Eye makeup is experiencing a spring revival

Is it just us, or did winter feel especially long this year? Thankfully, the season's chill, rain and short days are far behind us. 

Over the past few weeks we've been spring cleaning our skin care routine, pulling silk scarves out of retirement from the back of our wardrobe, getting reacquainted with spring perfume we loved seasons past, and hitting the salon to try the latest spring hair trends.

Daylight savings hits this weekend, so we're turning our clocks back one hour, and turning our attention to the makeup we'll be wearing well into the evening. 

In preparation, we asked makeup artist Shella Ruby Martin to share her predictions, products and tips for the perfect spring makeup kit.

Spring clean your makeup bag before you buy anything new

First things first? Clear out any expired products, and any heavy base makeup while you're at it. 

"Lately, if someone needs a little extra coverage to get the base right, freckles are being added on top to keep skin looking like skin," Martin tells BEAUTYcrew. Sounds like the perfect excuse to add Copini's new Freckle Pen ($39 from Copini Beauty) to cart.

"The illusion is the goal," she explains. "Lighten your handbag of too many foundations, try spot coverage with concealer or a complexion product like Merit's The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick ($63 from Sephora) instead." 

If you aren’t ready to reduce the number of items in your handbag, consider popping them into a personalised palette like the M.A.C Cosmetics Pro Palette Medium Compact ($33 from M.A.C Cosmetics). "Swap them, refill them, customise them," says Martin. 

Bold eyes are really having a moment

"Bold eyes are really having a moment, and everyone is right in their own way on this one," Martin tells us.

"This season, bold eye looks are not just reserved for the runway," she urges. "Be artistic, creative, colourful. Play with colours and shapes. Think outside the box. Push your own boundaries. Metallic lids, bigger eye shapes, creatively placed liners, paint-like washes, strategically-placed chopped up lashes — everything — this is the season to try it without judgement."

Invest in cream and liquid eyeshadows 

"It compliments dewy skin, leaving the entire complexion looking youthful and undone," says Martin. Plus, it's easy enough for every day wear.

"Two popular editorial shades I pick up are the Armani Eye Tint in Black ($62 from Sephora) and the Ellis Faas Creamy Eyes in E126 ($62 from MECCA)," she tells us.

"A favourite hack of mine is to use a liquid eye shadow as the full eye look, including mascara," she went on to say. "Try Violette Eye Paints ($53 from MECCA); they look so beautiful on the eyelid and even better worn as a mascara."

Try a statement lip

"If you need a lip shade to compliment your hard work, and show off your skin with just one product, Ommage is a must," dishes Martin. "The Lip Coat shade 'Burnt Orange' ($52 from Ommage) is so iconically spring. It feels like spring in a lipstick." 

"Splash a cream highlighter over your moisturiser and add Ommage to finish," she instructs.

Minimise your routine with multipurpose products

"Get an all-in-one product! Multiple use items are hard to nail — but the ones to find," Martin tells BEAUTYcrew.

You can achieve a full look with dimension with Mecca Max Multiplayer Mode Shaping Sticks ($22 from MECCA) and a cream blush like Armani Beauty's Dolci Blush ($65 from Sephora). Or use a multi stick that doubles up as an eyeshadow and a lip liner like the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil ($41 from Sephora).

All brows are welcome

"Brows have had the most significant transformation over the last few years with everyone letting their brow hair return and flourish," Martin explains. "Now that everyone has grown their brow hairs back in — natural, fluffy, skinny, bleach or laminated — the options are endless. All brows are welcome."

"For natural brows try Kosas Brow Pop Dual-Action Defining ($43 from MECCA) and Brow Pop Nano Ultra-Fine Detailing ($38 from MECCA) brow pencils to make it look as natural as possible," she advises. "They help to fill in and create an even, natural shape." 

"Add in the Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel ($51 from Sephora), and brush it the opposite direction and layer to create the right amount of texture for a fluffy finish," she continued.

"If you have skinny brows, you should shape out your arch using a micro tip brow pencil. Then use an angled brush with a touch of concealer to define the shape," the makeup artist explains.

Confident enough to bleach your eyebrows? They can easily be lightened at the salon, or at home. Just don’t forget to protect your skin and use a toner to stop the hair from throwing orange. "If you need to quickly re-dye them, 1000 Hour have very fast and easy to use at-home kits ($13.99 from Priceline)," says Martin.

Main image credit: @aishapotter

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