Watch CBS News

Best Spring Beauty Tips And Trends From A Minnesota Beauty Guru

As spring draws near, updating your beauty routine can feel a lot like coming out of hibernation. After months of cold and snow, it doesn't feel right to embrace anything less than 40 layers of clothes and the heaviest duty moisturizer you own. Fear not, local beauty expert and practicing esthetician Jessie Crow is here to offer some great tips to boost your beauty and celebrate spring.

1. Get ready for spring with a fresh face.

Jessie recommends starting the season with a clean canvas. After a typical dry Minnesota winter, skin can look dull and lackluster. Revitalize your skin for spring with a light peel or stimulating, spicy mask. These treatments detoxify your skin, increase circulation and encourage blood flow and nutrients to the surface. "It's like a cardio workout for your skin," she notes.

Peels have alpha-hydroxy acids which help slough off dead skin cells (the main culprit for dull-looking skin), as well as offer stimulating benefits. Be sure to talk to your esthetician, as he/she can recommend the best peel for your skin type. Even sensitive skin types can benefit from this treatment. In addition to offering peels as a service, many places offer this as an add-on to a facial if you're looking for a pampering spa experience.

If you're looking for a more economical option, you can also consider an at-home mask treatment. Jessie recommends mask options from the Eminence Organic Skin Care line, including the Lime Stimulating Mask (which provides stimulation via the cinnamon, paprika and nettle in the mask). She also likes the Hungarian Herbal Mud Mask, which is a great option for those with acne-prone skin. This mask includes stimulating cinnamon, paprika and ivy. For mature skin, consider the Almond and Mineral Treatment mask, which offers both exfoliating and stimulating benefits, with the added ingredient of zinc oxide to help soften skin.

Eminence products can be found at a number of local spas including GiVan's Salon.

Related: Best Places for Facials in the Twin Cities

2. Try out a brightly colored eye shadow for spring to make your look pop.

"Don't be afraid to try something fun and bright," Jessie says. Almost anyone can wear any color, just remember to use your makeup like an accessory. She recommends thinking about what you're attracted to in jewelry and scarves to find your perfect color. Bright colors look better in shimmery, mineral form than matte, as she prefers their blend-ability of the former. To nail a spring-ready look, try this easy, one-color guide:

Step 1: Start with a firm-bristled brush (Jessie actually uses a concealer brush for this step). Load up the brush with color and tap off excess. Apply to the middle of your closed eyelid, below the crease (the area you first touch with the brush will have the most color).  Disperse the color across the lid with light sweeping motions, being sure to stay below the eyelid crease. Begin with the outer edge and sweep to the center to ensure the color stays darkest on the outer edge. While bright colors can be scary because they can get out of hand quickly, just remember "less is more."

Step 2: Take an eye shadow brush with soft bristles WITHOUT ANY COLOR, and swipe across the top edge of the color and the crease of your eyelid. This will soften the look, creating a blended, ombre effect. Continue blending up to the eyebrow. This technique is simpler than trying to find a coordinating highlight color for the brow bone.

Green blended eyeshadow

Step 3: To finish the look, consider using a small eyeliner brush to sweep a fine line of the colored eye shadow underneath your bottom lashes. Tap color in the center directly underneath your lashes, roughly the area of the length of the bristles. Clean your brush off and use the "naked" brush to blend color to the outer edge of the eye for a pretty but subtle effect.

Step 4: Finish your look with some eyeliner along the top and a coat of mascara.

When done right, this look draws attention to your eyes in a fun way, but remains work appropriate because it's not too heavy or out of control.

purple

3. Try one of the top colors for spring.

If you're interested in trying out Tip #2, try it with one of the top colors for spring. Coral, seafoam green or purple will be big for spring 2013. Purple is a great color for all skin tones, just be sure to grab a blue-based purple rather one with hints of mauve. Jessie likes the following colors from the Bare Minerals Ready 2.0 collection: "The Winner Is ..." (a pretty seafoam green), "The Paradise Found" (a fun orangey-coral) and "The Showstopper" (a dark and dramatic purple). For fans of loose eye shadow, try Bare Minerals "Queen Marie" (a shimmery lilac).

Bare Minerals cosmetics can be found at Blush Beauty Room in Minneapolis or GiVan's Salon.

4. Always finish with eye liner.

Whether trying out a new bright color or going for a natural look, Jessie recommends always wearing eye liner. Lining your top lid provides definition and creates a finished look. When trying the bright color look outlined above, you can either use a neutral that matches your mascara or consider doubling down on color and pair a plum liner with a purple shadow.

5. Rehydrate your body with a full-body exfoliation.

After the winter, your skin can be very dry and dehydrated. Slathering on moisturizer can be less effective over time, so get ready for spring with a full-body exfoliation. Jessie notes that for anything to penetrate better, exfoliate first. Moisturizing will be much more efficient after an exfoliation. Pamper yourself at a spa, or follow the same steps at home. She recommends starting with dry brushing your skin. Use a soft-bristled body brush (found in the spa tools section of most beauty goods stores and retailers like Whole Foods). Work from your feet towards your heart. Dry brushing increases circulation and lymphatic movement, which helps the body detoxify itself and invigorates the skin.

Follow up with a sugar scrub, which provides a gentler experience than a seat salt scrub while still exfoliating your skin. Jessie recommends the Apricot Sugar Scrub from Eminence. Finish off with a moisturizing lotion, like EO Grapefruit & Mint Body Lotion. Besides beating that always-dry feeling, the best part of this beauty ritual is how silky smooth and happy your skin will feel after this treatment.

Find EO Body Lotions at a number of local co-ops, including The Wedge.

Related: The Trendiest Boutiques in Minnesota

Did you find these tips helpful? Get to know the knowledgeable and friendly help behind this article. Jessie Crow studied at Scot Lewis and has been a licensed esthetician since 2007. She credits her love of wearing make-up from her mom, and adds on to her school training by trying out new ideas from magazines and the media. She works as an esthetician at GiVan's Salon in Eden Prairie, where she provides facials, body treatments, bridal makeup, eyelash and brow tinting and waxing services. For further inquiries, feel free to contact her at GiVan's.

Sassy professional by day, men's style expert by night, Bethany Rein is a twenty-something living in Minneapolis. She loves baseball, coffee and the well-dressed male. An avid runner, Bethany also plays recreational sports with more enthusiasm than skill. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.