Spring Color Preview 2015: Muted Moxie

According to Pantone, the Fashion Color Report Spring 2015 is, “a movement toward the cooler and softer side of the color spectrum. It’s an ethereal mix of understated brights, pale pastels and nature-like neutrals.”

This season’s palette appears to be softer and fresher as compared to Pantone’s previous color palettes. Emily Katz, award-winning makeup artist and image strategist, believes the tranquil effect of the colors should not go unnoticed. “I think there’s a drive in the world for people to find something that’s a little more calming on their bodies, on their faces and in their environment.”

If there’s one word to sum up spring and summer trends, it’s natural. Jaclyn Peresetsky, CEO, esthetician and color specialist at SkinPerfect Image Wellness Spa in Columbus, Ohio, notes, “natural-looking makeup is so prevalent on the runways.”

Calming colors

“This season there’s a little more fun, a little more play of color with a ‘60s touch to it. It brings color and personality back into makeup,” says Alphonse Wiebelt, co-founder of Muse Beauty.Pro. The Scuba Blue and Tangerine added an electric vibrancy to the palette, he adds.

The rest of the Pantone Spring color palette provides minimalistic, soft hues to disconnect us from the tensions in the world.

Marsala—the “it” color. Pantone’s most prominent color of the year, Marsala, proves to be a fan-favorite amongst makeup experts and spa professionals. The rich, bordeaux shade has a sophisticated, yet natural earthiness that complements almost any skin tone.

“Marsala is more of a universal color because it works with warm and cool skin tones, which is great because there’s warm and cool colors in the color palette,” says Peresetsky.

Versatility is key with the Marsala shade. “There are a lot of Marsala-toned lipsticks, such as berry and plum tones,” says Katz. “It’s a very retro color—a brown, almost earthy wine. There’s a lot of variations of the Marsala tone that work for a lot of different skin types.”

As complexion-compatible as Marsala is, “a lot of people will be afraid to try the Marsala shade as an eyeshadow,” explains James Edward, founder and president of J. Edward Beauty. “Show them the versatility of the color by giving them a pop of [Marsala] without scaring them.”

Skin is in

Skin care professionals can jump for joy this season—the spring runways fully embraced a clean, natural complexion so make sure to steer clear of heavy foundation and contouring by keeping the skin light and fresh.

“This is the time for skin care professionals to push facial services because the trend is clear, clean glowing skin. If there is a foundation, it’s mixed with moisturizer to give it a glowy finish. There’s nothing that looks heavily powdered, that’s not what’s going on,” says Katz.

With a natural complexion on trend, it’s simple to recreate the runway look. “A natural face doesn’t have to look perfectly flawless,” explains Peresetsky. “Have more of a moisture-tint to even out the complexion.

Just wing it

A winged eyeliner with a thick line works in black and in Pantone’s Scuba Blue and Classic Blue. To accentuate the liner, “use an eyeshadow shade in Toasted Almond or Custard, which are very wearable eye colors,” says Katz.

For the older clients who want to try out the trend, make it a thinner line. The wing needs to be a lifted up at the outer corner of the eyes, explains Katz, so the eyeliner won’t overpower their face and they can still rock the look.

For clients that are nervous to try a blue eyeliner, remind them that, “if it’s going to make the whites of the eyes look brighter, it’s going to wake up the eyes,” says Edward.

Gettin’ Twiggy with it

“The ‘60s is truly the focus of spring and summer,” says Persetsky. “Use pale pastels on the eye lids with Twiggy-inspired lashes.”

To recreate this look, take a pastel shade and apply it all over the lid in a color wash. For Twiggy lashes, pinch two or three eyelashes together in bunches immediately after applying mascara.

As a general rule, Peresetsky suggests to use, “shimmer eye shadow for a beautiful evening look and matte during the day.”

Smoky days

If you’re wondering if the smoky eye is still in style, it most certainly is, but it’s not as intense as previous seasons. “The modern way to wear a smoky eye is to make it softer by blending. Make sure to not have the dark color all over,” says Edward.

Blended brows

“The brows are still defined, but softer and more natural looking. Everything was blended,” says Edward. “In past seasons, eyebrows are either painted on or barely there. Now it’s a balance—a soft, yet defined look.”

Edward suggests to use a powder, as it is the best way to mimic this soft look. If you do choose to use a brow pencil, make sure not to square off the inside corner closest to the client’s nose and always go against the hair follicles so you’re not drawing it on, but instead, brushing the color into place.

Pucker up

The two top lip colors of the season are Strawberry Ice and Marsala. Strawberry Ice tends to be the more subdued color, which makes for a great day look. “Shift the Strawberry Ice hue into a darker Marsala tone for an evening look,” says Katz.

When transitioning from a lighter-to-darker toned lip hue, “make sure to pat the Marsala shade onto the lips,” says Edward. “I always recommend using a lip brush rather than a tube because it gives more definition on the lip and it will help to make the lipstick last longer.”

One of the most outrageous lip trends this season is a Tangerine lip color. Katz says, “the only way to really know if it works for you is to try it.”

Sunrise to sunset

“Keep the makeup very natural looking with soft definition so [the client] doesn’t look washed out,” says Wiebelt. “Softly define the brows, lash line and lips. Keep it very simple, very monochromatic.”

To bring some dimension to the face, use a light bronzer. Apply it along the cheekbones, jaw line and temples, depending on the face shape. This gives the face sheer, warm coverage as opposed to a hard contour, says Wiebelt.

When transitioning a client’s day look to one they can wear in the evening, Wiebelt notes the importance of keeping the makeup soft, all while creating a bold look. Start by lining the eyes with a brightly hued eyeliner. The color can be a Scuba Blue, Classic Blue or even Tangerine with black mascara. Add another layer of mascara, and keep the lips neutral and sheer.

Rearrange it, wear it, sell it

When retailing spring makeup trends, one important rule is to lead by example. “Ask your team to wear the looks. Someone can wear a matte red lip while someone else can rock a pastel eye shadow,” says Peresetsky. “Clients love to see different looks on spa professionals because it inspires them to try out the looks themselves.”

At least once a month, rearrange products and have a different focus product, explains Peresetsky. For example, in March focus on products to recreate the pastel eye and in April showcase products that focus on the matte red lip. This helps to create a lot of buzz in your skin care facility.

Paying attention to what’s current and on trend sparks the client’s interest. “If you’re willing to change, clients are more likely to remain loyal to your spa,” says Peresetsky. “Rearranging the retail displays make clients want to shop around while they’re waiting for their appointment.”

Showcasing new retail displays and makeup trends shows the client that the spa is current and on trend. “We have to use ourselves as inspiration pieces because clients are looking to the professionals for beauty advice,” says Peresetsky. “In order to be a beauty advisor, we have to inspire the client to try out new looks.”

Danielle Spence graduated from North Central College in Naperville, IL in 2014 where she studied journalism and was the editor-in-chief of The Chronicle and NCCLinked. Spence has been published in various regional publications, including Today’s Chicago Woman and Naperville Sun-Times. She can be reached at [email protected].