A Journey Through Spring Lipstick Trends

With the coming of the new season comes a myriad of new spring lipstick trends. As we inch closer to May, we're seeing that matte pastel lipstick has been all the rage, for instance, and worn in every color of the rainbow by beauty gurus such as Arabelle Sicardi. Jewel-colored makeup is also making a comeback, in the form of glittery metallic-sheened lipsticks (just check out NYX's Wicked Lippies, I'm obsessed). And the more daring black lip is trendier than ever — and not just for goth teens and Halloween costumes.

A long-time lover of lipstick, I've always been well versed in the best brands and the latest products. These almost exclusively used to include the traditional red and berry hues, making for a very monotone color palette in my makeup bag. Although the classics are foolproof and dear to my heart, I knew I wanted to shake things up to emulate the world of zany possibilities I had seen portrayed in the beauty spreads and makeup ads of my favorite magazines. So I decided to take a walk on the wild side for a week, and try out all of these looks. The results were super satisfying, and have added at least eight new lipstick colors to my repertoire. Here are the highlights from my journey:

1. The Matte Pastel-Colored Lip

With pastel colors, you always run a huge risk of looking like a living, breathing Easter egg. I am a big believer in matte products, and prefer matte lipstick over the glossier options any day. But drenching my lips in pastel candy colors definitely made me a bit apprehensive.

However, I took a chance and picked three shades I thought I might have liked, providing myself with a variety of options to try: pink, orange, and blueish-grey.

Pink turned out to be my favorite shade, with the orange feeling too subtle and the blue feeling too bold, even clownish. This, of course, has a lot to do with personal preference and skin tone.

Pastel colors can wash you out, especially if you have a skin tone as light as mine (these lipsticks would definitely look killer on darker skin tones). I noticed that pairing my pastel lip with bold eye makeup, like the winged eye pictured above, helped the color wash me out a lot less, and pieced the look together quite nicely.

However, it is definitely a matter of choosing the right colors for you. Of the three, the pink definitely worked the best. I ordered these colors online, and I realize I would have definitely benefitted from seeing them in person. Unfortunately, drugstores and places like Target don't usually carry lipstick in fun colors (the struggle of my life). Thankfully, NYX's products are drugstore price, and they offer lipstick in every color of the rainbow.

In terms of application, matte pastel-colored lipstick can be very subtle when you first put it on, so make sure you apply enough coats to get the full effect. Wearing lighter colors and solid colored clothing helps accentuate the hue and brightness of the lipstick. These are super fun colors to mix and match, especially on sunny, carefree days. However, I found that the pastel colors do not fade gracefully as other colors, so it's a good idea to carry it with you and reapply throughout the day.

NYX's Macaron Lippies in Rose, Orange Blossom, and Earl Grey, $6, NYX Cosmetics

2. Jewel-Colored Lipstick With A Metallic Sheen

The greatest lipstick I've ever owned so far is now officially NYX's Wicked Lippies. I had never worn makeup with any kind of metallic sheen, and was concerned that the look might be too glam and overdone for my taste. But I was happily surprised with the results. These lipsticks go on smooth, and deliver super lustrous color without too much flash.

I preferred wearing these colors with darker-colored clothing, although I found they complimented virtually any outfit. Not one to take away attention from a flawless lip color, I paired it with nothing but a little brown eyeshadow and some mascara. The center of the bottom lip naturally faded throughout the day from eating and drinking, which created a spot of shine that further increased the impact of the metallic properties of the color. My favorite was definitely the green-ish one (pictured first), and I lovingly call it "alien green." Definitely prep your lips with plenty of moisturizing lip balm before applying, and you'll get the most vivid color possible.

NYX Wicked Lippies in Trickery and Wrath, $6, NYX Cosmetics

3. Black Lipstick

If you're looking to channel a bit of glam goth, take a risk and try out some black lipstick. Honestly, it's not as risky as it sounds. I thought black lip color would be too severe, and also wash me out. However, the lip color was way more subtle than I could have expected (as subtle as black lipstick can be), and since it's black, it's super versatile. I bought a pricier one from Sephora with leftover money from a gift card I had received for Christmas, but you can literally pick up black lipstick wherever costumes and costume makeup are sold.

I feel there are only certain days and certain outfits with which you can properly do black lipstick justice, and during the course of the week, I struggled to figure out what they were. I ended up putting it on for the cloudiest and coldest day of the month, and I believe the bewitching color thrived in that overcast itchy sweater aesthetic.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Slayer, $12, Sephora

Images: Author's Own