Pastels for spring are about as groundbreaking as florals, but that doesn’t mean they’re not beautiful, seasonally appropriate and exactly the mood-boost we need to inject into our makeup bag heading out of grey winter.
There’s something about relinquishing the oxbloods and navy blues of last season in favour of uplifting baby blues, airy mints, ethereal lilacs and soft pinks and peaches that just scratches an itch in a way that neutrals simply can’t.
The only problem? While introducing butter yellow denim or a sky blue linen shirt into your wardrobe is fairly approachable, wearing it across your face can feel like more of statement. And, given that pastel beauty is more playful and experimental than “safe” taupe eyeshadows or a trad black liners, they can require a little extra effort to feel relaxed and wearable.
The good news is, for 2025 pastels have been given a luxe makeover by legacy brands like Chanel, Dior and YSL. Look to the spring-summer beauty collections and there’s an explosion of lavender, lemon sorbet, powder blue and ballet pinks.
For an entry level take on the trend, there’s always nail polish. Chanel’s spring edit features Artiste, an aqua green and Poète, a soft peach, while Dior have given us Bluemania, an opalescent light-wash blue shimmer and Pinkmania, a gently glimmering baby pink.
For full commitment though, we’re looking to eyes and cheeks. Here’s the shades to introduce into your spring arsenal.
1. Mint
Soft, breezy and beautiful, mint is an instantly uplifting shade to introduce into your spring wardrobe. Wash it over eyelids or swap out a black liner in favour of a streak of mint across your lash line. To keep things defined, just pair it with lashing of mascara.
Courtesy of Elle Turner
2. Pale pink
Pale pink is undeniably cutesy, but adding a haze of pink across eyelids and keeping the rest of your makeup more neutral can also feel fresh and sophisticated (although we’re here for going full monochrome and pairing it with matching lips and cheeks).
Courtesy of Elle Turner
3. Soft peach
We’ve spoken about our fondness for peach before, but when it comes to pastels, it’s one of the most neutral and flattering tones. The shade steps out of beige territory, it’s just warmer, with extra pep. Plus, peach tones pair up beautifully with bronzed summer skin for a more golden take on pink (particularly if true pinks make you feel a bit too flushed).
Courtesy of Elle Turner
4. Lilac
Cosmic and ethereal beauty looks are a major trend in their own right for 2025 and lilac is leading the charge. Applied as a highlighter, it keeps things even more mysterious, showing up as a lilac-y tint in certain lights but appearing as a pretty soft-focus glow at other times. Dior’s Glow Maximizer in Lilac is beautiful for this.
Courtesy of Elle Turner
5. Petal pink
When it comes to pastels, you can’t get much more classic than petal pink. The shade looks beautiful across a broad spectrum of skin tones and works across lips, cheeks and even eyes. This year, Westman Atelier has made Petal Pink its hero, extending its shade range in the colour from its iconic blush stick to include a highlighter, suede lipstick and liquid lip balm.
Courtesy of Elle Turner
6. Babydoll pink
Landing somewhere between a pastel and a bright, babydoll pink is the punchiest way to lean into the pastel trend. While definitely more playful, it’s cheery, fresh and way more wearable than you’d think. Worn across cheeks, eyes, lips or all three, it injects a pretty lightheartedness into an everyday makeup look with relatively little effort.
Courtesy of Elle Turner
For more from GLAMOUR’s Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
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