What’s New for 2014
Two of this season’s most notable beauty trends — nude makeup and orange lipstick — are a study in contrasts that actually complement each other quite nicely. While there’s nothing wrong with sporting a full face of spring’s neutral, understated beige-toned palette, it’s fun to shake things up by pairing neutral eyes with a bright orange lip, or, for those endowed with makeup derring-do, the opposite combination.
Orange eyeshadow with a neutral lip (Photo: Imaxtree)
Nude on nude
As makeup artist Lianne Farbes recently showed us, the nude trend is indubitably in for 2014. Unlike its more monochromatic 90s predecessor, 2014’s nude face has a natural, yet ethereal quality. The key difference is the translucence of today’s textures — you start with a dewy complexion, achieved with a BB cream or sheer foundation.
I’m keen on trying Tarte’s new Colored Clay CC Primer with Amazonian clay, which is perfect for keeping combination/oily complexions looking fresh. Lipstick doesn’t need to be blah beige or boring brown, as Farbes showed in her step-by-step application guide — this look is best achieved by deepening the natural color of your lips. To offset any polar-vortex-induced pallor, use bronzer instead of blush and carefully sculpt your cheekbones; it’s all about the precise application of sheer, natural-looking color. Maybelline has just come out with a great line of nude lipsticks, Color Sensational The Buffs, with colors suited to a wide range of complexions.
The perfect nude face (Photo: Imaxtree)
Less is definitely more when it comes to eyes. In fact, eyes adorned only with mascara were popular on the spring runways. However, if you’re disinclined to forgo eye shadow altogether, you’ll want to try Clinique’s All About Shadow, palette from the limited edition 16 Shades of Beige collection.
Nails get a similar treatment. After seasons of garish nail art and bold shades, nails have also showed up in sheer shades of white, nude gray and cream on the 2014 runways. The look is clean, simple and trèschic. I am sorely tempted by the latest lacquers in the Clinque A Different Nail Enamel for Sensitive Skin collection and have also cast a covetous eye on Zoya’s Naturel Collection for spring.
Orange punch
Orange typically makes an appearance in the spring collections, but this year it is the color of choice. It clearly dominated the runways and provided the perfect punch of color against spring fashion’s muted pastel hues. As Revlon global artistic director Gucci Westman asserts, “Red is too pretty; pink is too sweet. A neon orange lip is the right shade for a cool-girl look.”
Add a pop of color with orange lipstick (Photo: Getty Images)
Orange is surprisingly versatile; the trick to making it work off-runway is to find a shade that’s more red and less yellow. I’m obsessed with Red Apple Lipstick’s Firefly, an eminently wearable orange. If you’re feeling bold, you should wait for the soon to be released Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Carnival — the perfect vivid orange with which to achieve “cool-girl” status.
