Everyone wants to be beautiful by nature. Au Naturale Gone are the days when masking yourself with heavy makeup was considered impressive. The new ideals of beauty advocate exposing imperfections without apologizing.
The “natural” look has a large fan base among celebrities, casual models and modern brides. There’s something particularly appealing about not making an effort.
Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with good skin heredity. A little makeup here and here will even out your skin tone, giving it a natural, healthy glow. If you plan to attend a cheerful brunch, a work party or even a reception, this barely there makeup will look fantastic.
Best of all, it doesn’t require much makeup, leaving your skin happy and breathing.
Here are the eight steps to ace an undetectable ‘no-makeup’ makeup look every time.
1. Cleanse
It all starts with a blank canvas. Properly preparing your skin is crucial to achieving a natural look. I use a gentle exfoliant to remove dead skin cells, extra oil or dirt, followed by a facial cleanser to clean everything thoroughly. It instantly brightens my face, revealing the soft baby skin underneath.
2. Plump & Protect
Once cleaned, it’s time to restore and seal the skin’s moisture. First, apply a serum based on your active ingredients (vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, retinoid, etc.).
I currently use vitamin C. Next, I use a mattifying lotion because I have oily, acne-prone skin. For dry/mature skin, a thicker moisturizer works better.
Don’t forget to condition your eyes with an under-eye gel or cream. What you will see is soft, shiny and crystal-clear skin. Finally, I seal everything with a high-SPF sunscreen that doesn’t leave white marks.
3. Blend the base
After good skin care, we are ready to proceed with makeup. I’m skipping this particular step, but if you suffer from spots, pigmentation, or blemishes, do it.
Apply your concealer to targeted areas and blend it with your fingers, a sponge, or a brush until completely absorbed. Layer it with a light-coverage liquid foundation to smooth out any unevenness. The trick is to blend the base products perfectly, almost creating a second skin.
4. Flush with Blush Au Naturale
A soft blush adds a pop of natural colour to your face. Powder blushes look beautiful on oily skin, while cream blushes blend beautifully on dry skin.
I apply a slight blush around my cheekbones and the rest of the product on my nose. You can also use lip and cheek shades to match your cheeks and pout. Please don’t overdo it. Take a small amount of product and work with it. An understated pop of colour like this will stretch you to the most attractive blush.
5. Get glowing
Highlighters rule our hearts, don’t they? They work wonders when it comes to achieving that luminous glow. Remember that to achieve a natural light, the shade of your highlighter should match your skin tone. For example, a gold highlighter will look too flashy during the day.
The best product would lighten your skin naturally without adding much colour. I usually highlight the centre of my face, cheekbones, and temples. A little touch on the eyebrows and tear ducts causes the dew to rise.
6. Brush & Curl Au Naturale
Focusing on minimalism, I prefer to highlight the features of my face without excess makeup. To define them, I gently curl my lashes with an eyelash curler. A light swipe of mascara is enough to add volume and extension.
When it comes to brows, I apply brow gel, following the natural direction of my hair, which effectively lengthens and tames it.
7. Let lips talk
A couple of plump, moist lips with a pop of colour is one of the most charming and must-have elements of a no-makeup look. Always remember to rub them gently before applying anything. I first use a tinted lip balm, then rub the product outward with my finger for fuller lips.
8. Lock the look
Finally, spritz with a refreshing facial mist or setting spray to set all of your makeup. This will prevent makeup from melting, avoiding wrinkles and pores and giving a smooth finish. This is an important step, especially if you wear makeup for many hours.