Winter make-up you should ditch this spring
It's time to put away those dark lipsticks, eye colours and foundations and brighten up with the changing spring light for a look that's radiant and washed with gentle colour.
Flawless base
Heavy foundations are a no-no for spring - your make up should change with the seasons and as spring is about renewal and re-growth, a natural healthy glow is key. Start your mornings with a mini-facial using a cleansing oil to massage gently around your face for several minutes to help get your circulation going. Press a warm, clean cloth to your skin to open up the pores before wiping away the cleansing oil. Finish with a cool rinse to close up the pores again, and your skin will look immediately plumper and fresher. If you don't want to splash out on a tinted moisturiser, you can add your regular moisturiser to foundation to make a much finer blend that will look lighter in texture and give your skin a gentle sheen.
Try: Boots Natural Collection Tinted Moisturiser, £1.99 www.boots.com.
Eyes bright
Experiment with brighter shades of eyeliner, steering clear of black for anything other than an evening look. The spring trend for pastel and neutral shades is perfect for making eyes look wider and bigger. Lighter colours over lids instantly give a more awake look and anything with a pink base is a make-up artist's secret trick to waking up those sleep celebrities. On trend shades for this spring include lavender, pink and light grey — you can wear them all together blended into a light smoky eye using the darkest colour on the outer section of the lid and the lightest on the inner portion, or separately for a flattering block colour.
Try: Bourjois Smoky Eyes in Violet Romantic, £7.99 www.boots.com.
The cheek of it
Because they don't contain powders, tints don't dry out the skin but instead leave it looking fresher and more natural. If you haven't experimented with gel cheek tints before, spring is a great time to try them. Usually in a fluid gel or water-based formula, tints give a stain of colour that's flattering and pretty rather than a very obvious block hue. Creme blush also looks gentler as it is easy to blend with a fingertip to exactly the right tone, and you can always add more to build a colour you feel is right. Shades to look out for this spring are raspberry pinks and peachy nudes.
Try: Origins Pinch Your Cheeks, £12 www.boots.com.
Lip smackin'
This season, it's glossy all the way, steering clear of matte shades which
look heavy and are unforgiving to all but the perfect lipped. To get rid of any last vestiges of winter dryness from your lips, rub them over gently with a dry flannel before bed time to get rid of any dry flakes and add plenty of balm before you go to sleep. This gives all night for the balm to moisturise and you should wake with smooth and perfected lips. Tinted balms are perfect for spring to give a hint of dewy colour while conditioning the lips. Gloss sits on top of the lips and is far more flattering because it doesn't seep into creases and cracks and because it reflects the light far better than a highly pigmented lipstick.
Try: Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour, £8.16 www.boots.com.
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