color! Pale yellow, tender pink, sage green and deep violet dress up your eyelids and will make you feel like a work of art! So lovely and perfect for your spring adventures! Hurry because this is a limited edition palette.



Now that you have your spring makeup list, get out there and start shopping! The good news is that these cosmetic suggestions won’t leave your wallet empty and they will give you more spring-fever energy!

TIPS AND TRIX:
Try a wash of pastel colors all over your eye. Purple tones for brown or green eyes and lime green for blue eyes! BAM! You are ready for the dance floor, Easter dinner or spring break vacation! Or if you are shy about these bold colors, get them in an eye liner instead and make a statement this season!

STAY TUNED:
Up next on In My Professional Opinion: Eyebrows – the bold, the arched and the beautiful! Plus alternatives to waxing – don’t miss this informative post!