Beauty: Not sure about pastel makeup? Here’s how to wear it well

Pastels for spring? Groundbreaking. But this year’s influx of pretty pinks and purples come with an icy, frosted edge, writes Alice Ryan

Kosas Soul Gazer Intensifying Gel Eyeliner in Mesmerize, £23, Pure Source, Bridge Street, Cambridge and puresourceonline.com Pairing clean, skin-caring formulas with unrivalled pigmentation and payoff, US beauty brand Kosas is the brains behind this - genuinely brilliant - liner. Thanks to a hefty dose of hyaluronic acid, it’s silky in texture and a dream to apply, yet sets beautifully. This matte lilac, which looks especially pretty buffed, brings out every eye colour, too.

rom&nd Better Than Palette in 00 Light & Glitter Garden, £24.90, Pureseoul, Petty Cury, Cambridge and pureseoul.co.uk If 5-year-old you dreamed of being a fairytale princess, buy her this palette. Taking colour inspiration from a flower-filled spring garden, shades range from blossomy pinks to lilac purple, while the finishes - satiny shimmers, chunky glitters - give Elsa from Disney’s Frozen. Designed to mix, match and layer, don’t let the playful nature of the pans fool you: when it comes to performance, these intensely pigmented, low-shed, longwear shadows are all grown up.

Glisten Cosmetics Spectra Lash Mascara in Candy Floss, £10.50, glistencosmetics.com Starting with a single glitter in 2017 - Disco Dynamite, which absolutely lived up to its name - UK brand Glisten Cosmetics has since become a go-to for makeup that’s fun as well as fabulous. Spectra Lash expertly coats, curls and lengthens lashes and comes in a wild rainbow of colours, including this splendid sugary pink. No, it’s not for everyone - but try it, for little over a tenner, and you might be surprised. . .

Leighton Denny Nail Polish in Exposed, £12.50, leightondenny.com A more subtle and sheer take on Nineties-revival lilac, ‘stripped lavender’ is trending for nails this spring/summer. It is, says nail guru Leighton Denny MBE, “the epitome of understated chic. . . with an ethereal, dreamy vibe”. His take is Exposed, this lilac-meets-nude polish that ticks every trend box and - easy to apply, swift to dry, hard-wearing - every performance box too.

glow Cocktail Oil Blush in #cloverclub and #purpleflame, £24.90, Pureseoul, Petty Cury, Cambridge and pureseoul.co.uk As you’d expect from glow, a way-paving K-beauty brand, this is unlike any other blush you’ve tried. Mixed like a cocktail - hence the name - it pairs enriching plant oils (jojoba, sweet almond, mango, apricot seed) with three layers of colour, which blend on application for a natural, dimensional finish. The oil also forms a super-fine water-resistant film on the skin, so stays fixed and fresh all day.

Kosas Wet Lip Oil Plumping Treatment Gloss in Exposed, £23, Pure Source, Bridge Street, Cambridge and puresourceonline.com The palest pink with a shimmer of sparkle, this gloss is more than just a pretty face: loaded with plumping peptides, protecting evening primrose oil, moisturising avocado oil and soothing shea butter, it’s also a power-packed treatment for lips. Non-drying without being annoyingly sticky, it’s also very comfy to wear.

Code8 AM/PM Tinted Lip Balm in Chameleon, £28, codeeight.com Little wonder this lip balm has won a slew of awards for Code8, the London-born beauty brand. Taking the form of a chubby pencil, it simply twists up, no need to sharpen; formulated with Vitamins A, E and F, it soothes, softens and protects; and, reacting to your skin’s pH, it flushes lips with completely personalised colour. The ultimate in no-makeup-makeup, every handbag should have one.