Saturday 7 March 2015

How to achieve a 'no make-up' make-up look


'No make-up' make-up must seem a bizarre concept to those who take no interest in beauty products. The idea that you apply a range of products to your face, only to try and achieve the appearance of wearing no make-up is quite strange, but it's also something that really interests me. When your intention becomes to appear bare-faced, you have to think about application in a slightly different, more strategic way. You have to learn to accept what you are working with and make only slight adjustments to your natural features. Here's my run down to a 'no make-up' make-up look. Click below to see the results:

1. Create a youthful, dewy base using a moisturiser (preferably with SPF) and some eye cream. I used Eucerin's Even Brighter day cream (which contains SPF30) and Eve Lom's Eye Lift. These products give the skin some moisture and reflective quality. The trick is to create smooth-looking and healthy skin in the products you pick. In theory, the more you nurture your skin, the less reliant you will need to be on wearing foundations.

2. Choose the lightest 'skintone correction' products possible for your skin type. My skin is quite clear, but it has lots of pigmentation, including some redness. I love Dior's BB cream because it hides uneven skintone and has pinkish undertones. It is also not a heavy product and shows through my freckles. Under the eyes I need help, so I used the No Concealer Concealer by Perricone MD. It is meant to blend into the skin and have anti-aging benefits, all good when your eyes are starting to show your age! It is a peachy tone that counteracts blue circles under the eyes, but doesn't completely remove mine. If your skin needs further concealing, pinpoint conceal the spots by putting the tiniest amount onto the centre on the spot and tapping with your finger. The best natural make-up will let your natural features show through (even if you don't love them); we want to look real with this look, not airbrushed to perfection. Keep powder to a minimum, where possible.

3. Define the eyes subtly using one coat of mascara. I chose the Rimmel Wonderlash which gives some volume and separates well. I don't really rate it personally because I prefer mascaras that create huge volume, but for this look, it was perfect. I also applied some subtle light brown shadow to the crease only for some definition, and some beige-white eyeshadow to the lower lashline with a pencil brush. The rims of my eyes often look red when I'm tired or stressed, so I found this was a brightening alternative to eyeliner.

4. Apply a lip balm or tinted product which gives your lips some moisture. I bought L'oreal Cheryl lipstick a while ago and have just recently fallen in love with it. I think it's named after Cheryl Cole, or whatever her name is now, but that's by-the-by- it's a perfect shade that is only a touch pinker than my lips. It basically improves on what I colour I have naturally. 


5. Wear your face with pride! This is important. No matter what age we are, it is imperative that we try to embrace our natural features. Make-up is a wonderful way to make us feel more confident, but it shouldn't be the only way to get that feeling of confidence. Ultimately, a 'no make-up' make-up look (or even better, no make-up at all!) is about being ok with the face you have and not having to wear a mask of products to be able to face the world. I love experimenting with make-up for fun, but sometimes I like to take a step back and realise that I need to still have days where I go bare-faced (or near enough!); there's more to life than a made-up face!

Do you embrace the 'no make-up' make-up look?
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