“No Makeup” Makeup looks are all about letting the skin shine through! This means using the minimum amount of makeup is key to creating a “no makeup” makeup look. Achieving the “no makeup” makeup look means being strategic with the use of buildable products, light hand application, correct correcting, and the use of nude or natural colors to give the illusion that you are not wearing any makeup at all.
In this post, I connected with 3 makeup experts who shared with me their best tips for doing the “no makeup” makeup look.
Tip 1: Do Proper Skin Prep
All makeup looks, and especially “no makeup” makeup looks start with really good skin prep! Always prep your skin with cleansing water to get anything off your face before starting your makeup. After cleansing, work on light exfoliation, toning, and apply moisturizer.
This tip was provided by Lindsay Kastuk, an NYC-based commercial makeup artist who specializes in bold, creative looks. She was the lead artist for Kim Petras’ VMA performance and has worked on high-profile campaigns for several popular beauty brands including FENTY Beauty and Covey Skincare.
Read on for additional tips from Lindsay below!
Tip 2: Use Color Correcting Products
A great way to minimize product usage is going in with some color-correcting products. It is a great way to reduce flushing, neutralize dark circles, and even cover the redness of a pimple! Finding a color-neutralizing primer or a color-correcting serum/ concealer would be a great way to do this!
Tip 3: Use Medium Coverage Lightweight Creams
I find that the best base makeup for a “no makeup” makeup look is medium coverage lightweight creams. They have high pigmentation so you need to use less product. Usually, a tinted moisturizer and a medium coverage concealer for under the eyes are all you need.
Tip 5: Use a Good Tinted Lip Balm & Lip Balm Liner
Use a nude lip liner pencil very close to the natural lip color and gently overlining the lips to create a natural pout. Once the outlining is complete, top the lips with a lip butter or balm suggest Alexandria Gilleo, celebrity makeup artist of over 15 years.
Alexandria’s work can be seen in Ulta, Sephora, Kohl’s, and Philosophy stores globally, and has been seen on faces including Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris, Adriana Lima, Alexander Wang, Charlie Sheen, Camila Coelho, and Paul Rudd.
Tip 4: Use a Nude Eyeliner Pencil
To brighten the eyes, Alexandria, also suggests using a nude eyeliner pencil in the waterline, then a drop of Lumify to eliminate any redness. Always open the eye by using an eyelash curler.
Tip 6: Try Mixing Liquid Highlighter with Tinted Moisturizer
Alysia Chang, a makeup artist with over 12 years of experience, suggests for you to mix a couple of drops of liquid highlighter with your favorite tinted moisturizer on the back of the hand before applying it onto the face. This really helps your skin to look radiant and hydrated for the perfect “no makeup” makeup skin!
Alysia has worked with brands such as Tom Ford Beauty, Chanel, and MAC Cosmetics. She owns a freelance company and is the founder of Prevail Beauty: an online makeup lesson platform via Zoom.
Alysia also provides some more valuable tips below.
Tip 7: Create a Natural Framed Eyeliner on the Eyelids
If you don’t want to use a nude eyeliner pencil, you can try to create a natural framed eyeliner on the eyelids. Take a kohl-based pencil eyeliner and use light pressure to make a thin line starting halfway on the eyelid. Then as you come close to the end of the eye, use more pressure to create a thicker line to create an almond eye shape. You can stop there or smudge it out to form a small wing to elongate the eye.
Tip 8: Use a Natural Tinted or Clear Eyebrow Gel
For the eyebrows, the most common mistake is applying too much product or creating too bold of an eyebrow look. To completely avoid this, use a natural tinted or clear eyebrow gel. Go against the grain of the eyebrow hairs to cover the hair from root to tip, upwards at the head of the eyebrow, then downwards towards the tail to smooth it out.
Tip 9: Use Skin Tone Eyeshadow On the Eyelids
Keep the eyes lifted and natural by applying mascara and one to two skin tone eyeshadows on the eyelids. Do not apply medium to dark eyeshadows on the bottom of the eyes as this will weigh the eyes down, apply a light coat of mascara on the bottom lashes to define the eyes.
Tip 10: Don’t Forget To Blush Your Cheek Bones
Use your ring finger to apply a fine amount of blush on the cheekbones. The warmth and the perfect amount of pressure created from the ring finger will make a “melting effect” on the cheeks for a just pinched natural look!
The “No Makeup” Makeup Look Makeup Routine
If you’re trying this for the first time, use this simple 8 step makeup routine that you can use to pull off the “no makeup” makeup look. This is a very basic routine using minimal products.
Step 1: Clean and tone your face
Step 2: Use a concealer to cover any trouble areas including redness and acne. Use light layers and keep the application of the product to a minimum.
Step 3: Use a medium coverage concealer under the eyes. Use only 1 light layer.
Step 4: Apply a light layer of tinted moisturizer all over your face. Blend it in with a beauty blender. If you don’t have a beauty blender, check out my guide on how to blend makeup without a beauty blender.
Step 5: Brush your brows with a clear brow gel.
Step 6: Curl your eyelashes to give your eyes an instant lift.
Step 7: Apply a nude balm to protect your lip and reduce shine.
Step 8: Apply blush to your cheekbones.
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