Romantic. Airy. Nostalgic. These are just a few words that define this spring’s beauty trends, from naturally flushed skin to piecey, tousled hair. This season, it’s all about an effortlessly undone look—seen everywhere from the runways at Blumarine, Bottega Veneta, and Versace to the red carpet.
Best of all, these trends are refreshingly wearable and easy to master at home. Ahead, we tapped experts to share their pro tips for achieving the ethereal hair and makeup looks.
Brontë Blush
Blush is getting the Wuthering Heights treatment—romantic and windswept, as if your skin were simply flushed from a brisk outdoor walk. For this moody flush, it’s about both the color and placement, says New York–based makeup artist Lila Childs.
For fair skin tones, she suggests a cool-toned baby pink or petal pink; for deeper skin tones, berry or candy pinks. “It really brings your complexion to life,” she adds. Childs suggests using cream or liquid blush first and setting with powder blush for a long-lasting matte to satin finish. “Apply the cream or liquid blush on the back of your hand and work the product into your brush before bringing it to your cheeks,” says Childs. “This gives you the most control over the product and also creates that watercolor-like effect.”
To find the perfect placement, line up your pupil with the center of your cheek. “Apply blush just below the apples of your cheeks, blending downward toward your jawline,” says Childs. “Then layer a powder blush in a similar shade, dusting off any excess product, tapping lightly to apply the product over the cream blush.”
Piecey, Undone Tuck
No one executed this better than David von Cannon’s creation for Sarah Pidgeon at the SAG Actor Awards. “Ethereal styles lean into this aesthetic effortlessly, as it’s very much about tousled hair, with bits and pieces falling out of a thrown-together hairstyle,” says Austin-based hairstylist Mikki Auld. “Think feminine, soft shapes and romantically messy texture.” The key? Letting “pieces fall where they may,” literally, she says.
The easiest way to achieve this natural look is to tuck your hair behind your ears while it air-dries. “Once dried, the pieces will have a natural bend,” says Megan Robinson, a top hairstylist and the founder of New York’s Pearlita salon. “Then use a texture or salt spray for volume and ‘undoneness’ before wrapping hair in a loose ponytail at the nape of the neck.” For placement, keep your ponytail or bun low. “It’s much more free-flowing and minimalist than sleek, slicked back high ponytails or buns,” adds Auld. Whatever falls out, let it. “Let your hair go and live where it wants to,” adds Robinson. “It leans into that softer, more perfectly imperfect realness that’s so powerful this season.”
Stylist tip: Ask your stylist for face-framing bits—not an entire bang section—at your next salon appointment. “You want them to hit right around the lips,” says Robinson, who cuts Pidgeon’s hair. “This is a great length because they can still be tucked behind your ears, but if they fall out, they look intentional and romantic.”
Cat-Eye Liner
Where last season brought us smoked out, smudgy liner, this spring is all about the Italian girl beauty formula—a subtle cat-eye with gently defined lashes bringing a classic flirtiness. “It really defines the eye and adds an essential level of contrast against the more velvety soft skin and blurred lips we’ve been seeing,” says Childs. At Dolce & Gabbana, there was elongated, crisp, inky black precision; at Bottega Veneta, a sexy, sultry version crafted by Pat McGrath. And at Alexander Wang, a more retro version with thick lines.
To get the perfect thin, baby winged liner every time, Childs likes to hold a mirror below her chin so she can look down and give herself the most lid space possible. “I hold the liner parallel to the lash line and use the longer edge, almost like a stamp, tapping it along the lash line until I’ve fully traced it,” she says. “When I get to the end, I apply a little extra product and just use my finger with some tension and slide it up and out from the outer corner, almost as if you were wiping a tear from your eye.”
Childs prefers using a pencil because it’s “much more forgiving,” but if you opt for liquid, make sure to keep a Q-tip on hand to clean up any mistakes. To finish, apply a wash of neutral brown eyeshadow that suits your skin tone. “This just anchors the eye so that the liner doesn’t look too stark,” adds Childs.
Renaissance Waves
The common denominator at Etro, Balenciaga, and Ralph Lauren? More natural, crimped waves that look straight out of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. After years of perfecting the art of the air dry, we can finally put those skills to work.
“Some people are blessed with naturally beachy, wavy texture, so if that’s you, use a lightweight sea salt spray to enhance that movement,” says Auld. “If you have pin-straight hair, you can get a similar effect with a triple-barrel tool or curling iron.” Section hair before going in with the crimper (or curling iron). “Hold the crimper at a diagonal for the first section, then alternate with the next section by twisting hair out with a curling iron,” says Robinson. “Alternating between the wide crimp and the twist makes for a more natural, unpolished look.” If you can’t be bothered with tools, Robinson says salt spray, again, is your best friend. “Apply salt spray throughout your hair before you go to bed and plait your hair in two very loose braids,” she says. “Shake it out in the morning and zhuzh your texture with a volumizing spray or dry shampoo.”
Stylist tip: “Don’t place the hair tool too close to your roots. You want the waves to start a little further down to keep the look very natural,” says Auld. “If you overdo it, stretch out the waves with a hairdryer and round brush to elongate the wave and relax it to perfection.”
Blurred Lips
There’s something so gorgeous about a lived-in lip. While not brand new, this style has become the linchpin of our favorite red carpet looks as of late. The look features a slightly overlined lip with a gradient of color that sheers out at the edges. “It creates this hazy shadow around the lips that’s so gorgeous and sultry,” says Childs.
To achieve the effect, choose a liner that’s a cool-neutral shade to start—”something slightly darker than your natural lip color,” she suggests. To avoid harsh lines, use a lip liner that hasn’t been freshly sharpened. “Start at the center of the lip and work your way out, applying the liner at a slight angle so it’s lying flat against the lip line,” says Childs. “Then with your finger, lightly smudge the liner to diffuse it all over the lip.” For the center of the lip, Childs recommends using a tiny bit of concealer (a light shade applied with your finger) to create a bit of contrast. “Tie it all together with a pretty, neutral moisturizing gloss or balm on top.”
