A bright lip has been a popular spring trend for a few seasons, but this is the first time traffic cone orange was such a unanimous choice. "Red is too pretty; pink is too sweet," said Revlon Global Artistic Director Gucci Westman backstage at Rag & Bone. "A neon orange lip is the right shade for a cool-girl look." Westman suggests pairing orange lipstick with soft clothes in muted colors. "The clothes in the collection are quite pastel, so the lips really pop," she said.
Sure, there was blue shadow, turquoise liner, and smoky plum makeup backstage, but the eye look I'm most excited about is so much simpler and only requires one product: mascara. "It's all about lashes," said makeup artist Diane Kendall for Nars Cosmetics. "It's really fresh, young, and beautiful." To get the look, she used an eyelash curler followed by Nars Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara, $25.
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Nail Polish Color: Anything Sheer
After so many seasons of wacky nail art and bold colors, sheer nail polish is a refreshing change for spring. "I'm seeing lots of sheer whites, nudes, and grays," said celebrity manicurist Jin Soon Choi. "It's clean, simple, and chic."
Choi recommends using only one coat of sheer polish if your nail beds are naturally white, and apply two coats if they're darker. Plus, there's no rule with shape or length when you're using a sheer color, she said. Although it's a minimalist look, don't toss your manicure kit quite yet. "It's a natural manicure, but nails will continue to be 'done,'" said MAC manicurist Marian Newman. "That's the biggest trend."
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Nail Art: Nude Half-Moon Mani
Nail art will still be around in 2014, but the looks we spotted on the runways were more subdued than seasons past. The best of the bunch was this half-moon manicure, which was everywhere from Lela Rose to Milly and Jenni Kayne. They key takeaway, according to Butter London Global Colour Ambassador Katie Jane Hughes, is to apply nail art on top of nude polish. �I love creating nail art on a nude base because it gives the illusion that the nail art is floating on the nail,� said Hughes. And even though it's a spring trend, she suggests trying it now: "It�s a totally wearable trend for fall," Hughes said.
What's the best thing about the spring 2014 beauty trends I spotted backstage at New York Fashion Week? They're super simple. The overall theme I spotted: natural makeup (sometimes with a statement lip or major mascara), bare nails, and barely-done hair. So when you want to take a break from fall's deep, rich looks (think: punk eyeliner and berry lip stain), brush up on the hair, makeup, and nails you'll be wearing soon enough.
