HAMBURG: Eye make-up this spring is both a glimpse of the past and the future - tender reserve on one hand and the courage to use shrill tones on the other.

When applying eye shadow and lipstick this spring, women can choose from the entire color palette. Nostalgic looks appear next to futuristic ones, natural faces next to those dramatically made up.

"It is a season that is full of conflicts," says Martin Ruppmann of the professional association of cosmeticians in Berlin. "Sexy or elegant, natural or glamorous, romantic or seductive are just a few of the opposites." Conflicting doesn't mean incompatible, though.

"In the coming spring almost anything goes," says cosmetic expert Olaf Zieseniss of Frankfurt. Bold combinations of pastels and luminous tones are permitted as is going colorless.

The latter is referred to as the nude look and is once again absolutely hot after a short pause last year. The art of this naked look is that the face is made up to look "unmade up". This look can be achieved, says Zieseniss, by using pastel or smoky tones of eye-shadow.

"You can leave out eye-shadow altogether and simply use mascara," says Claudia Seizinger, who works at a Berlin-based cosmetic school. She describes the natural make-up variation as the doll look and says the basic version of it is suitable for young skin. Older women should vary this look, otherwise their faces can look sick. To remedy this, Seizinger recommends a little more rouge, beige-brown eye- shadow and mascara.