Top 5 Spring Makeup Trends

One of my favorite spring makeup trends is orange lipstick.  Call me crazy, but yes everyone can pull it off.  Last week on NBC's New York Live, I chatted with Jacque Reid about how to take the top five spring makeup trends from runway to real way. Yes, I promise you can even begin incorporating blue eyeshadow into your look. Here are all the details and my segment.

1. White Eyeliner

White eyeliner is fresh and can give the appearance of bigger eyes, while minimizing any redness in them. You can replace your black liner and  line your upper lash line or simply your waterline, because white liner makes a statement no matter where you place it.  Not ready to go bold, try a using nude for the same brightening effect. Try Rouge Bunny Rouge Brightening Liner Duo in Eyes Wide Open, $32.67 at beautyhabit.com.

2. Orange Lipstick

When trying to pull off such a striking color you need to consider your skin tone. You can wear true orange if you're have olive skin.  Otherwise, opt for a red orange like a coral.  Pick a matte consistency to help control it from bleeding and choose the intensity that works within your comfort zone using either a bit of a stain or layering liner and lipstick.  I like mark Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain in Frilly, Lolli and Pop, $7 at meetmark.com, NARS Lipstick Rouge A Levres in Heat Wave, $26 and NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square, $25 at narscosmetics.com.

3. Radiant Orchid Cheeks

This look is very feminine, but can be as fashion forward as you want to take it.  Here, you want to experiment with texture.  A highly pigmented powder will give you more drama, while a tinted cheek stain will have a less dramatic effect.  Two examples: Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Plum Pop, $21 at Sephora.com and Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush, $30 at tartecosmetics.com.

4. Blue Eyelids

One of the biggest spring makeup trends is using blue on the eyes.  There are two ways to wear blue eyeliner without looking crazy.  For an all over wash of pigment, use a cream based eye shadow and take your ring finger.  Dip it into the pot and slide your finger across your lids.  You can reapply to create a bolder, more intense fashion forward look.  You can also incorporate the shade into a smokey eye.  Try using cream shadows for the all over wash of color like wet n wild Idol Eyes Crème Shadow in Distress, $1.99 at drugstores or Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Inky Blue, $25 at Sephora.com. 

5. White Nail Polish

I recommend getting this professionally painted so it doesn't look sloppy.  Some white polishes are too streaky, which makes them look cheap instead of sophisticated. Experiment with the texture and use a polish with a blue or grayish tint, because it will look good on all skin tones even if you're pale.  Check out Jin Soon Nail Polish in Kookie White, $18 at Nordstrom.com.

Check out my segment on NBC's New York Live featuring all of the above:

Spring Beauty Trend Spotting: Blue Eyeshadow

Blue eyeshadow was one of the makeup trends that dominated the spring runways. Of course as soon as you hear about it you probably think about Mimi from Drew Carey. Eek! However, the hue can be bold and beautiful as the statement lids at Marc by Marc Jacobs and light washes of color at Badgley Mischka and The Blondes proved. Here's how to rock it this season.

The trick to wearing the shade is to either wear it as a wash of color all over the eye or incorporate it into your smokey eye.  As a wash of color, use a cream shadow like Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Peacock Blue and use your ring finger to apply it (since it's the weakest and won't deposit too much color in one spot).  Just sweep it across your lid.  You can control the intensity of the color by layering it.

Here's a pic of Jamie Chung in a recent Mark Cosmetics ad taking it up a notch.

Makeup artist Jamie Greenberg gave me the exact shades she used to get her look: Sweep mark's Color Swing Mix It Up Palette in the light blue shade (middle) over the lids as well as in the creases. Next, apply the dark blue shade (right) at the outer corners of the lid. Run eyeliner along the upper lash line. Finish the eye, with two coats of mascara.

Top 5 Spring Beauty Trends, Straight from Backstage NY Fashion Week

As I prepare to cover backstage New York Fashion Week this week to get a sneak preview of the fall beauty and fashion trends, it only appropriate to post a round up of what I saw when I covered last September at the Spring shows since you can actually start wearing these trends now.  After all, the groundhogs predicted only six more weeks of winter this weekend and I, for one, couldn't be happier!  Here are the top five spring beauty trends to get excited about.

1. Bright Eyes

Most of the brightly colored eyes that were seen backstage included hues of blue.  To make the look more wearable, (so you don't look like Mimi in Drew Carey, remember her?) try switching out your black or brown liner for navy or add a fun pop of color to your lids by playing with a brighter shade.  You can also incorporate different tones of blue into a smokey eye instead of sticking with your basic greyish shades.

2. Candy Colored Hair

Colored streaks are here to stay... for a little while at least.  Love 'em or hate 'em, some very high end designers including Oscar de la Renta incorporated them into their runway looks.  From adding highlights into sophisticated updo's to creating an ombre effect, you can play with hair chalk at home for fun look that washes out.

3. Nude Nails

The nude nails at Rodarte were my favorite version backstage since texture was added, making them more interesting, but DVF and Derek Lam opted for a more classic, clean nude nail this season.  Pick your poison, but just know that nude doesn't have to be boring.

4. Sophisticated Braids

This spring a basic side braid doesn't cut it as more intricate details were all the rage.  My favorite braids were from Honor (pictured above) as I love how they showed off the nape of the neck making them more elegant, but the models at Tory Burch and Jason Wu also donned great looks.

5. Bold, Matte Lips

It was all about a colored, matte lip at Burberry, Missoni and Prada.  The tick to wearing is to make sure your lips are properly prepped.  Make sure they're moisturized before applying the lip product.  You'll still be able to achieve the matte finish.

Chinese Opera Beauties, Backstage Vivienne Tam

Vivienne Tam seemed like a theater production.  The theme was Chinese Oprah with a modern, edgy twist.

Leon Gorman, the lead stylist with Cutler and Redken created edgy updos that paired nicely with this seasons collection.  To create the look, he started by blow drying the hair straight with a round brush. Once dry, each girls hair was put into a pony tail and scrunched up into a bun by using a hair net (yes the ones you see women wearing in a cafeteria). Gorman used a hair dryer as he sprayed each girl’s hair to keep all the stray fly aways down. “The more we think about it the messier it gets,” he commented. The looked finished by having a Vivienne Tam hair piece sewn into under the updo.

Makeup was led by Maybelline's Andy Koh who commented, the idea behind the look is to “not have too much or too little anywhere,” but it was all about the eyes. He started the eyes with Maybelline Eye Studio in Pink Persuasion, a beige color all over the eyelid. Then, he added a thick layer of Maybelline Gel Liner in Blackest Black across the top of the lid with an eyeliner brush. Individual false eyelashes were added just to the outer corner of the eye to add a touch of drama in a modern way. For checks he used Maybelline Blush in FIT Deep Rose and Coral depending on the model’s skin tone where he applied it under the eyes and on the check bone to temple where he blended upwards. For lips, Maybelline Lipcolor in Born With It was his go-to.

Katherine Kim of Imcoo & Coco applied stick on nail color to just the tips of each nail to give the nails a luxury, glittery look. They looked like an old school French manicure with a twist.  The color was Imcoo & Coco Dry Nail Applique in Ruby Shoes.