As the seasons change, so must our fashion and also with it, our makeup. If you’ve found yourself putting away full-coverage foundations in favor of tinted moisturizers and experimenting with all kinds of colors, you’re not alone. Tis the season to start exploring all shades of the rainbow. That’s right: as the flowers start to bloom, inundating the formerly barren skies and streets with color, we’re stocking up on endless hues of jelly bean pastels, electric neons, and fluttery, flirty florals. Trying to figure out how to channel all that springtime color into a makeup look can sometimes be intimidating to recreate, though.
If, like us, you were huddled inside all winter and got a little rusty on your makeup application, don’t stress. We’re here for you with some easy makeup looks that anyone can wear this spring. Luckily, 2023 makeup trends are filled with tons of high-impact, low-effort looks that you’ll be able to replicate with ease. Whether you’re into Barbiecore, Y2K, fresh-faced, or looking for something to wear to the Taylor Swift concert, there’s a perfect spring makeup look for you, and we promise, it’s not that hard to do. Ahead, the Refinery29 writers have broken down our five favorite go-to spring makeup looks to help you start looking as fabulous as the weather right now.
Pastel Eye Shadow
“Nothing feels more spring to me than pastels, so I always go a bit crazy, breaking out every shade of pastel eyeshadow and nail polish — the vibe I’m usually going for is Easter brunch, but make it fashion. Lavender is one of my favorite colors, and I think it absolutely looks amazing on all eye colors, but especially brown. (It’s also more wearable than people might think!) Since the eyes are the focus of this look, I like to brighten up the undereye area with a bit of Mac StudioFix concealer, which I also use to prime my lids. (I never skip this step when using a cool-toned shadow, which can sometimes go zombie-like, especially if you naturally have dark circles.) Personally, I find that pale eyeshadow shades can make me lose definition in my eyes, so a trick I like to do is add a tiny bit of eyeliner on the bottom to create contrast. I like the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in bronze (black can be v harsh), and a tiny bit of Tarte mascara on the top lashes for a fluttery, ethereal vibe. I love dewy skin for spring, so a lightweight skin tint is perfect for this look. Next, I add some liquid blush to wake up the skin and finish everything with a bit of Jones Road’s high-shine nude gloss for a fresh feel. Easy, breezy, beautiful!” — Karina Hoshikawa, Senior Affiliate Writer
Shop Karina’s Pastel Eye Shadow Look:
Bronzer Goddess
“Shades of brown aren’t just for autumnal looks anymore. I personally think tan and bronze is the perfect spring combo to warm up my pale winter complexion as the seasons start to change. I used to be super scared of bronzer, but we’ve come a long way since the dark orange caked-on cheeks of the early aughts. Today’s bronzer trend is a little more natural, but still totally easy to apply. All you need is a fluffy blush brush and two bronzers: one matte for warming up the cheekbones and temples (where the sun would naturally hit) and a lighter shimmery one above it for a bronzed-to-the-gods glowy finish. For this look, I paired Bobbi Brown’s Bronzer in Golden Light for my matte layer and Milani Baked Bronzer in Soleil for the shimmery one. Because I have bangs, I don’t worry about bronzing my forehead, but if the sun would hit your skin there, a few taps up the temples and across the hairline should do it. Pro tip: If you want to push it an extra glowy mile, you can also apply a shimmering blush that can double as a highlighter (Nars’ Orgasm is a classic).
You could absolutely stop the look there, but I like tying my eyes into the look by using the matte bronzer in the crease of my eye and the shimmery one on the lid. I think it makes the face look more cohesive, and I love that it doesn’t require getting out any other eyeshadows. Since I have been particularly tired lately, I keep my under eyes bright with some IT Cosmetics’ Bye Bye Dark Spots Concealer in light neutral, and then finish up with whatever mascara and lip color I have on hand. Today I threw on Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey for a berry stain look, but sun-kissed glowing skin looks just as great with nude, pink, or even red.” — Charlotte Lewis, Sexual Health & Wellness Writer
Shop Charlotte’s Bronzer Goddess Look:
Pretty In Pink/Barbiecore
“There are so many things I love about spring, but the arrival of cherry blossoms definitely tops the list. I find myself gravitating towards shades of blush and pink that remind me of the delicate flower, with a touch of shimmer to really capture that new abundance of daylight. The pinks, peaches, and mauves from Sephora Collections’s Destinations Eye Palette has been my go-to for a subtle, sparkly daytime makeup look. I appreciate the fact it’s super pigmented at such an affordable price point. For the cheeks, I dab on generous amounts of Tower 28 Beauty’s BeachPlease Cream Blush in Happy Hour – a sunny coral pink – over Rare Beauty’s Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight (in Flaunt, a bronze, golden hue). The combo gives me that sun-kissed and rosy flush that I love to rock whenever I decide to emerge from my winter depression. I paint with my fingers when it comes to makeup, so all the products mentioned are very beginner friendly if you’re an amateur blender like me. Finally, Rare Beauty’s With Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm completes my spring beauty look. The shade Empathy has been my go-to color lately: the rose mauve is oh-so-pretty, and the formula is one of the most long-lasting and moisturizing ones I’ve tried as a longtime lipstick wearer. Selena knows what’s up.” — Venus Wong, Senior Affiliate Travel Writer
Shop Venus’s Pretty In Pink Look:
Colored Eyeliner
“After a long, dreary winter, my spring looks are all about integrating bold pops of color. Since I have extremely hooded eyes, an easy way to make a colorful impact with low effort is using a bright colored eyeliner. I saw a pic of Gigi Hadid from last spring where she wore a neon orange eyeliner that inspired me to veer away from my usual black or browns (though I’m not sure I’m quite ready for neon yet, I’m sure there are people out there who could rock it with ease). I decided to line the top and bottom of my eyes with a deep blue that mimicked the shade of my eyes (MAC’s Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liner in Perpetual Shock). The liner appears much more pigmented electric blue IRL than on camera and gave me the immediate feeling of a real lewk with its color-forwardness. For eyeliner beginners, I suggest starting with a gel pencil, which glides on with ease (and is easy to smudge) if you don’t have the steadiest hands.
Since the liner is the central focus of the look, everything else can be super dialed back. To brighten up the inside corner of the eye and contrast with the blue liner, I used my perpetual favorite gold highlighter from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Sugar Glow Kit, and topped it off with a mini sample of the Milk Kush Mascara, which gives my lashes the thickening effect I like. For the face, I used my current favorite tinted moisturizer, the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free Natural Skin Perfector Broad Spectrum SPF 20 in 2N1. It’s a total splurge product, but its formula doubles up as skincare, sunscreen, and evens out my skin tone perfectly just with a few swipes of my fingers. Last, I topped everything off with a light neutral lip balm (Nars’s Afterglow Lip Balm in Laguna), for a soft finish that would still keep my eyes front and center.” — Charlotte Lewis, Sexual Health & Wellness Writer
Shop Charlotte’s Colored Eyeliner Look:
Natural Flush
“Regardless of the season, I start with a very clean base. I am definitely in the camp of ‘skincare-as-beauty-routine,’ so I start with a well-hydrated face and, if I’m feeling fancy, some of the Peach and Lily Glass Skin Serum and Illuminating Eye Cream (but no concealer). I really let that settle in for a few minutes, then I use Tower28 tinted SPF all over, really focusing on the redness around my cheeks and nose and blending outwards with my fingers. I then can add my favorite beauty buy of all time, which is also the perfect spring blush. Kjaer Weis’s Cream Blush in the shade Blossoming goes on like a dream and leaves me with a long-lasting, rosy glow that feels very healthy and natural but is still very visible. And, unlike other cream and liquid blush products, it’s very hard to overapply. I usually use a pretty generous amount on my ring finger, and if I ever have too much on, I can blend it out with a foundation brush. It’s a definite investment piece, but it is truly worth its weight in gold.
Often, I’ll take it onto my lips as well for a simple monochromatic flush, but another favorite spring product is also flower-themed. Rose Official Lip Colour from Lisa Eldridge gives me that elusive perfect rosy, bloomy pink that isn’t too powdery or bright. And the formula is in her “luxuriously lucent” range, so it’s hydrating and balm-like with a decent amount of color payoff that isn’t too slip-y (one of my complaints about tinted balms.) And since my whole routine has been about lit-from-within glow (offsetting years of trying to powder myself matte in my early 20s), I will then add a subtle highlighter like Saie’s Glowy Super Gel tapped onto my cheeks, nose, forehand, and cupid’s bow. I like to save the more bling-y stuff for when I have more color in the summer. Then, finally, I’ll curl my lashes and do a couple swipes of a mascara to try to get fluffy, fluttery lashes. Right now I’ve been loving the Rare Beauty Volumizing Mascara.” — Marshall Bright, Editor
Shop Marshall’s Natural Flush Look:
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