In recent years, I’ve noticed that women across the board are beginning to tone down their makeup. Thank God. Nothing makes me feel quite as horrified as seeing a beautiful young woman who looks like she’s either A) testing out her raccoon Halloween costume or B) heading to the local clown convention. Instead of using makeup to give ourselves a new face, we should use it to enhance our natural features and looks. Now this doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun with our makeup and try new looks (still trying to master that cat eye), but the key thing to remember is that when it comes to makeup, less is more. Also, girls have to remember that the products that work for one girl may not work for them because it all depends on your skin tone, coloring, and even eyes and hair. So a girl with dark skin tones will need darker products with an almost copper shade to them, while girls with light skins tones should stick to products with a pink hue. Take a look at the makeup tips that will help you achieve the no makeup makeup look, and you’ll be able to say, to quote Queen Bey, “I woke up like this. We flawless.”
Eyes
A girl’s eyes appear to be where she mostly tends to go over-the-top with her makeup. I’ve seen plenty of girls pile on the mascara, eyeliner, and shadow; and ladies, it doesn’t look pretty. It looks like a flashback from the eighties. To combat this travesty, we need to lighten up our eyes. One product that helps achieve this is clear mascara. Clear mascara naturally darkens your eyelashes and eyebrows to a complementary shade and does not overpower your lashes or brows with a color that is simply not natural looking like the common mascara colors black and dark brown. Eyeliner is another area where we need to find a shade that works for our skin and eye tones. Also, don’t apply eyeliner too thick because you’re just walking around looking like a raccoon that way. I personally don’t wear eyeliner the majority of the time because I simply don’t think it looks natural. With eye shadow, lets reserve the smoky eye for the weekend frat parties. For a fresher everyday look, I, a fair-skinned redhead, like to stick with a shade of champagne or gold. It adds a little sparkle but it doesn’t distract.
Cheeks and Face
I cannot stress this enough when it comes to applying makeup to your face- don’t. I know that sounds crazy because so many girls use foundation and concealer to cover up blemishes and anything else they don’t like that’s going on with their skin, but these products do nothing except clog your pores and suffocate your skin which only causes further irritation. It’s going to take a few weeks of bravery to show the world your skin, including the blemishes, but I guarantee in the long run you’ll be pleased and so will your skin. It’s also crucial to remember to apply a facial moisturizer everyday in order to keep your skin hydrated and smooth. I like to use a facial moisturizer that contains tea tree oil so I am not only hydrating and nourishing my skin, but I am also fighting against blemishes. To brighten up your face, swipe on a little blush that blends nicely into your skin to avoid clown cheeks. I like to stick to a soft rose petal shade, which gives my cheeks a rosy, warm look, while keeping with the goal of not looking like I am wearing makeup.
Lips
Lips are probably my favorite area of my face to play with and experiment different makeup looks with. I will admit that I am a fan of rocking a plum or red wine colored lip, but I have moved onto saving those bold colors for the night and opting for a much more subtle shade of lipstick or lip gloss during the day. Lips should be a shade brighter than your natural skin tone, and you should be careful to keep to one or two swipes so you don’t look like you’re caking it on. You should also make sure your lip color is complimenting the rest of the makeup you have applied for the day so everything meshes together and flows nicely. For warmer months, I go between using a subtle rose-colored lipstick and a nude colored lipstick. Both shades give my lips a little color so they don’t blend into my fair skin, but they don’t make it look like I am wearing heavy makeup. During the cooler weather, I opt for a light coffee colored lipstick to give my face a warmer look. If I am feeling a very natural look, I’ll use a pink gloss that adds almost no color and only a little shine.