For those of you who follow the trends, you may be interested to know that the one of the hottest make up trends for Spring is neon lip colors. Yes, neon, with colors so bright they just about leaped off the runway. If you are thinking the look is a return to the 80’s, think again. All the familiar colors you have known and loved such as your blue eye shadows (teal for me) and frosty pink lipsticks are history. This year’s neon and day-glo colors such as fuchsia, orange, yellow, teal and purple, are juicier and more exuberant. However, the makeup artists tell us that these colors are not easy to use.

If you don’t know where to start with the neon colors, choose one hue and go from there. The goal is to get impact without overwhelming your face, according to makeup artist Kathy Jeung. She knows what she’s talking about. Kathy’s clients include Gwen Stefani, Kylie Minogue and Natasha Bedingfield. Kathy says “try a single pop of vivid color on only one feature, concentrating on one area: lips, eye shadow on the lid or just along the lower lash line. Or, try turning colored cheek powder or eye shadow into a liquid eyeliner by first moistening the brush with water before putting it into the product.”

Just remember, whatever you do, a little goes a long way. Many people think that the neon hues won’t work with their complexion, but it’s all about how you wear them. Applied carefully, neons and brights will work with almost any complexion. Darker complexions will do better with the warmer tones such as oranges, pinks and yellows. Apply with a light hand, not a heavy hand says Kathy.

Focus on your eyes. Use either eyeliner or eye shadow, not both. But, it you want to try both the shadow and eyeliner together, use the same color. Kathy says this way the eyeliner will give more color saturation and intensity to the look.

Kathy says “A great barometer for knowing how to wear this trend is to ask yourself, do you feel you look good? Do you feel comfortable? You have to wear it with confidence. Just own it.”

Don’t get me wrong, I like trends. But this is one I’m not sure I could pull off. I think I would have to see a lot of “average Janes” wearing it before I’d take a chance. For now, I think I’ll leave this one for Hollywood.