With the spring sun slowly rolling in, I’ve found myself motivated to spend more time outdoors. Gone are the days of mindlessly scrolling through TikTok for hours to avoid assignments, getting a UV tan from my laptop, and ordering way too many products online.
Well, not really. But I can at least look good while doing all of those things!
To me, spring means busting out those bright colours and pretty pastels and getting experimental with my makeup. With the warmer weather, I really do feel a bit more inclined to go outside and I love to turn heads (that are six feet away from me) on the rare occasion I do leave my apartment.
Here are four simple yet eye-catching looks you can recreate to stand out this season.
The Look: Coloured liner
One of my favourite makeup trends this past year has been the incorporation of subtle yet effective pops of colour into daily makeup routines. Something as basic as a coloured eyeliner paired with your usual natural look can really set you apart from other people, especially if you match it to your mask.
For this look, that was exactly what I did! On a typical day, I’ll fill in my brows, spot conceal, and add some mascara. One of my latest purchases is the UV Taffies Hydra FX palette from Suva Beauty, which is a really great product for people wanting to learn how to apply winged eyeliner. Unlike a liquid liner with a felt or brush tip applicator, these are water-activated and can be applied with any brush. I used the fine line brush that comes in the palette.
Keep in mind, all eyes are different. Eyeliner needs to be catered to your unique shape. Check out a video from one of my favourite beauty YouTube personalities, Alexandra Anele, to learn more about how the way you apply eyeliner can really change your whole face!
Products used:
Suva Beauty UV Taffies Hydra FX palette
L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise mascara in shade Blackest Black
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in shade Medium Brown
Make Up For Ever Artist Color Shadow in shade M-619 Espresso Matte
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation in shade 130N
e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Satin Camo Concealer in shade Light Peach
Maybelline Fit Me! translucent loose powder
The Look: Statement brows
Hear me out: as wild as these brows may look to some, they’re also really fun! I’ve seen very few people pair statement brows with a natural hair colour and I think it looks very unique. It’s bold, bright, and a perfect spring-into-summer look.
For this look, I used a hot pink matte eyeshadow for the front of my brow to the middle section using the BH Cosmetics Rose Romance 11 angled brush. Then, I tapered out the end of my brow using a matte purple eyeshadow. I applied a bit more of the hot pink right where the two colours met at the arch of my brows to make an ombre effect. If this looks a bit tricky, you can also totally rock a solid colour in your brows.
I decided to pair this with a shimmery pink eyeshadow on my lids to tie the look together. I used my finger to apply this, as I find that’s the best way to get maximum pigment out of shimmer shades. However, this would be just as much of a statement look without any eyeshadow.
For my face, I used my favourite foundation with a pink blush to keep the Elle Woods vibes alive and well. I prefer to apply both using my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge, which is an incredible dupe for the classic Beautyblender. I topped off the look with a sheer pink gloss on my lips for some cohesiveness.
Products used:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Pro Pigment palette (Vol. 2)
NikkieTutorials x Beauty Bay Pressed Pigment palette
L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise mascara in shade Blackest Black
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in shade Medium Brown
Make Up For Ever Artist Color Shadow in shade M-619 Espresso Matte
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation in shade 130N
e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Satin Camo Concealer in shade Light Peach
Maybelline Fit Me! translucent loose powder
Wet N Wild Megaglo highlighting powder in shade Blossom Glow
NYX Professional Makeup Butter Gloss in shade Tiramisu
The Look: A subtle fox-eye
If you weren’t feeling the coloured brows, fear not! This look is much more natural and enhances your eyes for a beautiful, lifted look. The best part? It’s almost impossible to make a mistake with this one because of its subtlety.
I first started off by applying a general wash of a warm, light brown shade on my lid. I find starting off with only a little product on my brush at first helps tremendously, as it’s a lot easier to add more later than remove some mid-way through. To do this, I used the BH Cosmetics Rose Romance 6 blending brush. While blending, I made sure to angle the edges of the shadow up towards my temple to create the illusion of a more lifted eye.
Next, I used a slightly darker brown and the BH Cosmetics Rose Romance 11 angled brush to create a small winged liner. While I love a good matte black liner as much as the next person, using brown as an alternate can really soften your look and bring more warmth to your eyes. Then I used my finger to place a small patch of highlighter onto the centre of my lid. Finally, I smoked out the outer edges of my lower lash line with a light brown using the BH Cosmetics Rose Romance 10 pencil brush to tie everything together.
My base consisted of my usual foundation and just a touch of a deeper, reddish blush to add some colour back to my face. Since I had planned to take some photos with someone in my social bubble this day, I decided to wear something more noticeable on my lips and paired this look with a glossy nude lip.
Tip: If you’d like to try something a little different, a brown mascara would look gorgeous with this one.
Products used:
RawBeautyKristi x Colourpop Cosmetics At Forest Sight eyeshadow palette
L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise mascara in shade Blackest Black
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in shade Medium Brown
Make Up For Ever Artist Color Shadow in shade M-619 Espresso Matte
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation in shade 130N
e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Satin Camo Concealer in shade light peach and baked highlighter in shade Moonlight Pearls
Maybelline Fit Me! translucent loose powder
NYX Professional Makeup Butter Gloss in shade tiramisu and retractable lip liner in shade Sand Beige
The Look: Monochromatic graphic liner
Monochromatic eye looks have been making a comeback lately, so why not put a unique twist on it?
For this look, I started off by creating the shape of the wing I wanted to make with the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the shade milk. This is a great white base that makes bright colours really pop once applied on top. By using this to start off instead of diving straight in with whatever colour you decide to use, you can easily map out the type of look you’re going for and remove it without worrying about patchiness. I like to set mine with translucent powder to prevent creasing before I move on to the next step.
After shaping my wing, I packed a matte yellow eyeshadow on top of the base. (I know, it’s called a graphic liner, but bear with me! Most liners feel unnatural or heavy when placed all over the eyelid.) I used a matching yellow pencil liner in my waterline, flicked some mascara on, topped off the look with my favourite false lashes, and my eyes were complete.
For the rest of the face, I wanted to balance the eyes out with some rosy cheeks and matching lips. I used a peachy liquid blush on my cheeks with a highlighter in the same colour scheme. Then I filled in my lips with a pink lip liner. To add a bit of dimension to the look, I placed a thick clear gloss on my lips.
Products used:
NYX Professional Makeup Jumbo Eye Pencil in shade Milk and Epic Wear Eyeliner Stick in shade Cosmic Yellow
Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Pro Pigment palette (Vol. 2)
L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise mascara in shade Blackest Black
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in shade Medium Brown
Make Up For Ever Artist Color Shadow in shade M-619 Espresso Matte
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation in shade 130N and Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in shade Bliss
e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Satin Camo Concealer in shade Light Peach
Maybelline Fit Me! translucent loose powder
Wet N Wild Megaglo highlighting powder in shade Blossom Glow
NYX Professional Makeup Butter Gloss in shade Tiramisu
Featured photos by Miranda Caley.
