Four Makeup Rules to Break This Spring

Some makeup rules are non-negotiable. It's unlikely that visible foundation lines and lipstick on your teeth will ever become the next big fashion statement, for instance. Other beauty rules have evolved. It's easy to let yesterday's makeup rule become today's makeup rut, but this spring, embrace change and re-examine some of your most cherished beauty rules. Maybe it's time to toss a few. Discover the fresh appeal of these rule-breaking looks.

Wear Strong Eyes and Lips at Once

The old rule held that you shouldn't emphasize lips and eyes at the same time. One feature should take center stage, said makeup gurus, and pairing smoky eyes with red lips was a serious fashion faux pas. However, as Angelina Jolie proved beautifully at the Golden Globe Awards, you can wear bold lips with equally arresting eyes. Choosing a strictly neutral eye palette keeps your upper face from competing with your vivid lipstick for attention. Strong brows create symmetry without looking overdone.

Blue Eyeshadow Isn't Just for Barbie

If you're in your 30s or 40s, you remember the horrors of the chalky powder-blue eyeshadow that was foisted upon unsuspecting women by a cosmetics industry apparently bent on making everyone look hideous in the late 1970s. You may still be scarred by the experience, swearing off blue eyeshadow for life. This spring, welcome a little blue back in your life.

Three factors make modern blue eyeshadow beautiful instead of Barbie-like: sheerness, shimmer and shade selection. A sheer wash of midnight blue shimmer looks so sophisticated that it's hard to recognize it as sharing a color family with old-fashioned opaque powder blues.

Make Up Your Own Rules for Matching Nail Polish and Lipstick 

For decades, matching lipstick and nail polish was de rigueur. Lately, matching was considered old-fashioned. Today, both of those rigid rules have fallen. If you want to match rich red lips with vampy nail polish to match, go for it; if you prefer to pair it with ballet pink, that works just as well. Nail art ruled the runways for spring and summer lines at Nicole Miller and Philip Lim, so you're right in step with style if your manicure doesn't match.

It's Okay to Match Your Clothes to Your Makeup -- Sometimes

Matching your eyeshadow to your dress was once a fashion statement. It devolved into a fashion don't after a few years, but now it's back in a new way. Viola Davis and her jade-accented eyes with her emerald Academy Awards dress showcased the trend of picking a flattering complementary hue of your outfit's color for your eyes. If you're wearing a robin's egg blue jacket, opt for a hint of peacock or midnight blue on your eyes. Plum shadow's a great match for spring's lilacs and lavenders.

Here are some other sites to try if you're ready to experiment with a new spring look.