Switching It Up For Spring
Aside from the weather (and also deep cleaning my house, which has somehow over the years become my favorite form of therapy), one of my favorite things about spring is a beauty refresh! While I like to keep my look somewhat natural throughout the year, to me, spring is all about optimism and, at risk of being cliché, putting your best face forward.
As usual, I started the season with my ultimate guilty pleasure - a stop by Sephora inside JCPenney to check out the new and exclusive arrivals. I love that the products there are always so well curated, which makes it super easy to pick up a few new things.
This haul, I went for Kaja Beauty’s Beauty Bento Bouncy Shimmer Eyeshadow Trio, Kat Von D’s Cake Pencil Eyeliners (100% best color brown I’ve found to date), NARS’ classic and universally gorgeous Orgasm Blush in the prettiest compact ever, and Huda Beauty’s Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in Graduation Day - a bold, yet still somewhat neutral lip. Here’s a quick before shot….
EYES: Kaja Beauty Bento Bouncy Shimmer Eyeshadow Trio in Toasted Caramel, Kat Von D Beauty Cake Pencil Eyeliner in Mad Max Brown and White Out
I started with the eyes, staying neutral in tone, but with a totally different approach - going for a more glimmery shadow than my usual matte earth tones. The Kaja Beauty Bento Bouncy Shimmer Eyeshadow Trio in Toasted Caramel can stay subtle or go super smokey - which I definitely appreciate. Since this was a spring look, I kept it more on the subtle side, sweeping Gold Dust across the lid, adding Sunny Amber into the crease, and just a touch of Gilded Chocolate along the lash line and in the very outer corner of the crease.
I accentuated by applying Kat Von D’s Cake Pencil Eyeliner in Mad Max Brown underneath my upper lashes and then drawing the line out just ever so slightly at the edge, and then applied the same eyeliner in shade White Out along my bottom waterline - something I’ve always admired on other people, but I never felt like worked on me - until now! For some reason when combining it with a very subtle brown liner on the top, it seems to look a lot more natural and definitely did make my eyes feel more open and brighter. I should also mention that I’m super impressed with the White Out Cake Pencil from Kat Von D - it really comes out brightly and evenly, unlike others I’ve played around with in the past. I’m noticing the trend with all her makeup is that it really stays put. Such a fan of her line!
I finished off the look by keeping the blush light and peachy with NARS’ Orgasm Blush and then went a little bolder with Huda Beauty’s Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in Graduation Day - a neutral plum tone that has just the right amount of daytime pop with a twist of vamp. This color is a little darker than I usually go (especially for spring), but with the lighter eyes and cheeks, it felt like such a fun way to add impact while still not going too dramatic.
I also love how the lighter blush tone complements the darker lip - way back in the day when I was just getting into makeup, I used to try to match my blush tone to my lips but as I got better with makeup, I realized that going with different families (aka coral-hued cheeks and plum-toned lips) can add far more complexity to a look.
PS There is a giveaway on my Instagram today and the prize is really good! Check it out here
This post is written in collaboration with Sephora inside JCPenney. #SephoraInJCP
