Spring Beauty Essentials To get You Gorgeous

Nothing thrills me more than sunshine, rising temperatures, and a lighter, springier (beauty pun!) regime. Don’t get me wrong: I love dark, wintery, vampy lipstick and I really got into the velvet skin trend during the frosty months, but a brighter, more luminous look is my signature and I’m glad it’s that time again. To achieve a gorgeous spring glow, I have a few all-time favourites and a few new beauty products that stole my heart this season, too. Here’s the best of the best to look your best this season.

Eyes
Looking fresh-faced and bright-eyed echoes the effervescence of spring, and gilded, shimmer lids easily achieve this with an added touch of luxury. Stila’s Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow‘s spring collection come in a variety of shades from a subtle, soft peach glimmer to a seductive, alluring golden bronze luster with many shimmering shades in between. A gorgeous cream-to-powder formula makes for a fool-proof application, aided by the shadow’s included mini primer and mixing tray to “simply prime, combine and shine!” Just try and resist winking!

Another great transitional eye makeup must is Tarte’s SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner. Along with many other Tarte favourites, this pencil is formulated with Amazonian clay to keep oil (and creasing) at bay, boasts nourishment for the delicate skin on the eyelids, and improves texture. Easily creating a sharp, crisp line, this waterproof liner is super-veratile and can quickly transform into a sultier, smudgier look with the built-in blender on the other side of the pencil.

Cult-classic Chanel Les 4 ombre’s Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow has been a long-time favourite of beauty junkies around the world. This season, eight new palettes are introduced, drawing inspiration from the house’s signature tweeds. My preferred palette, 232 Tissé Vénitien, is clearly an all-around favoured choice as it’s currently sold out at every Chanel counter in the city. With my name on the wait list, I can only eagerly anticipate its arrival into my excited little hands and learn how to master different looks with Chanel’s own tutorials for the palettes, also a new inspiring debut for the season.

Lips
When I want to pack a bigger punch of colour but still use a lighter, shiner formula than classic lipstick, I’m currently reaching for Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss on repeat. Ultra-glossy and super glam, this highly pigmented formula gives the lips a lacquered look and delivers long lasting results. A rarity in the world of lip glosses, this is the stuff made of magic: it truly doesn’t budge, but it also delivers a wallop of hydration thanks to its seaweed extract and green coffee oil-packed formula. 

Spring is all about shiny, juicy, bright lips. Enter Estée Lauder’s Limited Edition Pure Color Lip Shine. Although part of the summer Bronze Goddess collection, I can’t resist gliding on the especially luscious Mandarine shade right now. Lightweight and semi-sheer, this balm-like stick isn’t overly glossy – it delivers the perfect amount of shine and colour, and its emollient-rich formula feels divine, too. This chubby pencil is perfection in a stick and will surely top both my spring and summer favourites.

 

Although spring is in the air, that lasting chill still has me reaching for a much needed nourishing lip balm. An all around winner, Korres Lip Butter does it all. Smoothing, soothing and buttery in texture, this naturally formulated, lightly tinted, super conditioning balm instantly drenches lips in moisturize, and looks super pretty while doing it.

Face
When winter skin still needs a bit of a spring pick-me-up, I spritz Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir all over my face. Refreshing, toning, tightening and soothing, this moisture-rich elixir boosts radiance and gives you an instant glow.

When I need a little more face-saving attention, I’m in love with the way a one-two punch from Bliss’s cheeky skincare line positively polishes my skin to perfection. Starting with the Micro Magic Microdermabrasion Treatment, dullness and minor blemishes are banished with the warming, satisfyingly scrubbing,  skin-smoothing volcanic pumice- spiked formula. Vitamin E and aloe soften and soothe, revealing revitalized, super-smooth skin. Followed up with their Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, my skin almost looks otherworldly. A part of their Triple Oxygen line, which is engineered to mimic the effects of their spa’s famous Triple Oxygen Treatment Facial, this mask delivers an impressively comparable result to the real-spa-deal. Tingly, frothy and bubbly, I love that I can actually feel the oxygen and antioxidants working their magic on my skin. The ultimate proof, though, is my glowing complexion after it’s rinsed away.

 

When I’m looking for a quick complexion-boosting fix, it’s no secret NARS Blush in Orgasm is my (not-so-secret) weapon. The universally flattering shade of pinky-peachy-gold-flecked blush instantly flushes cheeks in the most natural-looking yet unbelievably perfect way. Radiance, luminosity and subtle highlighting make this the perfect pick for a fresh-faced, gorgeous glow that can usually only be achieved from a circulation-boosting endorphin rush from a… well, you know.

Nails
Springtime means every minute of free time is spent hitting the streets, strolling hand-in-hand with my incredibly handsome better half. Translation? My must-have manicure must dry quickly — no one likes smudgy fingers. Enter my new favourite, new-for-Spring time- and mani-saver, Nicole By OPI Quick Dry Top Coat. Swiped overtop any polish (right now, I’m loving every peach, mango and coral shade in OPI’s current Brazil Collection) this topcoat does it all. Drying polish lickety-split and creating a high-gloss, no-chip barrier, I’m out the door in minutes and my manicure looks fresh for weeks.

Although I don’t really dabble in the nail art trend, instead preferring a classic swipe of polish instead of intricate designs and 3D creations, I can make a Spring-ready exception for Ciaté’s Flower Manicure. Each kit contains a pastel pop of colour in the form of a base coat (either cotton candy pink or baby blue) and has two co-ordinating, contrasting shades of flower appliqués. With the inclusion of a top coat, buffer and mini tweezers, I can achieve an adorably seasonally appropriate mani that looks like it was done by a pro, even with my nail art inexperience.

When I’m looking for florals in the nail department in a less obvious way, nothing beats actually having a floral scented manicure, courtesy of Revlon’s Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamel. Gorgeous shades with even more gorgeous scents make this polish deliciously addictive. The best part? Every shade has a unique scent, so rotating between Apricot Nectar and Wintermint looks as good as it smells.