Get the right natural makeup look (also known as the no makeup-makeup look) is all about finding the balance between glowing I-woke-up-like this skin and a perfectly bushy brow. Contrary to its name, the no-makeup makeup look actually requires an honest amount of makeup and steps but there are certain steps you can live without. Below, we’ve rounded up the key steps to nailing the natural makeup look — be happy to tweak the look to make it work for you.
STEP 1: Prep
Apply a skinny layer of moisturizer to prep your skin for make up natural. ensuring your skin is hydrated and plump before makeup application is key to making your makeup look like real, natural skin.
STEP 2: Base
Apply a light-weight to medium coverage foundation or BB cream like IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+, stippling it on with a blending sponge or flat brush. This makeup hack for long-lasting foundation will help make sure that your face makeup stays intact from day into night. If you would like a seamlessly blended finish, re-evaluate your face with a damp beauty sponge to ensure there are no streaks or lines. If you would like it, pat concealer under eyes (we recommend Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer). Choose one that’s one to two shades lighter than your natural foundation color to brighten up the under eye area and cover up any discoloration and dark circles. For a more luminous look, apply concealer to your forehead, the bridge of your nose and chin — then blend.
STEP 3: Cheeks
Sweep blush onto the apples of your cheeks to offer your face some extra color. still blend this out so that the color is not too concentrated in one area. For a natural finish, you’ll want the blush to seem soft and diffused like the Shu Uemura Fresh Cushion Blush. Warm up your skin tone with a bronzer of your choice (we like Urban Decay Naked Flushed). Apply this under your cheekbones and along your temples and jawline.
STEP 4: Eyebrows
Spoolie your brows, and fill them in with a brow product of your choice. Powders provides a diffused, natural look while pencils are more precise. We recommend the NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil for many brows — it makes creating hair-like strokes a breeze.
STEP 5: Eyes
Apply a warm eyeshadow shade to your crease, then swipe a neutral shade across the lower lid. Blend, blend, blend! For this step we recommend a palette with plenty of matte brown shades so you can experiment with tones and colors that work for you like NYX Warm Neutrals Ultimate Shadow Palette — it’s perfect for beginners and a quality, affordable option. Apply one coat of mascara to the top and bottom lashes, being bound to wiggle your wand vertically to get every single lash.
STEP 6: Lips
Finish the design with a pink or nude lip gloss that compliments your skin tone. For this step, give YSL Volupté Tint in Oil a try — it comes in eight pretty shades so you’re sure to find one you love.