[Everything purchased by me, or given by friends not companies]
Spring is in the air! And even if it's not, it seems as if we're all ready for it anyway. With the huge influx of Spring related beauty posts and videos out there, I thought I'd join in the fray with some stuff I am excited for as the weather gets warmer and the world gets brighter.
This part will focus on lips, cheeks and eyes with a second post on face, nails, scent and random extras.
I'm a fan of the bold lip and it doesn't get much springy-er (?) than mixing up a bright lily or orchid-hued lip and making a statement. The other side of the spectrum that I turn to for Spring is a lightly stained pink lip with a little bit of shine. These are my picks for this season:
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| L-R: Milky Tint, Antwerp, Charm, Sweetheart, Charm+Sweetheart |
The Face Shop Milky Tint in 01
A cheaper alternative to Benefit's Posietint, this stain has a gel texture and a pretty light pink shade that isn't too light or too dark. I rarely use this on the cheeks since the area that these stains are first applied tend to stain the most. It's too much fuss for daily wear so I stick to this for the lips. The color lasts about 4-5 hours on me, which isn't stellar but I like this mostly for the super natural finish it gives.
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp
This shade is surprisingly bright aside from being an interesting matte texture. I like the wear time on these, a good 3-4 hours on me. However, with all mattes, you have to make sure your lips are exfoliated and moisturized before you apply.
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Charm and Sweetheart
I bought these shades together thinking Sweetheart would look exactly like the Sweet Tart Lip Butter which I don't own and thought it would be a good stand-in. The shade reads much more fuchsia on me than expected so I tone it down with Charm. Charm is very very Barbie pink, which can look unflattering on my paler skin tone but also pops very nicely. Both of these are bold colors.
Next up we have blushes. I am not super into blushes because most of my acne scarring is on my cheeks and I also have a hard time applying blush and getting it to show up. However, these two products are pretty much fool-proof and great standard pieces to own for the Spring.
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| T-B: Natural and Fresh Pink |
One of my favorite blushes ever, this lends a neutral pink flush to any makeup look. It goes with cool-tones as well as warm and is just as pretty on the lips as a pinky nude. The best way to apply this blush is with a stippling brush as it distributes the color really evenly. I love that this is so effortless and adds a healthy glow to the cheeks.
Merle Norman Luxiva Lasting Cheekcolor in Fresh Pink
The first may be a limited edition product but it's from Merle Norman, a brand I pretty much hear zero buzz about. I believe it's a franchise of stores that has locations across the country. Prices are about mid-range to higher end. This blush is completely foolproof as the color is, again, a very flattering neutral pink shade. What can I say? I love pinks for Spring. It is a great product to use for more intense eye looks as it isn't overpowering.
Lastly, my favorite topic ever! EYES!
Surprisingly I have very few picks for eyes. This is mostly because I don't change up my eye make-up too much depending on seasons. I do lean towards greens way more in the spring but these are more like "edits" and "add-ons" to my current eye makeup rotation.
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| L-R: I Dream of Greenie, Dystopia and Light Blue |
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| A better photo of Dystopia |
I bought this shade hoping to find a perfect mint inner corner highlight. While the top browbone shade does look nice serving that purpose, this palette really blew me away in terms of pigmentation. The middle crease shade is stunning. I like any kind of grassy-green shade for Spring. It just makes the whole eye look fresh. Another good drugstore quad with similar tones is Maybelline ColorExplosion quad in Forest Fury.
Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Dystopia
A complete impulse buy, this was on my radar for a very long time. I never shelled out for it since I always thought there'd be a dupe and I had loose glitters anyway. Well, loose glitters tend to fall out of place while this stays on and on. The glitter particles in here are a blue-ish green tinge and the base is clear. I use a tiny bit of this on my lower inner corner. This whole green/blue inner corner highlight seems to by my biggest eye makeup edit for this season. Anyway, I was inspired to be a little more adventurous and add some bling to my look by a Thai makeup artist named Pearypie on Youtube. Check her out for super well-edited videos.
Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Light Blue
After purchasing this pencil in Taupe, I stumbled upon this and thought it looked interesting and unique. Since I already own a nude eye pencil, I thought this was a cool twist on the lower waterline highlight trick. This doesn't look as natural as nude shades (duh) but it does make a statement and it makes your eyes really pop. I use it to highlight just my inner corner sometimes and I think it's a fun way to brighten up your eyes when you're doing a brighter eye look (cue Pearypie once again).
There you have it for Part One! Hold on for Part Two coming soon.
