The beast that is winter is almost over. It is time to usher in the beauty with these three fresh trends that are easy, breezy and bright.

Pretty Pony
Marc Jacobs, Marchesa and Elie Saab sent them down the runway, but Gwyneth Paltrow’s pulled-back coif at the Academy Awards made it official. This spring, the ponytail home is not just for the gym. 

Editor's pick: Wear it high, low or somewhere in between.

Lighten Up
Eye make-up goes pretty in pastels. Ditching the heavy liner and triple-layer mascara for the softer side of all over colour washes feels freeing, like you could run through a sprinkler and come out the other side without raccoon eyes.

Editor's pick: Get the look with Smashbox’s Be Discovered eye shadow palette ($44) at Murale, www.murale.ca

Pop of Polish
Nail polish is to makeup what a throw pillow is to home décor. It is an easy way to change a look seasonally. This spring orange is the fresh colour led by Pantone’s colour of the year Tangerine Tango.

Editor's pick: The future is looking bright with Sephora by OPI’s Paisley Attention to Me ($9.50). wwww.sephora.com —Jaelyn Molyneux

Coco Chanel once said, “you live but once; you might as well be amusing.” She was also the designer who championed simple, elegance. So it is no surprise that the style icon’s fashion house would take the metallic make-up trend that when handled poorly can lean toward tacky and instead make it classy.

Chanel’s Illusion d’Ombre’s jelly-like cream-gel eyeshadows come in twist lid pots with an angled brush. The six shadow shades have various levels of shimmer from frosty white to black with subtle chunks of sparkle. Go intense with dark liner or lighten it up with soft sweep of all-over colour.

Either way, wear your make-up the way Chanel lived her life, with an elegant twinkle in your eye. —Jaelyn Molyneux

$37 at Holt Renfrew, 510 8 Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-269-7341, www.holtrenfrew.com