Color, color and more color!

Part 36 in a series by Karen A. Stevenson, President, Studio K Salon

What is the proposed trend for make up this spring?  Color!  Don’t be afraid to use bright pinks, glowing blushes, bronzing powders, and lip-glosses!  Contouring the crease of your eyelids to create depth and dimension, hints of gold, and shimmering silvers are going to be very popular. 

How do you create smoky eyelids?  Start with the darkest color eye shadow at your lash line on your eyelid, and then blend up with the lighter colors toward your eyebrow.  Create smudged eyeliners by smearing your line with a brush.

Don’t be afraid to use complimentary eyeliners such as green for hazel eyes, or plum shades! Instead of using the boring kohl pencils for eyeliner, dare to use eyeliner gel with a fine eyeliner brush.  It will glide on easier, and give a perfect line.   

There is a lot more interest in using fake eyelashes this spring.  They are easy to apply with a small amount of glue and tweezers to place individual eyelashes on your lid.  You can also get very real looking connected top lashes at your local drug store.  Choose the lashes with random sizes and spaces between each lash rather than the full same sized lashes.  Don’t be afraid to play with them and see how beautiful your eyes can look.

Contouring the eyelids will begin with a shimmer background of gold or silver mixed into the light shadow base, blended up to the eyebrow, then adding depth by starting at the outside of your eyelid with a darker shade, blending in and following the natural crease of the lid just past the middle of the eye.  Don’t bother using the shadow wands that come with your eye shadow.  Use an eye shadow brush instead.  You can purchase inexpensive brushes at the local store, and they will last forever.  Make sure you have a separate brush for darker shades of shadow, and another brush for the lighter shades. 

Don’t forget to line those lips.  Brown lip liners are dead.  This spring is the time to bring out the pink-reds, the bright pinkish corals, and the nude with hews of pinks and shimmer.  Line your entire lip with your pencil, and then fill them in.  Over the top of the pencil, wear your lip-gloss or lipstick.  This is a sure way of keeping color on your lips as you sip your latte from the local coffee shop.  Speaking of lip-gloss, be sure to place the most gloss in the middle of your top and bottom lip.  Don’t start in a corner, instead, apply your gloss to the middle and allow your own lips to spread some of the gloss to the corners. 

Adding a luminescent shimmer cream to your normal base makeup will give your skin the appearance of moist and dewy.  Look closely at your current base foundation.  Does it look dry, cracked, or dull?  Time to change your moisturizer and your foundation.  Your ultimate look is to appear youthful and fresh, not dry and caking.  The moister your foundation appears, the fewer flaws will reflect on your complexion.

Eyebrows will be thinner and more refined this spring.  If you have never treated yourself to having your eyebrows waxed or professionally plucked, now is the time to check this service out.  As much as women get their fingernails and pedicures done, it is time to add eyebrow shaping to the list of ‘musts’. 

Hair color will remain colorful as well.  All shades of reds will be as popular as the blondes.  Reds can be copper, deep cool red, burgundy and wine shades.  Don’t forget how many of the younger fashion forward trends are coloring their blondes to brunette.  Brunette hair seems to have become very popular. 

Kiwi and acid green, icy aquamarine and electric blue, geranium red and candy colors will be very popular for clothes this spring.  Make up will need just as much flair.  Vintage accents such as the popular brooches we have seen women wearing will remain as popular as lace and flowing fabrics. Curly locks will continue to be on the upswing with new texture perms.  Shredded and extra volume hair will still remain in vogue.