Whether you like your makeup colorful and bold, or natural and dewy, MAC has got you covered this spring/summer. Check it out:

Get the looks here.

Get the looks here.

Red lips, smoky eyes (as seen at the Lanvin Spring 2010 RTW show above), and golden cheeks are three looks that will be hot this spring. Shop some of the products that will you get you there:

If you’re looking for a more neutral, yet stunning look for your V-Day plans this weekend, grab your brushes and let’s go…

1. Great makeup looks start with great skin. Be sure to properly cleanse and moisturize your skin. (See The Skinny on Skin Care, Are You Taking Good Care of Your Brown Skin?, and Get Gorgeous Skin). Using a foundation primer like Laura Mercier Foundation Primer (try this for dry skin or this for oily skin) will help to “fill in” any fine lines and helps give your makeup a smooth foundation.

2. To get skin really looking gorgeous, apply a sheer highlight like Yves Saint Laurent Teint Parfait Complexion Enhancer in a shade that closely matches your skin tone with either a foundation brush or makeup wedge. If you need more coverage, first apply a liquid foundation like MAC Studio Fix Fluid and then apply a light coating of Complexion Enhancer. Set face products with a loose powder like Becca Fine Loose Finishing Powder or Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder.

3. Make sure your brows are properly groomed. They are the key to a fabulous face. See Get Beautiful Brows.

4. To make your eyes look alluring like Nia’s, first start out with an eyeshadow primer like Urban Decay Primer Potion. An eyeshadow primer helps to smooth out any creases on the eye lids and helps eyeshadow last longer. Next apply an eyeshadow in a color similar to your skin tone to the lid. Then apply an eyeshadow a shade or two darker to the crease. Next apply a shade two to three shades lighter than your skin tone on your brow bone. For eyeshadow colors for your skin tone, check out MAC Eyeshadow Guide.

Line your eyes with a waterproof black eyeliner pencil like Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in Mat Black (this stuff is wonderful because your eyeliner will stay put ALL day even on the waterline). Apply two coats of mascara. For even bigger bolder lashes, check out How to Get Luxurious Lashes.

To brighten under the eyes or to fake a full night’s sleep, be sure to apply Yves Saint Laurent Touce Éclat in a shade that closely matches your skin tone to the area.

5. To keep neutral makeup from looking too washed out, a touch of color is needed. Grab NARS Blush in Taos and dust it lightly on your cheeks with an angled blush brush for a beautiful rosy-coral glow. Also see Blush 101.

6. Dress your lips in a neutral tone gloss. If you’re a dark skin girl like Nia, try MAC Lustreglass in Trance Plant. Fair skin, try MAC Lipstick in Blankety; medium skin try MAC Lipstick in Creme D’ Nude; olive toned skin try MAC Lipstick in Half N’ Half. Bobbi Brown also has a wide assortment of nude lip colors for all skin tones.

7. After your makeup is all done, spritz your face with MAC Fix + Spray. This genius stuff will help to set makeup, revive your makeup after a few hours, and help avoid the dreaded “cake face” look. Plus it feels really great on hot days.

8. Go forth and be gorgeous!

For bonus points, add in the glowy skin:

Actress Charlize Theron is simply glowing! She’s wearing a full face of makeup, but you could barely tell because her makeup is perfectly applied giving off a “I’m naturally this beautiful” vibe. I’ll break down how you can get this look (which by the way is flattering on all skin tones).

1. Beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin. It’s difficult to cover certain skin blemishes (like acne bumps) and still pull off that flawless skin look with makeup. Skin discolorations like hyperpigmentation, rosacea, and dark circles, however, can be covered. Start out with freshly cleansed, exfoliated, and moisturized skin according to your skin type.

2. Apply a foundation primer like Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer to smooth skin and mask the appearance of pores (if necessary). Then lightly apply a luminizer like Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion (or Benefit High Beam). Apply liquid foundation like NARS Balanced Foundation only in areas where you need it. Determine if any blemishes need to be covered after these steps and if so apply concealer. Many foundations pack enough power to cover blemishes so in some cases you won’t need concealer. Set the foundation with a light application of loose powder like Becca Fine Loose Finishing Powder.

3. Apply bronzer (try NARS Bronzer) with a big fluffy brush (try MAC #187–which is designed to control the application of product and can be used to apply powder, blush, liquid foundation, shimmer, etc.) under the hollows of the cheekbones, at the tip of the chin, and at the temples of the forehead with a LIGHT hand. Apply a peachy pink shimmery blush to the apples of the cheeks (try NARS Blush in Orgasm–it’s universally flattering)

4. Apply an eyeshadow base all over the eyelids to prevent shadow from creasing, intensify eyeshadow pigments, and to make shadow last. Try Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin, a beautiful shimmering champagne shade that can be worn alone and makes for a great brow bone highlighter. Take a shimmery bronze eyeshadow (try MAC Eyeshadow in Bronze or Mulch) and sweep it on the lids with a fluffy eyeshadow brush (try MAC #224) and blend. Then using a pencil brush (like MAC #219), apply the bronze shadow directly underneath the lower lashes. If your eyes are on the small side, do not extend the line all the way towards the inner corners of the eyes. Instead take a light pink or silver shimmery shade and dot it in the corners of the eyes, a trick that will make your eyes appear larger. Line your eyes (the top only) with black eyeliner drawing a thin line as close to the lashes as you can get. This trick will make lashes appear fuller. Finish with a few coats of mascara.

5. Apply a shiny nude lip gloss to the lips. Fair skin should try a light pink shade like MAC Lustreglass in Morning Glory. Medium skin should try a sheer golden bronze color like MAC Lustreglass in Beaux. Dark skin should try a sheer pink-chocolate color like MAC Lustreglass in Tranceplant. P.S. Bobbi Brown also makes TONS of nude lip glosses for every skin tone.

6. Finish with a few spritzes of MAC Fix+ Spray, a definite MUST HAVE for every makeup bag. Fix+ is an aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance and finishes makeup.

If you’re like me and you love looking at pictures of beautiful makeup, then you’ll love celebrity makeup artist Scott Barnes’ new makeup book About Face. If you don’t know Scott Barnes, perhaps you know his work. I’ll sum it up in two words: J. LO. You know how La Lopez always has that bronze glow coupled with beautifully feathered lashes and fierce eyes? That’s Scott Barnes’ work!

In addition to beautiful pictures, About Face also goes into technique for contouring and transforming the face. Whether you’re a makeup artist or a makeup novice, you will love this book. I loved it so much that I bought it for the list price of $24.99 at Barnes & Noble because I couldn’t bare to wait for it to come in the mail from Amazon. Click the pic below to get it now for only $16.49.

YIKES.

It’s possible to wear a full face of makeup without looking like you tried on each and every product at the MAC counter. We just need to set some cardinal rules. Let’s go!

Foundation: To avoid a foundation overdose, only apply foundation where you need it using a foundation brush (like MAC #190) or a makeup wedge. To find the proper foundation formula for you, check out Foundation 101.

Powder: Try a loose powder instead of a compact that can tend to look cakey if not applied properly. MAC’s #187 brush is a perfect tool to apply powder with since its design makes it virtually impossible to OD. Plus, you can also use #187 for liquid foundation, creme foundation, blush (creme and powder), bronzer, shimmer–it’s a total multi-tasking tool!

After applying your powder, give your face a few spritzes of MAC Fix+ Spray. This aqua spritz of vitamins and minerals helps to avoid the “cakey” powder look. Use it throughout the day to touch-up your makeup and add radiance to your skin.

Blush: The 80s have made a comeback in a major way in fashion, but 80s makeup? Not so much. A little goes a long way when it comes to blush, but if you happen to apply your blush with a heavy hand, blot some of it off with a tissue and then dust loose powder over it. You’ll get more of a “glowing from within” look instead of a Bozo the Clown look.

For tips on which blush colors work best on your skin tone, check out Blush 101. And for tips on how to apply blush according to your face shape, check out Blush Application from Make Up For Ever.

Eyelashes: Sure, false lashes can take your eye makeup to the next level, but if you can’t see your toes because yours are so blinding, then that’s just not good. For tips on how to wear lashes the right way, check out Don’t You Dare: Obnoxious Fake Lashes and How to Get Luxurious Lashes.

Eyebrows: Not everyone is blessed with a nice set of brows, but that’s no excuse for over drawn eyebrows (or even worse—shaving them off and penciling them in). Your brows frame your face and can even make you look younger if done correctly. Find out how to beat your brow, check out Get Beautiful Brows.

Lips: You can wear a bold lip and a bold eye, BUT the textures have to coincide. For example, a glittery eye plus glittery lips equals a glittery mess. Pair a shimmery or glittery eye with a creme or matte lip and vice versa. Frosty lipsticks (like the one rapper Lil Kim is wearing above) can be tricky to team up with a bold eye. For a shade and texture like that, keep the eyes very neutral.

For more lip tips, check out Lips 101.