How to Rock a Trend: Emerald!

Happy May! This is my favorite month, and for good reason. Spring is in full swing, the weather is consistently great, and both my sister and I celebrate our birthdays. Another awesome thing about this month is its birthstone: the emerald. Its intense green color, which made this gemstone one of the most valuable in the world, has become very popular in clothes, makeup and accessories, especially this year. The world's leading authority on color, Pantone, declared emerald the "Color of the Year" for 2013, so you'll definitely want to work it into your spring/summer style. And while I'm definitely in favor of adding a few jewel-toned pieces to your wardrobe, the easiest (and cheapest!) way to add a pop of green to any outfit is with makeup. Below are some of my current favorites:

 

Nail Color

Both of these are Sephora brand nail lacquers: Green Generation is the shimmering color, while Picnic in the Park is the flat color. They are only four bucks a piece, and a great way to start experimenting, if you're nervous about wearing this color on your face. Any skin tone can pull off green nails, and the short, fat brush that comes with all Sephora nail lacquers makes it easy to do your mani yourself.

Eyeliner

Eyeliner is a good first purchase if you want to try an emerald eye color. You can wear it alone or with neutrals and golds for a natural, yet sexy look with a twist. Later, you can layer it with more dramatic looks and pair it with a green shadow for a really intense concentration of color. The pencil here is from Urban Decay, while the liquid liner is from Stila.

 

Eyeshadow

If you're feeling adventerous, an emerald shadow is a must (Goodness, does that rhyme?!). Makeup Forever has two of my favorite emerald eyeshadows right now. The first is a loose pigment, while the other is a more traditional eyeshadow. Both are highly pigmented, which is exactly what you want in an emerald eyeshadow. The trio, by Smashbox, is great because you get the green shadow (this one is called Serpent), plus two other versatile colors that you can--and should--wear both with and without the green.

 

All off these items are available online from Sephora, which did an entire emerald collection with Pantone featuring eye shadows, liners and brush collections.