19 ‘no-makeup’ makeup tricks to look naturally gorgeous

“The eyebrows are one of the most important things on the face, whether you’re doing full makeup or not,” says Jere. “They frame the eyes and complete the facial look.” Stay away from sharp angles and arches, and instead comb a light eyebrow powder through any sparse areas, using wax to tame the hairs.

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Pick an eyeshadow close to your natural skin colour, then sweep it onto your eyes to create a soft, natural-looking base. “A lot of times the lids have redness or broken capillaries,” says Jere. “That will neutralise some of the red or blue undertones.”

Before you add mascara, give your lashes definition with an eyelash curler so you look naturally bright-eyed, even without makeup. “That shapes them a little and opens the lid a little more,” says Jere.

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Instead of drawing a thick line, dot a bit of eyeliner as close to your lashes as possible. Pick brown over black for the most subtle, natural look. “It doesn’t look like liner, but it makes lashes more defined,” says Jere. You could also soften a thicker line by smudging it out with an angled brush, focusing on the outer corners to lift your eyes, says Baylog.

Mascaras with a thin, comb-like brush will look more natural than one with a thick, fat brush, says Baylog. Find a lengthening mascara that uses natural fibres, which won’t look as heavy as a volumising or waterproof formula. “Lengthening tends to clump less, vs volumising, which adds a lot of polymers to the eyelashes,” says Jere. Black looks perfectly natural for most people, though blondes might prefer brown mascara, she says.

Keeping makeup on just the tops of your eyes will give a more natural look than adding it to your bottom lash line. “For a softer eye, just brush mascara lightly on top, and touch the bottom lash instead of combing all the way through,” says Baylog. “A lot don’t even want it on the bottom.”

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For a kiss of sheer colour, use a gloss, stain or balm that’s close to your natural lip colour, like light pink or mauve. Matte formulas tend to look more natural than high-gloss ones, so lip pencil with a balm will look natural while keeping lips hydrated. Pick one with real fruit for a fresh look. “It looks like you just came out of a berry garden,” says Baylog.

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Two-in-one products for eyes and brows, or lips and cheeks are generally natural-looking choices because they tend to be less pigmented. “Anything you can use for lips and cheeks is a more light application anyway because you wouldn’t put heavy lipstick on your cheeks,” says Baylog. “It applies really fast and looks like you’re so fresh.”

Remember that toner or rose water you started with? Dig it back out to revive your dewiness before leaving the house. “Spray with toner at the end to give that fresh-face look,” says Jere. “It gives that glow-from-within look and hydrates the skin.”

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Source: RD.com