Lighten Up, Brighten Up: New Spring Makeup With Emma Nahod

Happy Spring! I don't know about you but this winter cannot end fast enough. I am so excited to retire my winter coat, snow boots, and parched skin I can barely stand it. I am also looking forward to a little switch up in my makeup routine. During the winter, the trends seem to lean towards heavier coverage, matte skin, dark lips, and earthy tones. While I love all of that, I feel like Spring brings along an opportunity to lighten and brighten. Here is a look I have created to welcome Spring and some of my favorite cruelty free products to help acheive it.

SKIN


Spring skin to me is fresh and vibrant. I like to step away from the matte finishes and heavy coverage and give my skin a chance to breath. However, I still want my skin to look even and clear and my favorite product for this has been the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream. Besides the ridiculously long name, this product is amazing. So amazing I'm actually going to repurchase it which seriously never happens with makeup. The coverage is great, it's moisturizing, has an SPF of 50, and just makes it look like you have amazing skin. If left unpowdered, it leaves a fresh radiance to the skin. I have combination skin so that glow will turn to shine on oily parts over time but a little powder fixes that right up.  IT Cosmetic Your Skin But Better CC Cream,  $38 at Ulta and ulta.com.

Regardless of the season, I'm a pale gal. Thanks to a Ukranian/Irish/Dutch/you get the idea heritage, I don't really tan. I also want my skin to be as healthy and youthful for as long as possible so I am a big fan of SPF. However, to look a little less ghostly, I do love a good bronzer. Sweeping a light (<-- keyword) layer around the high points of the face (cheeks, hairline, nose, and chin) adds just a little more life to my skin which seems especially appropo in the Spring sunshine. The bronzer I have been reaching for the most is a blush/bronzer duo from e.l.f. in the shade St Lucia. The warm, peachy blush goes so well with the bronzer and I feel much less vampiric when I'm wering it! Even better? The duo will only set you back $3.  e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder in St Lucia, $3, eyeslipsface.com or Target.

EYES


While I love a good smokey eye as much as anyone, I'm feeling light and simple for this spring look. I swept a pale, shimmery shadow over the lid and blended up through the crease and added a couple layers of mascara. You could stop there but to add a fun twist and a pop of color, I added a little winged liner in a bright, Spring green. This is a Studio Liquid Liner from NYX in the shade Extreme Green. Even though it looks quite extreme in the tube, I think it's light enough to not be too jarring (at least on my skin tone). To make it a little more wearable, I highly recommend using a black or dark brown liner on the upper water line (or as close to the lashes as possible). If bright green isn't really your style, you can always try a deep purple or navy if you want to mix it up without going too far away from black/brown.  NYX Studio Liquid Liner, $4.49 at Ulta and ulta.com.

LIPS


For lips, my inner 16 year old gloss queen is out in full force. For this look, I used a mix of two OCC Stained Gloss glosses, New Wave and Jealous. I love these because they're comfortable, pigmented, and the leave a bit of a stain once the shine wears away. If glosses really aren't your thing, you can try a lip stain or create your own stained effect by applying your favorite lipstick and blotting with a tissue. You can repeat this process until you get an effect you like. Throw some lip balm over that for extra moisture or gloss for shine. OCC Stained Gloss, $18 for a full size at Sephora or sephora.com. Unless you really love the shade, I would recommend grabbing the After Dark Test Tube set which contains 4 mini shades (including the two I'm wearing) and is currently only $10 on Sephora's website

Mix, match, and adjust these tips to suit your own style. Makeup, in my opinion, is all about whatever makes YOU feel beautiful! If you enjoyed this post, connect with me on my beauty blog, Compassionate Beauty. I would love to hear your thoughts, fave Spring products and beauty trends! I know you're already subcribed to PattyJ.com but if you're not, get on it! Have a marvelous Spring and happy makeup shopping ;)

More About Emma

Emma is a Rhode Island based yoga and Zumba instructor and self described makeup addict. A lover of food, coffee, and a good scotch, you can find her mostly beauty blog at Compassionate Beauty. She writes cruelty free makeup reviews, tutorials, and the occasional recipe and Netflix suggestion. You can get more beauty related things from her on Facebook and Instagram.