How to: no make-up make-up look!

You know those women that just look so 'naturally' flawless? That seem to just get out of bed and look/smell/be fabulous all round the clock? FEAR NOT - these women are not naturally flawless. No one is, dolls. So there is hope for us all!

Their secret is the no make-up make-up look, keeping products to a bare minimum and keeping the look natural. Now, many people confuse 'neutral' with 'natural'. No, your matte brown eye shadow and nude lipstick serves no purpose in this natural look. Learn the difference. 

If, like myself, you find yourself thinking 'no make-up make-up look? But what purpose would this serve in my dramatic and extravagant make-up ritual?' Well, there are certain situations in life where a more natural look is appropriate. Be it for work, school or an interview, a flawless natural make-up look gives a woman the power to conquer the world. Or at least have pretty skin for the day. 

So, how do they do it? Well, looking after your skin is key however you do not need a perfectly flawless complexion to achieve this look. You'll want nice, clean skin. Start by using your regular cleanser and use a cloth to GENTLY exfoliate your face. This will make products easier to blend, and sit nicely on your baby soft skin. Continue with your regular skin routine by applying your moisturiser or serum, IDEALLY this should contain an SPF as this will help keep a barrier between your skin and the damaging sun, keeping your skin naturally gorgeous. 

Now for a base. 'But how will I stop my base from caking and leaving tell-tale signs that I'm wearing make-up?!' I hear you ask. Well, a dewy base is key to avoid caking. Our skin also naturally produces a protective oily barrier, and we want to imitate that with our make-up (yes dolls, deadly oil.). What with BB/CC/DD/EE creams... (too far?) taking over the market, with their enhancing minerals and ingredients, this would be an obvious choice of base. My personal favourite BB cream would be Garnier's Oil Free BB Skin Perfector, its super lightweight and easy to apply. However, if, like myself, you prefer a heavier coverage and find BB creams don't quite hit the spot, my holy grail product is MAC's Pro Longwear Foundation. Again, it is super easy to apply and very lightweight but just gives you that little bit more coverage. It also contains an SPF, bonus!

Now for concealer. My holy grail concealer is MAC's Studio Finish Concealer (which contains an SPF of 35); However a comparable product at a more desirable price would be something like MUA's Conceal and Brighten Kit which can be found at most Superdrug stores for a measly £3.50. Bargain! When creating a natural look its important to not confuse concealer with highlighter, and use our concealer the old fashioned way. To conceal. Apply just to the inner corner of the eyes and over any blemishes, voilà! Now put the concealer down. 

It's important to not get carried away at this point and continue to highlight and contour, as this will take the limelight away from our perfectly 'natural' selves. Alas, if you INSIST on using a bronzer, apply it lightly over where the sun would naturally bronze your face. Bridge of the nose, forehead, cheeks and chin. 

To set your base, simply add a dusting of loose powder. My fave is MAC's Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder. 

Now, whilst it is important to not stray from our 'no make-up' look, it is still our goal to enhance our features. So next - eyes! For the eyes I'd recommend a matte colour slightly darker than your skin, just feathered in the crease and outer corner of the eye. I like to use 'Truffle' in my Smashbox Softbox Palette with a dome blending brush. One coat of mascara is optional - if you were blessed with lovely lengthy eyelashes (I hate you) it is not necessary to apply mascara - however if you do feel your lashes need a helping hand opt for a waterproof mascara. This is to avoid smudges that will reveal our make-up secret. Nooooooo! Anyway, brows. Framing your eyes is an essential part of natural beauty, since we cant do it with eye-liner and excessive lashes. A soft feathering of a powder slightly lighter than your natural brow is all you need to frame your eyes and enhance your brows. 

And to finish off, a pop of Vaseline. Voilà. I hope this helps and sheds light on this on trend look, try it out and let me know what you think! 

Mwah x

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