Bare legs, light jackets, delayed sunsets — these are the harbingers of spring, when Mother Nature decides that we can have a little serotonin (and hay fever) as a treat. Productivity levels may dip, but being outside on a warm, sunny day? It’s a reminder that life is hot, and so are you.
Spring is my favorite time of year to be in a body. It’s when I can finally decorate it with flair, knowing that it won’t be obscured by 2-3 layers of outerwear. Here are a few new-ish beauty things I’m excited to marinate in this Spring as we all enjoy a renewed desire to give a shit, put in effort, and strut our stuff. In other words: we’re so back.
Diorshow 5 Couleurs in Midnight Lamé
Eyeshadow palettes can be intimidating because people think there’s some strategy to them, but consider this an à la carte menu. For instance: Try a swipe of the bottom-left cerulean shade all over the lid, with the prismatic silver center shade dabbed in the inner corners of your eyes. These super-pigmented shadows are soft enough to apply with fingers, but a brush will do if precision is your thing.
Le Labo’s newest core collection scent, Violette 30, heroes out the humble violet — the flower “in the mountains that have broken the rocks,” as described by Tennessee Williams. They also sometimes smell like candy necklaces or lipstick in perfume, which I personally love. Le Labo’s is a crystalline veil of violet’s delicate powder coupled with sheer woody musk, creating an effect that’s both cool and warm. It’s like sitting in the shade on a hot day brushing the skin of someone close to you.
UV Violette Sequin Supreme SPF50 Hydrating Skinscreen
One of my favorite facial sunscreens now comes in a disco option. This hydrating, plush-feeling sunscreen-and-primer hybrid has a subtle champagne glow, making you look like you’re always standing in the best lighting. And it has broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection. Nice.
Bath salts may have a certain Florida Man reputation, but when used as directed, they really do hit. Flewd’s soaks offer packets with different minerals, vitamins, and nootropics to target all sorts of water-soluble issues you might have: stress, anxiety, cramps, insomnia, and the sads. A perfect evening for me involves the Insomnia Ending packet chucked in the tub, my 528 Hz playlist, and a book.
Manucurist Paris Active Raspberry Glow
For the divas who ride for Dior Nail Glow but are not on a Dior budget, Manucurist Paris’s Active Glow line includes a set of sheer, tinted nail-nourishing polishes that are meant to act as a treatments. There’s Grape, Blueberry, Raspberry, and Cranberry, all of which all impart a pink-to-lilac tint. It’s something for the natural nail girls who want a little extra embellishment, or for when you’re between sets and your nail beds are mad at you.
Native Boba Cafe Strawberry Matcha Deodorant
The bevvie of the times, strawberry matcha, has officially come for your pits. I was worried this would smell like spoiled milk, especially after some heat. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this scent takes the leafy greenness of matcha and the dewy crispness of strawberry to create a fresh-smelling deodorant that doesn’t get all weird once sweat enters the mix like some natural deos do. It’s a limited-edition release from Native so grab a stick for fun. Live a little.
Stila Stay All Day Chroma-Flash Liquid Eyeliner
These new color-shifting holographic liquid eyeliners are a callback to Stila’s popular liquid chrome eyeshadows of the mid-2010s (a very eyeshadow time). Swapping the doe-foot applicator for a thin liner brush in the new tube, it’s much easier to draw fine lines or fill in for more impact. Every color has like three colors depending on the angle that the light hits it. A tip: Use less than you think you need, and let it dry before moving your eyelids around too much.
The Ordinary Lash Curl Finisher
I know. “Clear mascara?” you thought. “Clear??” Yeah, so did I. And then I tried this <$10 curl finisher, as it’s called, and was converted. Sometimes, black or even brown mascara feels a bit much; sometimes, seasonal allergies are out to get you. But you still want your spiders to look polished. Think of this like hair gel for your lashes, giving each one separation, gloss, and hold.
Garnier Hair Honey Repairing Serum
You know that adage about eating local honey to stave off allergies? (Sorry I keep talking about allergies; they’re ruining my life.) It’s possible that we’ve only begun finding other great uses for honey. This drugstore hair serum has gotten a lot of praise on the Reddit forums I lurk where people claim it makes their hair feel like mink. The learning curve: Apply it to soaking wet hair before toweling off. It deletes frizz and creates a smooth feeling on even dry strands.
Hanyul Artemisia Soothing 2-in-1 Mask to Foam Cleanser
This cleanser/mask hybrid is deeply satisfying to use. Not only does it remove all kinds of face grime accumulated in a day, but it also has a mochi-like texture that lathers up generously and leaves skin feeling bouncy and plush. It has a subtle cooling sensation that calms down any redness or irritation for me.
Sofie Pavitt Jelly Gel Moisturizer
While you’re swapping the down comforter for the summer quilt, your moisturizer also calls for a changing of the guard. Beloved NYC esthetician Sofie Pavitt just released an oil-free gel moisturizer that’s heavy on hydration but won’t feel greasy or loiter in your pores (my constant dilemma with moisturizers as a dehydrated yet combo skintype girlie).
Valentino Born In Roma Purple Melancholia
Valentino’s Born in Roma is a mainstay “that girl” perfume, so much so that she’s spawned a veritable sorority of spinoffs, the newest of which is Purple Melancholia. It’s a warm floral vanilla with plum, jasmine, and osmanthus — the kind of scent profile best deployed when you want to feel like an atmosphere model seated in a $1,000-bottle minimum club banquette.
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel Skin Tint
When you want a bit of complexion coverage but, A) you are unwilling to dedicate more than 10 minutes to doing face stuff, B) you want your skin to look like skin, not an airbrushed canvas, and C) you cannot be bothered with mid-day creasing and caking, Milk Makeup’s newest gel skin tint within its Hydro Grip collection is The One. Coverage is light but buildable; you can dab it in whatever areas need evening out or go full-face. And it’s an extra dose of hydration in your skincare-to-makeup routine that can streamline your whole process.
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