Spring time has finally arrived! The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and those of us allergic to pollen are sneezing up a storm. But despite the watery eyes and the awkward mating calls of various animals floating through the air, the one thing I really like about Spring is the change of color.
We’re ditching our grays and blacks from Winter, and embracing the nudes and pastels of Spring. Well, most of us. As a fan of wearing black and maaaybe a bit of cream here and there, the thing that I change during the Spring is my makeup.
After an evening of binging on cheese and crackers and watching The September Issue, I fell in love with the styling and makeup of Grace Coddington’s “Alighting” couture shoot with model Raquel Zimmerman.
Bright pink cheeks, full brows, soft lips and pale skin – Zimmerman looked devine and I wanted to incorporate those colors into my own look, but making it a little more me and a little less Vogue.
So how can you get a fresh-faced and femine look for Spring? I’ve tested out all of the following products, and I’ve fallen in love with each and every one of them, as they’re now part of my daily (Vogue-inspired) routine.
Eyebrows
Brows-a-go-go
Benefit’s Brows-a-go-go kit is the best thing since Carmex Lipbalm, in my opinion. I’ve always been nervous when it comes to coloring in my eyebrows, from fear I’ll end up looking like those old ladies who paint on their brows with liquid eyeliner every morning.
Howeer, Brows-a-go-go not only have an online tutorial on how to do your brows, but if you speak to one of the ladies at Benefit (like I did) they can show you how simple and easy it is. Plus, as the kit comes with little tweezers and brow highlighter powder and a cream powder to put in the corner of your eyes to make you look more awake – this kit is worth every penny.
Highbrow
Now that your brows are all filled in and looking lovely, I shall now share with you my new secret weapon: Highbrow. I never understood why people would buy a stick that puts a glowy powder under the arch of your eyebrow to make it look more, um, archy –but now I do. After coloring in my eyebrows with Brows-a-go-go, I then use Highbrow just along the arch of my eyebrow, and then I put a bit of the highlighter powder on top.
I don’t use eyeshadow, so having this bit of pink not only gives the eye a bit of color, but it can make you look like you have some Hollywood worth arches in your brow. From all of this, I can tell you the one thing I’ve learned is to never underestimate the power of well-filled in, shaped brows!
Eyes
I’m not a real fan of eyeshadow, so as mentioned before, I don’t use any for this look. But what I do use, is Benefit’s Bad Gal Mascara. This mascara is so good I don’t even use an eye lash curler.
Not only does it stay put, but the sheer size of the wand helps to reach all of your lashes, making your eyes look wide open and gorgeous. Bad Gal is my absolute favourite mascara, and if you want full lashes, I’d go with Bad Gal over anything else.
Cheeks
Throughout the Winter, we’re all so pale that bright blush or rouge can just seem a bit silly. (Never mind using brozer...) However, now that the sun is shining and there’s a bit more color in the world, there’s no reason why this doesn’t mean you should have a bit more color in you cheeks.
I usually shy away from pink blushes, as I feel like I’ll end up looking like a porcelain doll or a clown, but after I had Bobbi Brown’s Pale Pink blush brushed along my cheeks during my Pretty to Pretty Powerful makeover at Bobbi Brown, I feel in l-o-v-e.
This blush can look over the top if you use too much or apply it with the wrong brush, but when done right and applied to the apple of the cheeks, it’s lovely and really emulates the looking in the “Alighting” spread.
Lips
If I’m not wearing my beloved No.7 Stay Perfect lipstick in Cherry, I’m wearing Benefit’s Full Finish Lipstick in Sassy Frass. While the look in “Alighting” has nude lips and paler pinks, I took inspiration from Lady Gaga’s makeup in the “Telephone” video and go with Sassy Frass as it’s a bit more purple/fuscia, and therefore a bit more fun. (I do love a bright lipstick).
Sassy Frass helps your eyes stand out, and as they’re free from shadow or liner, it can be a really soft yet dramatic look. Plus, the purple tones combined with your pink cheeks and full brow looks every so slightly whimsical, and very Spring-like.
Image © BitchBuzz