Beauty Expert: Elise Marquam-Jahns
No matter where we live or how many decades have passed, I think spring is always a special time for most of us.
It holds the promise of renewal, of hope, new beginnings and of letting go and embracing something new. And so many of these feelings stem from the smells, sounds and images we experience in nature. Moving into spring can also give us an opportunity to embrace something fresh and new in our makeup routine as well—especially eyeshadow. No matter what our age, we can always have fun with makeup –even colorful makeup!
“A newer option is a smaller nine-pan palette from Huda Beauty called Purple Haze * which has four mattes and five shimmers and metallics. I do appreciate that there’s a nice range of light to mid-tone to a darker purple matte shade.”
Neutral Spring Look:
So today, let’s take a look at some eyeshadow palettes that just seem to shout spring. I’m also going to step outside my comfort zone and create a couple of looks in the video which I hope will provide some inspiration. We’ll first look at some eyeshadow palettes that have primarily a monochromatic color story. And then we’ll move onto some that offer a soft neutral spring look. Then focus on a few which have a wide variety of beautiful spring color options.
Let’s first explore monochromatic palettes with a pink, lavender and purple focus. A newer option is a smaller nine-pan palette from Huda Beauty called Purple Haze * which has four mattes and five shimmers and metallics. I do appreciate that there’s a nice range of light to mid-tone to a darker purple matte shade. In the video, I’ll first swatch the mattes for you and then I’ll swatch the shimmers and metallics.
Shimmering Features Of This Palette:
This next palette from Juvia’s Place came out at the end of last year. It’s their Nubian Royal palette which is gorgeous. It has three mattes and three shimmer metallics. The first shimmery purple has soft lilac reflects.The second shimmer is a pearl iridescent with blue pearl-like reflects. And there is also a finely milled lilac and pink glitter which is infused with light blue reflective pearls. Juvia’s Place also has a palette called The Violets * which has two mattes and four metallics.
” They have really nice pigmentation and an easy to use formula which glides on beautifully.”
Two Of My Favorite:
And these next two pink/violet/purple palettes are two of my favorite palettes from the brand Colourpop: one’s called “Lilac You A Lot” * and the other is “It’s My Pleasure.”* In the “Lilac You A Lot” Palette there are five mattes and four metallics. Because there is one light matte, one mid-tone matte and two deeper colored mattes along with four metallics, this palette has more versatility than you might expect. You can get a really nice range of looks. In the video, I’ll swatch a few of my favorite colors for you. Both the Juvia’s Place and Colourpop palettes are such a great value for the money. They have really nice pigmentation and an easy-to-use formula that glides on beautifully.
Before we leave this pink/violet/purple color story. I’ll show you a picture in the video of a palette from Viseart which I don’t have (but which is on my wish list). It’s their Violette Etendu * palette which has eight mattes and four shimmers. I would describe Viseart’s formula as very buildable and blendable. It’s not as intensely pigmented as some eyeshadows. But, it’s a gorgeous formula. The formula leans just a little toward the powdery side which is why it tends to be more buildable and blendable.
Palette With A Warm Color:
Next up are three palettes with a very different warm color story: one’s from Juvia’s Place, the “Nubian Glow,” the “Petite Pro Soleil” palette from Viseart and Natasha Denona’s “Sunrise” * palette. The “Nubian Glow” is a six pan palette with two mattes—one is a light yellow orange matte and the other is a medium orange matte. The three metallics come in a range of gold tones and there is one orange gold glitter. These are stunning colors. If you’re a little hesitant to go this bold, it’s sometimes helpful to start with some light and mid tone neutral colors from another palette before jumping into these amazing colors.
Next is this small eight pan palette called The “Petite Pro Soleil” * palette—from Viseart. There are three mattes—a warm beige, a light yellow and a purple and the remaining five colors include four shimmers and one metallic. There’s a nice mix of colors, depth of colors, as well as finishes. I’ll show you some swatches in the video.
Pops Of Color Palette:
And the last warm color story palette I want to share with you is this one from Natasha Denona: the “Sunrise Palette.”*These Natasha Denona formulas are so wonderfully creamy and blendable without being powdery. It’s one of my very favorite eyeshadow formulas so I’ll share a few swatches with you in the video.
These next two palettes are more neutral based with just a few pops of color. One is the “Rose Edit”* palette from Viseart which has pops of pink and lavender. The left side of the palette has cooler, rosier tones and the right side has more typical warmer neutrals. There are six mattes and an equal number of shimmer/metallic formulas. And I’ll show you some swatches from the palette in the video.
“If there are enough mattes in the new palettes, I will be first in line to purchase them since these Sydney Grace eyeshadow formulas are perhaps my all time favorites.”
Cool-Toned Palette:
This next mostly neutral palette is from Sydney Grace and is called “Enduring Love.” It’s a primarily cool-toned palette that has soft, smooth colors for an easy, everyday neutral look. Along with deeper and brighter pressed pigments which provide a pop of color, these colors almost blend themselves. They are that buttery and beautiful. And, they’re highly pigmented.
So you only need to just barely touch your brush into one of these eyeshadow pans to get great color payoff. Sydney Grace is releasing three new palettes sometime this spring in a collaboration with the owner of The Temptalia makeup site. If there are enough mattes in the new palettes, I will be first in line to purchase them since these Sydney Grace eyeshadow formulas are perhaps my all time favorites. I love the pink called “Romeo,” the gorgeous silver called “John,” the beautiful plum called “Elizabeth” and the stunning blue called “Deanna.” As you might guess from the name of the palette, all the colors are named after men and women from great historical love stories as well as the mother and father of the two sisters who founded the company.
Two Wider Variety Of Color Palettes:
The eyeshadow looks I’ll be doing in the video will be coming from the two palettes from Juvia’s Place which have a wider variety of color options: “The Zulu” * and the “Magic Mini.”
We’ll come back to these in just a few minutes to create the looks on the video, but before I dive into the looks I want to briefly mention three of my very favorite spring color palettes which, unfortunately, are no longer available. But, I have a hunch a few of you may have these palettes, so I at least wanted to mention them. The first is the “Tropic” Palette from Natasha Denona. I just immediately want to head to a tropical island beach when I open this palette. It’s a gorgeous color story. There is a mini version of this palette available which includes the bottom five colors in this palette. In this larger palette, these bottom five colors are not the easiest formulas to work with. It’s my understanding that these colors were reformulated and improved for inclusion in the “Mini Tropic” * palette.
Great Neutral Colors:
The next one is a palette I so wish Juvia’s Place would bring back: it’s their “Douce” * palette. There are three great neutral light, mid-toned and dark beiges and browns in the palette along with four stunning metallics and a gorgeous pink/violet matte and a lovely light, soft coral matte. In the video I’ll show you some of these colors.
And the last palette is no longer available on the Elf website, but as of this writing is available at Target. It’s Elf’s “Retro Paradise” * palette. These eighteen colors basically cover almost every color story, range from beautiful lights to mid-tones to darks and are amazingly blendable with some beautiful finishes. You could go almost the whole spring season (and through part of the summer) creating beautiful color combinations from this palette. It’s such a carefully thought out and smart color story. For me, it just ticks all the boxes of a great eyeshadow palette.
Gorgeous Palette:
And here are some other palettes I don’t have in my collection but which also deserve a mention. There’s a gorgeous palette from Huda beauty called “Mercury Retrograde” * and there are several wonderful ones from Bh Cosmetics * as well. Bh Cosmetics * is another brand which has a great formula at a very reasonable price. And if you’re interested in any of their products, they often have really good sales on their website. Some of their palettes are also available at Ulta.
In the video I’ll go ahead and create a couple of looks using these two Juvia’s Place palettes: “The Zulu” and “The Magic Mini.” I hope the demonstration inspires you to experiment with some different colors and looks for spring and summer.
About the Author:
Elise Marquam-Jahns is a professional, working makeup-artist who is passionate about helping women 45+ get their glow back. In addition to her work as a makeup artist for a major cosmetics line, she founded Boomer and Beyond Beauty. Be sure to check out Elise’s YouTube channel which specifically focuses on makeup tips, techniques, and product reviews for those of us 45+. Don’t forget to subscribe! Elise is also an author and speaker and hosts Normandale Community College’s monthly Learning Well Edge Talk Radio show where she interviews experts in the field of health and wellness.
