My Go-To Spring Makeup Edit: What I’m Wearing Right Now

my effortless spring beauty routine while transitioning into dewy but oil controlling products - and I even include a little bit of color

Spring is one of my least favorite seasons (along with summer) - yes, really. Seasonal allergies with flowers and tree pollen really love to do their worst on me. I already run warm and being slowly suffocated by humidity and heat is not my idea of good times. I thrive on an icy cold day bundled up in layers, so it’s even more surprising that I’m a spring baby (my birthday is, in fact, today), so I really try to find some positives for spring and unsurprisingly, I always turn to makeup.

Although spring tones are really not my tones (sorry with the negatives again!), the change in seasons means my combination skin suddenly turns more oily and requires a whole new set of products that are more matte and oil controlling. More time out in the sun and a skintone that tans easily even with copious SPF also means I need basically a whole new set of makeup in warmer tones.

We’re not quite in my bronze season where I need my makeup locked down, but it’s definitely that transition time for me where I start to rotate new products in my routine. Today we’re covering some products I’m adding to my spring makeup rotation that has some light oil control but still maintains a fresh faced dewy feel, plus we even talk about a little bit of color beyond my usual taupes and beiges (but don’t worry, there’s plenty of that too). I also cover some of the newer products I picked up during the recent Sephora sale, but more thorough reviews of everything I picked up is still in progress.

Base and Complexion

I’ve been reliably reaching for my favorite primer release in years for a healthy radiant finish that holds onto makeup all day. The Ciele Prime and Protect SPF 30 grips so beautifully onto makeup. It keeps a healthy glow throughout the day without adding more shine and grease.

I’ve been on a whirlwind of trying new base products and have a really solid rotation of skin tints and foundations for different occasions and the variably cool to pre-summer humidity that spring weather brings to DC.

Of course I’m still loving the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, especially the matte version now that it’s warming up, but Jones Road Beauty also just released a tinted moisturizer that I’m so impressed with. It has a similar super blendable skin like finish like the Laura Mercier, though I find the finish to be not quite as glowy as the LM dewy version, and not as matte as the matte version. What’s impressive about this to me is the natural my skin-but-better finish and slight glow that doesn’t get unbearably greasy or shiny throughout the day. It also helps that the shade Beige is an absolute perfect shade match for me.

For something with more coverage, I’ve been bouncing between 2 foundations:

• The stick foundation I keep reaching for when I’m in a rush (which, honestly, is most days!)—this one is my go-to for a quick, flawless base. I simply dot it onto my face and blend it out with a dense brush (like this or this), and I’m good to go - the key with stick foundations is to apply just a little at a time and really buff it into the skin to achieve that skin-like finish. It offers medium coverage in a flash with a radiant finish that brings a healthy glow to my skin. I find it can get a little shiny in humid weather, so I always make sure to use a mattifying primer and powder to balance the shine. But honestly, the formula is so high-quality and leaves my skin looking natural and fresh, I don’t mind touching up. I wear shade 2.5N.

• People have been recommending this second skin matte foundation to me since its launch, and you all were right - It has a natural matte finish that’s not flat or dry-looking, and the oil-controlling formula keeps my skin in check, even on those slightly warmer spring days. Despite offering medium coverage and being a matte foundation, it still manages to look incredibly seamless and skin-like, which is exactly what I want from a long-wear foundation for oily or combination skin. I’m genuinely impressed, and I have high hopes for how it’ll hold up through summer humidity. For reference, I wear shade 120.

Left: wearing Dior Stick Foundation in 2.5N; Right: Haus Labs 120

Blush

The star of the show in the luxury makeup space right now is without a doubt the new Westman Atelier Powder Blush Duo - a decadent blush that’s truly blowing me away. If you're looking for the best luxury powder blush with a silky formula that never looks cakey or powder, this one delivers. It feels like absolutely nothing on the skin, yet leaves behind a soft-focus, natural-looking wash of color that blends seamlessly. When I swatch these, it barely feels like I’m picking up powder with my fingers, yet the pigment is smooth and even with plenty of color payoff. I like to apply these with a moderately dense, slightly fluffy brush for a super diffused look, and they can be sheerly with a light hand, but it’s also easy to build up the pigment by using a denser brush or adding more layers. It's everything I want in a blush: elegant, effortless, and undetectable in the best way. Bonus! They’re also 20% off at Credo Beauty at the moment, along with many of my other favorite beauty essentials available at Credo.

As far as cream blush, I’ve been inching back into some brighter colors, and I am still surprised by how much I’m reaching for this red-pink blush from Violette when I need some life back in my cheeks. For a touch of color that’s a little bit more subtle, I’ve still been reaching for Lusitano, this peachy shade that’s not too bright but is a half step away from the beigey nude blushes I’ve worn for months.

For all the other days I need to stick squarely in my comfort zone, I’m still reaching for Phytosurgence Wisp for a hint of a muted pinky-lilac tint. It’s also Peau de Peche season, aka the time of year when I start to crave a little more warmth and when I start to add a touch of this bronzer/blush/highlight with everything I wear.

Eyes

I’ve been keeping it pretty simple with my eyes lately, but I’ve really found an eye routine that takes me about 5 minutes that makes me feel my best.

It starts with a matte taupe shadow, and up until very recently it was always the Make Beauty Eye Stylo Contour in Meridian or Latitude, but in the recent Sephora sale I finally picked up this eye tint in 30M, another perfect matte taupe eyeshadow. While I generally prefer stick eyeshadow for convenience - just swipe on and blend with my fingers - the Armani tint has convinced me that the extra effort of picking up a blending brush is worth it. The shade is just deep enough to give me definition and a subtle smokiness, and the newer reformulation sets down into a long lasting finish that doesn’t crease or fade on my oily eyelids.

While sometimes I leave it at a matte taupe eyeshadow, some eyeliner, and mascara, I generally like to add in a touch of a similar but lighter beige to transition the color and diffuse it out from my eyelid for a slightly more elongated eye. This Chanel quad I first mentioned a few weeks ago has been a daily staple because the bottom left and top right shades are the perfect depth and tone to mix together for the easiest transition and lid color all in one. The deepest shade is also that perfect almost but not quite black that I love to use to smoke out my eyeliner. I know that this quad is a splurge for some boring neutrals, but I’m telling you that these are the boring neutrals that will seamlessly work their way into your everyday routine - and it’s one of those boring neutrals I’ve used so much I actually have a chance of finishing.

If I’m really feeling fancy these days, I’ll add a bit of the midtone brown shade from the quad into my outer corner for some extra smokiness, or I’ll add a touch of glitter with my standby favorite glitter that’s also under $10. Ritz is one of those ‘goes with everything’ beige glitters that I always have to have around - it doesn't have a super pigmented base, so it goes with every look I have, and the glitters are fine enough to rival some high end glitter shades I own.

Lips

I always have a large rotation of lip products going that could be its own 10 part post - obviously the new Merit lip liners and Shade Slicks are in constant rotation just because of how easy they are to throw on, but I’ve been trying some newer products that have become frequent handbag residents for my many touchups.

First are the Versed Cashmere Color Lip Blush - which I’m so glad I’ve been able to try after a mostly positive and intriguing launch from Versed’s new makeup line (read some of my first impressions here). This matte tinted balm is the ultimate product for low effort days or minimal makeup lovers, with a light texture and barely there tint that really acts like a lip blush. It’s matte without being too matte, lightly hydrating, and perfectly creates a soft kiss of color. Compared to the Violette Bisou Balms, these are even lighter and sheer, and I also find them a touch more hydrating. At just over $10, these are a fantastic cute little treat. Predictably, Casual and Lounge, a deep brown and berry brown, are my favorite shades.

Other than the Lip Blush, I’ve been having a major moment with glosses - again, easy is the game these days:

• I’ve actually had this lilac-berry lip treatment for awhile and it’s already a long-term resident in my handbag that I keep forgetting to talk about it - this formula is thick and balmy in almost a waxy (but vegan) kind of way, kind of like how Aquaphor is until it warms up and melts into my lips. It’s plush and smooth without being slippy, and leaves a beautiful sheer tint. This is definitely a tint, with not even as much pigment as my beloved Eadem glosses, which makes this ideal for a low effort and low maintenance day when I want extreme hydration but also a tiny bit of color. It’s the first Biossance product I’ve used in years and Supernova is a lovely re-entry into the brand!

• It’s that time of year to double-down on SPF, and that absolutely includes SPF on your lips. Leave it to Ultra Violette to create and SPF 50 lip balm that couldn’t feel less like an SPF. There’s no chemical SPF smell and the taste is really only detectable if I like….really like the balm, which I don’t think any normal person is doing regularly. As a balm, it’s actually hydrating with a texture that feels like a normal lip treatment - thick but melts down on contact and actually kind of similar in feel to Biossance - and what’s most exciting is that it doesn’t greasy oily feel that can come with SPF lip products. This balm has quickly risen to the top of my SPF lip products and has already come in handy on long runs outdoors. It’s hard to go wrong with either shade since the tint is so subtle, but I love Dusk for the slightly peachy tint that really goes with everything.

• I think I’ve found the lightest shiniest lipgloss that will be the ideal gloss for anyone who doesn’t like any semblance of stickiness on their lips - is it a surprise that it’s from MAC, the creator of the thickest lip glosses I’ve ever owned? I really have never tried a gloss as smooth and weightless as these without the formula leaning into greasy slidey territory. The Lipglass Air just leaves a serumy-slick feel that only gets shinier the more I layer it without ever feeling any heavier. It’s honestly kind of magical - like your lips, but glossier, glowier, and absolutely weightless. Consider me obsessed, especially with Aesthetic, the reddish berry brown shade that is 1000% up my alley.

I hope this roundup was helpful and I also want to know what you’re transitioning into your makeup routine with the changing seasons. Do you change up the types of finishes you use? Do you suddenly have a new found love for colors and warmer tones like I do?

As always, you can find all my picks on ShopMy, and follow along with my recent musings on Instagram.

Thanks for reading!