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INSPIRATION

Your Guide To The “No Makeup” Look

Your Guide To The “No Makeup” Look
allbeauty
Writer and expert2 years ago
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Summer is on the horizon and beer gardens are open for business, which can only mean one thing… It's time to put on your game face and catch up on some much-needed socialising. With holidays abroad off the cards, this year will be all about garden parties and low-key local festivities, making it the ideal time to perfect your “no makeup” makeup look.

Natural makeup is the look du jour for 2021, not only because it was a go-to runway look at Fashion Week but because it’s the perfect baby step toward normality after many months of being bare-faced in lockdown. That being said, the “no makeup” look isn’t as easy to get right as you might think.

Here’s what you need to know.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THAT BASE

The “no makeup” makeup look centres around glowing, natural skin. You can give yours a helping hand by keeping hydrated, wearing an SPF and cleansing regularly, but let’s face it... sometimes a little extra help is needed.

When you’re going for a minimal look, applying primer is a quick, easy way to get a smooth base. Primer is pretty magical in that it mattifies your complexion, blurs pores and often contains ingredients that directly benefit your skin. REN Perfect Canvas Clean Primer is a great example, refreshing the skin and reducing fine lines while using ingredients that support the skin’s microbiome.

A quality primer is a must for any natural beauty look, whether or not you’re following with foundation.

CAMOUFLAGE YOUR CONCEALER

Don’t have picture-perfect skin? Help is at hand. It’s a common misconception that the “no makeup” look doesn’t involve any sort of coverage. In actual fact, foundation and concealer do have an important place in natural beauty, the caveat being that they should be used thoughtfully and sparingly.

Ultimately, the clearer and more even your natural complexion is, the less product you should use. But while some women will find that primer alone does the trick, if you need a little more coverage, just remember to use it in moderation. Opt for a lightweight concealer the same shade, or one shade lighter, than your natural skin tone so that it helps to disguise any blemishes and dark circles without sitting too heavily. The key to a flawless finish is to blend, blend, blend. With a brush or sponge, blend the concealer out until it’s totally camouflaged.

ADD A HINT OF COLOUR

To achieve a natural makeup look, you want to radiate a healthy, sun-kissed glow, and the easiest way to fake the flush is with a matte or soft-focus blush or bronzer. Avoid anything with a high glitter content, as they can turn a rosy glow into more of a glam look, defeating the objective of “no makeup” makeup.

When choosing a blusher, use your skin as a guide to choosing the right colour. For example, if you have naturally warm undertones (yellow or pink), look for a warm shade, or opt for a cooler shade if you have blue undertones. Or, if using a bronzer, choose a colour that mimics your skin tone in the height of summer.

benefit Cosmetics has two fantastic options that let you experiment with colours and combinations. The Miss Glow It All Palette features four neutral shades with a soft-focus gold sheen, while the Hoola Contourist Palette includes the original matte Hoola bronzer, plus three additional shades.

FRAME YOUR FACE Last but not least, the “no makeup” makeup look has one more trick up its sleeve to create an effortlessly put-together finish. Where usually you’d turn to lipstick and mascara to give your face definition, natural makeup uses your brows to create that contrast and structure.

Make sure yours are tidy but avoid overplucking as bushy, natural brows are still very much the sought after look. For a little extra oomph, the Brow HQ Eyebrows Lamination Kit has everything you need to create full, fluffy brows at home in under 30 minutes.

Now get out there and turn some heads, gorgeous!

allbeauty
Writer and expert
View allbeauty's profile
allbeauty