A change in seasons marks a good time to switch up your beauty look and with the weather warming up as we gear up for spring, we like to turn to the runways for some makeup inspiration. High-fashion models sporting peaked cat eyes and strategically-placed red eyeshadow will be all the rage during the fall, but this spring is all about sporting sculpted blush, 90s lips and a healthy glow. Curious about what trends you'll definitely see sprawled on your For You Page, favorite celebrities and IRL? We enlisted the help of celebrity makeup artist Neil Scibelli — who has painted the faces of Sofia Richie Grainge, Elle Macpherson and Melissa Etheridge — to break down the most popular spring makeup trends (plus how to make them wearable every day).
Tie-Dye Eyes
Tie-dye eyeshadow made a splash in 2020, but the spring shows displayed a resurgence of the trend that sparked inspiration on achieving it in a more wearable way. "With the warmer weather approaching, the tie-dye trend really plays off of those fun, bright colors of the season," says Scibelli. "If you think of spring flowers blooming, we're seeing that reflected in the eye makeup as well." Feeling intimidated by piling on layers of bright colors? Scibelli points out that the trend is actually incredibly versatile. "You can go for a subtle blend of pastel colors or you can go bolder with a neon tie-dye color theme — in any case, the trend really just goes off of your mood and style."
When it comes to choosing colors for the tie-dye trend, Scibelli explains you'll want to pair hues that sit next to each other on the color wheel. "You can go for color themes (for instance, various shades of purple like lighter purples and deeper plum tones) or undertone themes (like warms, neutrals and cool tones). You can also pair colors based off of your outfit, for instance if you're looking to bring out a certain color from your clothing or accessories," says Scibelli.
In any case, this trend isn't meant to be perfect — in fact, the opposite is welcomed. Think about tie-dye eyes as a watercolor painting when it comes to blending and color placement says Scibelli, who told us that if you're looking to make the look a bit more subtle, opt for sheer eyeshadow pigments that may not be as bright. "You can also use colored eyeliners to create the trend — just layer on a few colors and smudge them out on the top and bottom lids," he adds.
High-Shine Skin
With almost two years of seeing glass skin on the runways, the high-shine, skin-forward look has become a mainstay as far as complexions are concerned. "Glowing skin is always a great canvas to accompany any look because we want to look healthy and hydrated," says Scibelli. "If you're not much of a color wearer on the complexion, a skin-forward look is great to accentuate the cheekbones and the natural contours of the face as well as give the overall appearance of being radiant from the inside out."
Glowing makeup begins with healthy skin, which means ensuring you have a proper regimen. "This trend looks best when the makeup is super sheer so we can see the skin peeking through," says Scibelli, who suggests incorporating hyaluronic acid into your skin care routine, especially as part of your p.m. routine to ensure hydrated, plump skin come morning.
Makeup-wise, you'll want to opt for something lightweight (think a tinted moisturizer or sheer foundation) that has built-in luminizers in the formula. "You can also add a few drops of face oil into your moisturizer or foundation to give that extra glow," says Scibelli. Spring is also the perfect time to switch to cream- or liquid-based products (versus powder) — Scibelli says these textures bind to the skin easier and also give the skin a dose of hydration, which contributes to a healthy glow.
If you have oily skin but are still looking to achieve the trend, Scibelli recommends doing targeted placement of your dewy skin products. "For example, you can start with a mattifying primer or use your powders in the T-zone to still absorb shine, but then add your dewy products away from the center of the face (like above the outer cheekbones)," he says. "Sometimes I'll also add a liquid highlighter just above the cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose as the very last step of a makeup look to reflect light and give that dewy glow."
Sculpted Blush
The sculpted blush trend is a great way to add definition and dimension to the face while bringing out its natural contours. "It's all about applying blush in a strategic way to enhance your bone structure," explains Scibelli, who says this look can be achieved with both cream and powder blush.
Here's how to get the look: "To start, I would contour with a sheer bronzer (something without a shimmer) to hollow out the contours of the cheeks and facial structure. I always recommend contouring in the shape of a '3' — so around the forehead, in the hollows of the cheeks and along the jawline. Then apply your blush starting on the apples of the cheeks (smile to find them) and then blend outward toward the upper part of the ears."
The key to avoid looking clownish is to start with a light hand and build up to your desired color. "You can also use variations of berry- and coral-toned blush to avoid looking overly red on the cheeks," he says.
90s Lips
As seen on Hailey Bieber at the Saint Laurent Spring 2024 show and sprinkled along the runway, the 90s lip is a wearable spring trend that enhances the shape of lips while also adding fullness. The best part? The muted, nude tones synonymous with the trend are easy to pair with various eye and outfit colors.
To pick your perfect nude, Scibelli recommends choosing a nude one to two shades deeper than your natural lip color. "This will define the lip shape and also lean into the 90s browns that were really popular at that time," he says.
