Springtime refresh

Spring is the time to freshen up your look. If you've failed on a detox regime, this season's make-up is all about creating - or faking - that elusive healthy glow.

"The main thread throughout the season is the idea of outdoor, day-lit beauty," explains M.A.C's director of make-up artistry, Terry Barber.

"We used oils, highlighters and even super-fine glitters to emulate dewdrop skin and flickers of sunlight."

The mantra is: 'skin is in'. So if super-green juices just aren't your thing, digest this season's key beauty trends instead.

Day glow

Wholesome femininity is key to this raw and rugged natural look, as if exposed to the elements on a spring day.

It's nonchalant, fresh and should get people second-guessing about a no make-up look.

"A dewy finish is simply more feminine than a matte one," says Barber. "Use highlights and emollient textures to emulate the way that light falls on fresh, young skin."

Ditch the fake tan and bronzing powders and achieve an organically beautiful look by patting on cream blushes and sculpting creams.

Sheer colour

Brights and pastels have been given a soft-focus makeover this season with sheer washes.

A palette of hazy pastels like lilac, peach and eggshell blue are used strategically to brighten the face and play up features for a subtle statement. It's a natural yet tinted effect.

"All the shades I'm using this season have a fleshy tone to them," says M.A.C make-up artist Lucia Pieroni.

"It's all about playing with the tones that exist naturally on and within the skin."

Loud lips

Classic orange, true red, bright cerise - pick a bright to make your pout go hypercolour for spring.

These high-wattage lips are packed with pigment but particularly dense in the centre and blurred at the edges to tone down the outline.

"Don't be afraid to blur your lip line, use a cotton bud to soften the edge for a more subtle look," says Val Garland, L'Oreal Paris make-up artist.

"If you want a perfect pout, use a lip liner to define the edge - this will keep the lipstick where you want it, inside the line."

Max lash

The bold, androgynous brow has dominated the last few beauty seasons but spring is all about the lashes.

Think 'more is more' to achieve the look. Take inspiration from the Sixties and don't skimp on application. Load up lashes with at least two coats for calculated clumpiness.

"The key to this look is ensuring you start mascara application right at the roots of the lashes," advises Mathias Van Hooff, L'Oreal Paris make-up artist.

"Try layering three coats of mascara for dramatic volume."

Flush fix

Get off the starting blocks with the sporty radiance vibe via your cheekbones.

Barely-there looks will benefit from a spring-like apricot, peach or pink-toned blusher to warm up the complexion.

"To achieve extra dimension and warmth in the face, use two colours of blush, layering the lighter shade over the darker one," suggests Pat McGrath, Max Factor global creative design director. "Alternatively, just blend two similar shades together."

Boost your radiance further with subtle highlighter on the cheekbones and cupid's bow.

Muted moment

Brightening up your wardrobe for spring? Counteract the colour with muted make-up.

McGrath heralded muted shades of mustard yellows, mossy greens and vintage blue-greys backstage at Prada to balance out the bold tones of the clothes.

"There's nothing too bright or bold about this," she says. "If it's a green, it's not a bright disco green, it's softer - what I call a modern woman's green."

Keep the application of muted colours soft with a simple wash of colour across eyes and avoid using a harsh, dark eye pencil. Keep the focus on the colour with perfected skin.

Tried & tested

:: Lisa Haynes gives her scalp a facial with a detoxifying treatment.

I don't think I've used a scientific microscope since Biology lessons at school but here I am, in the Nioxin hotseat, observing a 200 times magnification of my scalp. It's a bit like a horror movie. I'd washed my long hair the day before undergoing Nioxin's Scalp Renew Dermabrasion but I'm faced with gigantic particles of oil and my red, irritated scalp in all it's gory glory. The Nioscope device beams the images to a computer screen to give me and the hair therapist an overview of my scalp skin cells and general health of my hair. I'm shocked to hear the majority of us secrete one to two grams of oils per day from our scalp. Unsurprisingly, Nioxin's background is in skincare and the brand believes the health of our hair begins with the scalp and providing the best possible environment for growth. The professional-use only Nioxin Scalp Renew Dermabrasion Treatment is a 75ml bottle, which the therapist applies in its entirety onto my dry scalp in 'hot cross bun' hair sections. As it's massaged in with small, circular motions for a minute, it feels immediately cooling and refreshing. The treatment is left on for 10 minutes, which I'm told will help rejuvenate the surface by up to 30%, cleansing and stimulating the hair from within, making it especially ideal for thinning or fine hair. The refreshing tingling continues with a double Nioxin shampoo and then a conditioner, which unusually is used on the roots rather than just the ends. Packed with peppermint oil, it smells unlike any other shampoo but feels incredibly refreshing. After drying, my minty clean scalp is put under the microscope for analysis. The shafts of the hair look healthier and my skin is pearly and shiny, rather than irritated. Annoyingly, there are still tiny remains of debris but after further probing from my hair therapist, we put this down to my habit of using dry shampoo, which can stick to the hair and scalp. A dry shampoo detox is prescribed along with another dermabrasion treatment in a month's time. In future, I'll be aiming for a glowing face - and scalp.

:: Nioxin Scalp Renew Dermabrasion Treatment, from £15 for 15 minutes (as additional treatment before blow-dry), available at salons nationwide (www.nioxin.co.uk).

Buy it now

Rihanna is back at M.A.C as the new Viva Glam spokesperson. Her limited edition Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick, £15, and Lipglass, £14, come in a bold frosty blue-red hue. The full RRP (less VAT) from each sale goes towards helping women, men and children affected by HIV and Aids. Available now at M.A.C locations nationwide and online at www.maccosmetics.co.uk

Beauty bulletin

:: Day shift

Make-up removal isn't featuring highly on to-do lists. In a 24-hour day, women sport a full face of cosmetics for nearly 13 hours, according to a poll of 2,000 by Beurer health and wellbeing brand. The typical woman 'puts on her face' at precisely 8am and spends 11 minutes applying it. It's not until 8.47pm that the average woman removes her make-up, although a quarter said they don't remove the slap until 10.30pm. Do your cosmetics sums and the average woman spends more of her life wearing make-up than not.

:: Recessionista alert

Gift techno-addict partners with a fragrance and tablet case. Buy any Ermenegildo Zegna 50ml+ fragrance for men, from £45, and get a slick black fabric tablet case. Available at stores nationwide from February, while stocks last.