The look for spring
By Mekeisha Madden Toby - The Detroit News

Romantic, ultra-feminine makeup and textured bobs are this season’s theme

Hey there, Bohemian girl. Spring is your time to shine.

Your eye makeup is dramatic, but natural lips are nude or have a matte finish, and cheeks are blushing with peach, orange and bronze shades.

“Ultra-feminine makeup reflects the colors of spring and is a great transition into summer,” says Buddy VanLoon, a makeup artist and artistic direct at Salone Nadwa and Day Spa in Novi. “The trick is to use only one bright color on one part of your face. You know, if you go with bright cheeks, you should have muted lips and soft eye color.”

As for that magnificent man of yours, it is eight stick-straight or cut in an inverted bob (longer in the front, and shorter and sometimes tapered in the back). For the really bold, the shag awaits. Meanwhile, bangs are long, romantic and swept to the side. The hair color for spring is brown – warm, earthy tones.

And the colors, oh, the colors are so soft and brown. Think honey, iced tea, chocolate, cinnamon and copper. For blondes, these are the shades that will highlight your halos.

So go pick your tulips and prepare for your springtime close-up, flower child. The experts predict that this is your season.

Lips
Release the grease when it comes to your pout this spring, VanLoon Says.

“Lips are more matte and have less of a garish finish,” says VanLoon, who has been at Salone Nadwa for 11 years. “You want muted as opposed to greasy, red lips. But the lips are still bold in shades of coral and red.”

The trick to the lips is to make them look dressed but natural, says Meagan Mitchell, owner of a beauty salon of the same name in Ferndale.

“Define the lips and go with a light stroke of lip color,” Mitchell says. “It’s all about a nude, natural-looking mouth.”

Eyes
Put that charcoal pencil away. It’s not fall anymore, VanLoon says.

“Your eyes should be smoky but with real, more natural-looking color,” he adds. “The look for spring is a lot less aggressive than the charcoal, black, brown and navy pencils of the colder months. The clothes for the season are ultra-feminine – ruffles and flowery and the makeup should be, to.”

Eyes should shimmer with bronze shadow, a must-have for spring,” VanLoon says.

“Bonze is one those shades that works on the darkest African American and the whitest, most pale redhead.”

But don’t toss out the mascara, he says.

“I’m a big fan of mascara and it’s a great alternative to lining the eye if you get close enough to the top lid,” VanLoon insists. “For a natural finish, go with brown mascara, but at night I say pull out the old tried-and-true black stuff.”

Cheeks
Think floral and shimmery, Mitchell says.

“You want romantic-looking cheeks – like a cute guy just kissed you and made you blush,” Mitchell says. “The tones have a sparkle to them but are also light and playful. This is especially a great look with shorter hairstyles that define the face, cheekbones and chin.

“It’s understated glamour.”

Hair
When you think straight hair, think Ali MacGraw in the ‘70s, the experts say.

“If your hair can take it, a lot of women are going stick straight,” says Mitchell, who styles all textures of hair but specializes in African-American coifs. “Even the straight styles are romantic. That’s the theme this spring.”

Although straightened hair is hot, spring is all about a casual elegance, says Ken Paves, celebrity hairstylist and owner of Pave Salon in Clinton Township.

“The most beautiful thing a woman can be is confident,” says Paves, whose clients include Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria and Pamela Anderson. “Make your style uniquely your own and allow words like ‘casual’ and ‘soft’ to influence your look.”

Here’s another Paves secret: Bangs are so now.

“I always love bangs,” Paves says. “Bangs are so popular for the spring and add beautiful softness, especially for spring’s pulled back styles.”

The inverted bob isn’t pulled back, but the cut will be sweeping Metro Detroit this spring, says Nadwa Yono, owner of Salone Nadwa. Yono has been styling ‘dos for more than 20 years.

“Inverted bobs are long in the front and short in the back and full of texture,” Yono says. “People will be seeing a lot more short and playful haircuts this season. Short, neck- and chin-length hair is the things to have right now.”

Yono says shags are hot on the West coast, but probably won’t make the rounds in this region for six months or so.

“A few bold clients are getting shags in Detroit, but not a lot,” she says.

Straightened or bobbed, the colors are all warm, earthy and brown, brown, brown. Highlights are blended and less chunk, Yono says.

If you still want blond, that’s cool, too, but Paves suggests honey-blond coloring and tones will give anyone a natural glow,” he says.

March 9, 2006