How To Set Your Makeup this Spring from a Professional Makeup Artist

Oct 5, 2024

Photo: Courtsey of Isabella Raad|Photographer: Half and Halve

Winter is behind us, and spring has officially arrived! With the warmer days ahead, it's time to refresh your makeup routine to suit the season. Not sure where to start? Don’t stress—we’ve got you covered. We turned to Isabella Raad, an award-winning makeup artist, to share her expert tips and tricks for achieving a flawless spring look. From prepping your skin to choosing the right products and perfecting the final touches, here's everything you need to know to slay your spring makeup game.

MEET THE EXPERT

Isabella Raad is a certified professional makeup artist, she has received an award Outstanding Image Award for “Skillful Technique for Producing the Most Technically Immaculate Make-up in a Photographic Image”. She specialises in red carpet makeup, avant-garde makeup, photoshoot makeup, bridal- and events makeup and special effects makeup. With 8 years of experience as a proffessional make-up artist, some well-known names she has worked with include Nasty C, AKA, Costa Titch, Da Les, Tellaman and Rowlene.

Winter Makeup vs Spring Makeup

As the seasons change, so should your makeup routine. Winter makeup is all about rich, hydrating formulas and moody, deeper tones to combat the cold and dryness—think dewy foundations, bold lips, and sultry smokey eyes. Spring, however, calls for lighter, brighter shades and a fresh, glowing complexion that complements the warmth and sunshine. Isabella loves how makeup transforms with the seasons, she’s been loving the sultry, dark lipsticks and smokey eyes that winter brings. But now, as we step into spring, it's time to lighten up. Swap those heavy layers for breathable formulas, soft blushes, pastel eyeshadows, and sheer, glossy lips for a fresh, glowing finish that screams springtime radiance.

How to Prep Your Skin for Spring Makeup

It’s not just the makeup styles that change with the seasons, but also the skin prep. “In Winter, our skin tends to be drier, it is important to prep the skin with heavy duty lotions, essences and moisturisers to ensure your skin gets the hydration it needs”. Skin preparation determines what our makeup will look like, because it is the canvas that we start with. In Spring “we finally get some warmer days and our skin adapts to the temperature. So we should still be prepping with a good lotion, essence and moisturiser, but with products that absorb into the skin faster”.

Isabella’s go-to tip for keeping your makeup looking fresh—not cakey—this spring is all about skin prep. “You want to make sure your skin is properly exfoliated and moisturised before applying your makeup”, she says. Her favourite physical exfoliator is the Elemis Pro-Collagen Glow Boost exfoliator, and she uses the Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Pads as a chemical exfoliant on days when she needs an extra polished look. “It makes my makeup look airbrushed”, she adds. It’s important to hydrate your skin well after exfoliating, because your skin barrier will be a bit more fragile. Isabella uses the Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream as a moisturiser for herself and her clients; “It’s hydrating, but fast absorbing which is great for warmer months”.

How to Fix Cakey Makeup?

We've all been there—you spend time perfecting your makeup only to look in the mirror and see it's turned cakey. Don't worry! If your makeup is looking a bit heavy after setting it, Isabella has the perfect trick for you! Get some Rose Water and Glycerine - it’s very easy to find at your local drugstore or any beauty store and spray it all over your face as a setting mist. This will melt the makeup into your skin. “This is a trick I learnt at Khol Make-up Academy” she says. “It’s basically MAC Fix Plus for a fraction of the price”.

Buy Glycerine & Rose Water

Why It Works

The rose water hydrates and soothes the skin, while the glycerine acts as a humectant, locking in moisture. Together, they help dissolve excess powder and foundation, blending it seamlessly for a more natural look. Plus, it's gentle on the skin and adds a subtle glow.

Spring Makeup Recommendations

One thing that Isabella always looks for when choosing makeup products for Spring, is something long lasting. “This might be controversial, but setting sprays with alcohol in them aren’t that bad. Denatured alcohol actually helps makeup to stay in place”, she says. This is perfect for Spring, along with glycerine to keep the skin hydrated.

We need to keep our skin and lips hydrated in Spring, and Isabella suggests we look at investing in a good lip oil. Her personal favourite at the moment is the Guerlain Kiss Kiss Bee Glow Oil. She says “it is by far the best lip oil I’ve used, and I’ve tried a lot of them”. It’s made with honey and coats the lips in a luxurious moisturising layer. “It feels phenomenal and actively works to repair dry lips”, she adds.

Buy Kiss Kiss Bee Glow Oil

One product that Isabella suggests every makeup lover should have, is a cream highlighter or glow balm. “These melt effortlessly onto the skin and can be used on the cheeks, eyes and lips”, she says. Isabella uses this on busy days when she’s in a rush, but needs to look put together quickly, but it’s also the perfect finishing touch to a full glam makeup look. She recommends the Chanel Baume Essentiel.

Buy Glow Stick

Long Lasting Makeup Tips:

Use thin layers, Isabella advises you to not layer your foundation and concealers too thick during warmer weather. “With that said, too little product can easily be worn off throughout the day. It’s all about finding the happy medium”, she adds.
Use foundations and concealers that are marketed as being long-lasting.
Use a heavy duty setting spray before you powder your face. Then set your face with a powder puff and long wearing powder and lock in your makeup with the same setting spray.

The best way to set makeup in Spring

Isabella says it’s best to use a setting spray that is specifically formulated to pro-long makeup wear. “This results in a smooth and even application that lasts long”, she shares. Here’s her go-to routine:

Spray your face before setting it with powder
Take a powder puff and loose powder and warm it up in the palm of your hand.
Once the setting spray has dried down, set your face with the loose powder and powder puff
Lastly, go in again with the same setting spray to lock everything in

How To Set Your Makeup for Different Skin Types

Different skin types require different types of makeup formulas. People with oily skin type require a matte or soft matte foundation. “Powder foundations will look flawless on them”, says Isabella about oily skin types, “followed by setting the entire face with powder and in extreme cases an additional layer in the T Zone. I'd follow this with a heavy-duty setting spray”.

She says that people with combined skin type are more flexible with foundation, “but the face needs to be set specifically in the T-zone with a light layer of powder around the rest of the face, followed by a heavy duty setting spray”.

Those with dry skin type should use foundations that are liquid or that have a creamy formula that has more of a satin finish. “This should be set with a light layer of powder and in extreme cases avoid applying excess powder. Baking is a no-no, in case dry patches appear after setting”, Isabella says. After doing your makeup, set it with a heavy duty setting spray.

3 Common Spring Makeup Mistakes

The way we do makeup depends on many influences like watching our mom’s do their makeup, friend’s makeup, trends on social media and what celebrities are wearing. Sometimes we only see the final product, but don’t know how to get there. Or we try, but it turns out badly. Here are some common mistakes that people make specifically when doing makeup for warmer weather:

Applying super heavy layers that eventually break down in the heat and separate.
Some people don’t set their face with powder at all, because they are unfamiliar with it. But after a few hours they tend to look very oily. Even dry and combination skin should use a bit of powder in warmer weather to avoid looking greasy.
Over setting the face with a glowy finish setting spray. “Less is more with these types of sprays”, says Isabella. It is better to set with a heavy duty setting spray and lightly top it off with some glowy finish spray for an extra glow.

2 Spring Makeup Hacks

1. Blotting paper

If you tend to get oily throughout the day, using blotting papers is a great way to touch up on the go. It's a very quick and easy way to mattify your skin when you start to get a little shiny throughout the day. Isabella shares; “You can pop them in your bag and use them to soak up excess oils without disturbing the makeup”.

2. Sunglasses lines

Sometimes when you do your makeup and wear sunglasses, it can leave a mark on your nose. A great hack that can prevent that is to “dust a bit of powder on the inside part of your glasses and wear as usual”, Isabella says. This will keep your sunnies from moving your makeup.

Doing your makeup is always different depending on the season and the weather. In Spring, we have to focus on keeping our skin moisturised but well powdered to keep everything from moving. The techniques Isabella taught us will be extremely helpful on our next makeup day.