Makeup Monday

It's only been three days since the start of Spring (although the Spring Equinox on 22 September is the official start of Spring) and I've already noticed an influx of bright neons and pastels in all my favourite clothing stores. Something else I've noticed is pastel shades making a big comeback on beauty counters all over the country, something which leaves me feeling a tad nervous, to be honest. Sure, the colours are beautiful, but how can real women possibly pull off this look?

The trick, it seems, is to focus on one feature at a time while keeping the rest of your makeup fairly neutral. I love how the colour is focused at the inner corner of the eye in the image above - the lilac shade works particularly well with the model's green eyes and would work just as well on blue eyes. If you have brown or hazel eyes, opt for a baby blue shadow instead.

 

One of my favourite daytime looks for Spring/'Summer is a bubblegum pink or peach hue on lips. Keep your eyes bare (a flick of liquid liner and two coats of mascara is all you need) and apply your pastel shade of choice to your lips using a lip brush for precision. I find that lighter lipstick shades draw attention to any flakiness or dry skin on your lips, so this look requires your lips to be in perfect condition. Try mixing some brown sugar with a teaspoon of olive oil and applying to your lips for a DIY lip scrub, or gently buff your lips using a dry facecloth. I've read amazing things about Revlon's new range of Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains (R105 each), so I just had to try this product for myself. I bought Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Charm' over the weekend - it's a wearable peach shade that gives a similar colour result to the image, above. It's the perfect option for those who tend to shy away from lipsticks, as it's easy to apply and feels super-comfy on your lips.

 If you're still too terrified to try wearing these shades on your face, why not start with your nails? Tip Top Nail Chic has a wonderful selection of pastel nail colours to choose from (their assortment of candy-coloured polishes boasts shades that are almost exactly the same as the shades in the image above), and at roughly R40 each, you can afford to buy the entire range and experiment to your heart's content!

images: Pinterest