If you’ve ever looked at a model and thought ‘she’s not wearing any makeup and yet she’s stunning’, you could be falling for the oldest trick in the book. Natural or nude makeup is incredibly clever when done correctly. You can fool most people into thinking natural skin and complexion are perfect, and you are just a born beauty. The natural makeup look is not as hard to achieve as you might think, and it certainly helps when we are subject to Microsoft team meetings and other video conferencing calls during this time of lockdown. After all, when you’re working from home, you don’t want to make masses of effort, but you don’t want your colleagues to think you look a bit of a state. So how do you achieve this fantastic look with minimal effort? Well, thankfully we’ve put together a quick guide to show you.
First Things First
So, first of all, you want to head to the bathroom for the basic wash and brush up. Begin by washing your face and make sure you have a soft washcloth and a soap that doesn’t have any harsh chemicals. We’re not going to exfoliate because this can cause the skin to become red so if you want to do that wait until the evening just before you go to bed where it doesn’t matter.
Replace the Moisture
Our face is subject to all of the elements. If you go out for a morning run or walk your skin is subject to wind and weather. We also tend to be sitting in centrally heated houses in winter, and this combination creates dryness in our skin, so we must replace the moisture. Keeping the moisturiser light means that it is an appropriate step for everybody, even those with an oily complexion. There is a difference between skin oils and just moisturising the skin to keep it soft.
Foundation?
Foundation can play an essential role in natural makeup, but it’s vital that it is well done and adequately blended; otherwise, you will have makeup lines, and people will see straight through your attempt. One way to get out of this is to use a tinted moisturiser product instead of a traditional foundation. This doesn’t work on incredibly spotty skin; in that case, you will have to stick to a green-tinted regular foundation to mask those areas well. Even when you think you have blended it well, blend it a little bit more!
Goodbye Panda
Although most of us have slightly dark circles under the eyes, it is understandable that you would want to cover them. This can be part of achieving the nude makeup look again provided you are not heavy-handed with the concealer. Be sure to apply only to the areas you need to cover and avoid any blend lines by taking your time with the blending process.
No Shine Here
Next, we move onto the powder. The last thing you want on camera is a shiny face. Choose a powder that works for your skin tone. Just have a light dusting to absorb any excess oil from your skin. Ensure it is similar to your skin tone, not a bronzer as you’re not trying to achieve a tanned look but a natural look.
Eyes
So obviously a natural makeup look does not involve eye shadow or eyeliner. If you have very pale eyelashes, you may want to add a tiny bit of dark brown mascara you should only ever use black mascara if your natural eyelashes are dark. For most people, the natural look can be achieved by curling your eyelashes rather than adding any makeup. If you are going to go for the mascara, be sure you use a fine wand and get a nice even coverage rather than any lumps or bumps.
Framing the Eyes
Again, there is not much work to be done here if you are looking for a natural look. You want the eyebrows to appear as natural as possible. Still, you can shape them, and if they are particularly pale, you may want to add a little colour to ensure a good shaping is seen on camera but avoid anything too heavy as it certainly won’t seem natural.
To Blush or Not to Blush?
Again, blusher is a bit of a personal choice, depending on your natural complexion. You don’t want bright pink cheeks, but if you feel you lack in colour, then a small amount of cream blusher on the puffy part of your cheekbone is the best bet. Be sure to blend it well and give it a subtle finish.
Lips
Other than a small amount of tinted lip balm, you don’t need to do much to your lips. When you look after your lips so exfoliating them to remove any dead particles of skin and increase the blood flow, your natural colour shines through when you look after your lips, giving them a perfect finish.
Images from DESIGN SCENE BEAUTY SPECIAL: Isabel Blancart in SunKissed by Javi Salinas – See the full story here
