Makeup trends toward bold lips and smoky eyes
Spring brings a few things you can count on: sandals, asparagus and fiddleheads, brighter shades of eye shadow. Wait. Scratch the last one.
This season, there's a change of face on the streets. Just as fashion trends serve as a barometer of the times (hemlines tend to follow the stock market), similar indicators are evident at the makeup counter.
"Fashion absolutely follows what's going on in the economy, and that's very true when it comes to makeup," said Nars makeup artist Jake Broullard, who worked the Marc Jacobs show and others at New York Fashion Week.
So what's big now?
"I've recently noticed that women are really embracing red lipstick," he said. "It's a big trend for spring: bold, brighter, and even neon for lips. Now because things have gotten gray, people are looking at colors that are fun."
Some of the staple colors Broullard uses these days evoke the 1920s more than the go-go 1960s or the "Bonfire of the Vanities"-defined 1980s.
"There's a trend toward freedom and self-expression that really focuses on individuality," he said. "It reminds me of the 1920s and '30s when women used to go to speak-easies. They were wearing great clothes and sneaking out of the house. Fun was banned, [but] they found their fun. That's what people need."
A vibrant, flushed cheek and smoky eyes are also hot this season.
"The only thing I really haven't seen a ton of for spring is new eye shadow colors. The attention to color is given a lot more to blush this year," said Bre Welch, a Boston-based makeup artist who does work for television, film, and print and is developing a makeup line for Loft Salon & Day Spa on Newbury Street.
"A big trend is soft smoky eyes with diffused edges, no harsh lines, and color that blends into the skin. Color I see on the face this year is on the cheeks - pretty, vibrant peaches, rose and pink tones, and brighter plums are really bringing out cheek area. There's a youthful and carefree look when cheeks are bright and rosy." And who wouldn't want to look carefree when the nation's collective stress level is through the roof?
"One thing I've seen is that people will use bold color on one feature and go subdued on everything else," said Dani Wagener, boutique director and atelier artist at Shu Uemura on Newbury Street.
And with consumers cutting back, product versatility is key. Broullard likes multipurpose products, like the Nars Multiples, which can be used on eyes, cheeks, and lips.
Of course, starting with gorgeous skin never goes out of style.
"The number one request I've had is just beautiful skin," Wagener said. "People want a dewiness, a real natural look. The most important thing I'm hearing and a lot of what I'm talking about, even with brides, is going back to basics with skin." 