A bit of a blur: soft focus beauty looks are in for spring

This is my favourite time of year — because what feels better than emerging from stale grey days to blossom, green leaves and the feeling of sun on your skin? For a beauty editor, there is the added thrill of a glut of new launches to test and trial, as brands unveil their spring-summer releases, setting the scene for a thorough reorganisation of my make-up bag.

This year there seems to be a palpable shift. After seasons punctuated by precision — think laminated brows and overlined lips — make-up is softening. The common thread is texture. The new finish is diffused and soft focus, with an emphasis on balmy, blurry, almost imperceptible formulas that sink into skin rather than sitting on top of it. A movement rooted in ease and understated polish, it speaks to our busy lives and a need for make-up that delivers impact without too much effort.

Few have championed this philosophy as beautifully as New York-based make-up artist and Westman Atelier founder Gucci Westman. Long before the industry-wide move towards seamless edges and believable skin, Westman built her career — and then her brand — on enhancing rather than transforming faces.

“For so long, beauty was about perfection, or covering and correcting,” she tells me. “What I’m seeing more widely now is make-up that enhances, not masks. We want versatility and ease. For me, this always comes back to skin. When it looks believable — alive — that’s when someone looks their most beautiful.”

Sounds good, right? Here are a few of my favourite new products that deliver exactly this.

When you want peachy, plump, radiant and spring-like skin, “think about editing, not adding” advises Westman. “Swap heavier bases, dense powders and contours for serum tints, creamy concealers and bronzing balms.” Soft, subtle correction and refinement is key.

“A single bronzer can almost never provide authentic sun-kissed skin,” says Westman. Instead, layer two for a nuanced result that looks incredibly real. “Sweep the lighter shade along the perimeter of the face, then add the deeper tone high on the apples of the cheeks, nose and forehead, where sun naturally hits.”

A pop of buttery blush delivers instant dimension and gives the impression of rude health, even when it’s lacking. Cream formulas are especially forgiving and couldn’t be easier to apply. Press them on to the apples of the cheeks with a fingertip or dense brush until you have the intensity and pigment you desire.

A blurred lip offers quick, easy, understated polish. After applying a wash of colour with your balm of choice, it’s time to define. “I can’t live without lip liner,” says Westman. “Don’t overline, but use the liner to enhance and create the shape you want. As we age, I find the edges of the lips begin to blur so this helps add definition.”

Wash eyelids in diffused, muted, watercolour tones to softly define and sculpt. The best formulas are sufficiently creamy to scribble or swipe on. Then smudge and buff the pigment up and outwards towards the brow bone for a hazy finish. Finish the look with a fluffy, brushed-up brow.