By Alison McGill
The chill of winter is finally lifting and we’re ready for some fresh beauty vibes. This is a season of choice with looks ranging from barely-there monochromatic neutrals to neon brights. We’re also welcoming frost finishes back into the mix for the first time in literally decades and they are nothing like your mother’s shiny satin favourites.
Here are five choice makeup trends to test drive this spring.
Frosty Finishes
Iridescence is in. A wash of pearlized colour on the eyes, cheeks and reflective lip finishes look fresh for spring. Frosts deliver a softer, more romantic vibe than molten metallics. Pastel shades like lilac, mint and baby blue are choice picks for eyes—Dua Lipa is a firm supporter of the trend. For lips, we love the look of a whisper light pale pearl pink gloss or lip balm.
Here’s how to get the look:
Glossier Monochromes Essential Eye Palette in Heather, $28, sephora.com
The perfect pink palette that delivers a trio of shadows mixing a little matte with a whole lot of frosty goodness.
Maybelline New York Lifter Lip Gloss in Ice, $15, shoppersdrugmart.ca
This glorious gloss is infused with hyaluronic acid to give lips an incredibly plump and smooth finish.
Underpainting
We’ve told you how to contour like a pro, but the latest pro-trick to achieving a bouncy, sculptured facial finish is to contour and highlight BEFORE applying foundation. This is the secret to Hailey Bieber’s forever-flawless face. Her makeup artist Mary Phillips went viral with her contour-before-foundation technique which goes like this: prep and prime skin, do your usual contour and highlight routine using creams, powders, bronzers and concealers. Once you’ve blended everything to perfection, apply a thin layer of foundation on top, working into the skin with a fluffy brush.
Here’s how to get the look
Milk Makeup Sculpt Cream Contour Stick, $32, sephora.com
Enhance your angles with this creamy contour stick available in four beautifully blendable matte-finish shades.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter, $60, charlottetilbury.com
One of the biggest beauty launches of the year to date, this powder highlighter delivers an incredible lit-from-within radiance. Our choice shade to play with is Pillow Talk of course!
‘90s Neutrals
The obsession with all things ‘90s (hello supermodel hair!) has totally consumed us in 2023. The movies, the music, the fashion, the hair, and the love for a monochrome makeup look focused on tawny tones to create a modern no-makeup makeup finish. For a warm, natural finish, reach for products with rosewood and plummy undertones which are universally flattering.
Here’s how to get the look
Trinny London Eye2Eye in Serenity, $32, trinnylondon.com
This cream eye shadow is the perfect dusty pink shade that looks gorgeous worn in an all-over, barely-there colour wash.
MAC Spice Lip Pencil, $27, maccosmetics.ca
This beauty hall-of-fame lip pencil has been a best seller since the early ‘90s. For the perfect nude look, fill in your lips with this pink cinnamon shade and top with a little matte balm.
Colour Pop
Would you wear a blue lip? Neon magenta on your eyes? This is the season to experiment with bold beauty looks! Technicolour makeup was huge on the Spring 2023 runways: yellow lips at Etro, acid green eyeshadow at Dsquared2 to name a few favourites. A bright burst of colour in your beauty wardrobe is just the thing to kick start your spring.
Here’s how to get the look
NYX Smooth Matte Lip Cream in Blankie, $12, nyx.com
This smooth-as-silk lippy is our new lip essential—it effortlessly glides on lips and deliver hours of hydration and saturated colour. Available in 24 shades including a potent electric pink (Pom Pom) and audacious baby blue (Blankie)
ColourPop Pressed Powder Blush in Papaya, $17, colourpop.com
Bold blush is a beautiful way to way the bright colour trend. We love these matte powder formulas which you can wear soft or saturated depending on your mood.
The Standalone Statement Lip
Think Carolyn Bessette on her 1996 wedding day: all flawless skin, groomed brows, subtly enhanced lashes and classic red lips. This vibe is very much happening in a big way for spring, and we saw many examples of it during awards season on the red carpet via starlets including Florence Pugh, Rihanna and Michelle Williams.
Here’s how to get the look
Violette_FR Petal Bouche Matte in Coure Infidèle, $38, violettefr.com
This liquid lipstick is loved for its long-wear performance and saturated pigment. It looks incredible worn with perfectly prepped skin and adds an air of instant glam to your look.
E.L.F Cosmetics SRSLY Satin Lipstick in Pepper, $5, shoppersdrugmart.ca
This TikTok favourite brand has an incredible line of lipsticks that retail for a crazy amazing price point. If you can get your hands on a tube (it’s often sold out), Pepper—a fiery scarlet shade—is our top pick.
