3 Easy-Peasy Spring Makeup Looks

Spring is in the air! (Literally. A bird flew this close to my head while I was walking to work this morning, and you’ve no doubt been feeling the first tickles of pollen in your eagerly-awaiting nostrils). But the weather still has at least a month to go before things really start to heat up, which means that although the overall mood of your surroundings feels spring-y, your outfits are likely still stuck in utility land.

Your face, though? Your face is a different story altogether. Your face is a landscape ripe for the warming, and your neglected makeup drawer (the one you shoved shut sometime last fall when you were too busy moisturizing heavily and winding scarves around your head like woolen Saran wrap to bother with fantasies like red lipstick or blue eyeshadow) is just the thing to do it. Your wardrobe might not know it’s spring yet, but your makeup drawer has been ready for months.

So crack it open and come along for a journey down three potential spring beauty avenues courtesy of makeup artist Alana Wright. It doesn’t matter if you’re “good” at makeup or if you’re even a frequent wearer of it. The steps are easy, the audience (you, your mirror) forgiving, and at the end of the day, this adventure is about nothing more than having fun.

Look #1: Daytime

By making the focus your eyes and keeping everything else somewhat minimal, this daytime look is the perfect way to dip a cautious pinky toe into the proverbial jacuzzi of colorful spring beauty. After prepping your lids with an eyeshadow primer, apply your favorite pale green eyeshadow using a soft, dense eyeshadow brush. Use the same brush to rim your eyes in a complementary blue shadow. Toss on some mascara (wipe off excess product first to give your lashes a more feathery appearance), dab some cream blush on the apples of your cheeks and finish up with a touch of sheer lipstick.

Look #2: Nighttime

When you think of typical “going out” makeup, you probably think of smokey eyes, matte red lipstick and glitter, which is why this gentle, I-just-ate-a-cherry-popsicle look is such a refreshing spring alternative. Blend a mix of burnt orange and apricot-reminiscent shadows onto your lids in a circular motion with a fluffy, domed brush (the best thing for bold colors). Using your finger, tap a bit of warm gold shadow with a frosty finish down the center of your lids to create a highlight effect, and blend any hard edges. Use an angled liner brush to sweep a mix of red and magenta shadows along your top and bottom lash lines, and apply a volumizing mascara. Swipe a bit of coppery cream blush into the hollows of your cheeks, and for your lips, layer a clear lip gloss over your favorite matte pink lipstick.

Look #3: Wild Card

On fresh-out-of-the-oven spring days when you feel like throwing all the rules out the window and figuratively playing hooky from all responsibilities by means of your complexion, this look is your ticket. First, blend a white eye pencil over your entire lid as a shadow base to ensure maximum color payoff. Open up your rainbow eyeshadow palette of choice and use your fingers or a brush to tap different colors onto your lids (you can use as many colors as you want). Use a small, soft, fluffy brush to diffuse any noticeable lines between each shade. Then, use a shading brush to apply blue gel eyeliner onto your lower lash line and finish up with a sweep of mascara. Keep the rest of your face nice and simple with a bit of tinted moisturizer and lip balm.

And that’s it. Are you feeling warmer yet?

Photographed by Edith Young. Styled by Harling Ross. Modeled by Sky Mejias of Unite Unite. Makeup by Alana Wright of See Management.