First up - foundation. You must, must, must spend time choosing the right one. Forget trying it on the inside of your wrist or on your jaw line. Go to a beauty counter and put some on your cheek. If it disappears then it’s the one for you, if not keep searching. Once acquainted with your perfect foundation it should be dotted around the face then blended with your fingers. Checking your face from various angles is essential and there’s no need to take the foundation below your jaw line, if you’ve chosen the correct colour it will blend seamlessly from jaw to neck. Available in 8 different shades Lancome’s Photogenic Lumessence Light-Mastering and Smoothing Makeup (£26.50 available Nationwide) contains light reflecting pearls to improve the skins surface, disguise fine lines and hide imperfections. It has a tri-moisturising system of hyaluronic acid, glycerine and an emollient agent that ensures the product glides onto the skin, blends easily and keeps it hydrated. It has the added bonus of SPF 15 to protect the skin from sun damage and claims to last up to 14 hours.
Your foundation will even out your skin tone, but if you need further improvement such as hiding the signs of sleep deprivation or hormonal changes then a concealor or highlighter will help. Dior’s Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen (£23 www.dior.com) smoothes and brightens skin with iridescent pigments and comes in a handy brush applicator. It should be applied under and into the inner corners of the eye to lighten those dark circles then blended by patting, not rubbing, the formula into the skin. It can also be used to soften lines around the mouth and cover blemishes.
To set your natural looking skin you need a powder. Magic Liquid Powder Translucent (£25 0870 034 2566) by Prescriptives is divine, but sadly won’t be around for much longer as the brand is shutting up shop in the New Year, so bulk buy this product now! This ultra light powder contains light reflecting particles to even out the skin tone, leaving it with a pearly, healthy glow and when applied feels weirdly cool and damp. It’s best to put the powder on with a sponge by pressing and rolling, then taking away the excess with a fluffy brush.
If you haven’t been blessed with high, sculptured, Sophie Dahl-esque cheekbones, fortunately a good blusher can help lift the face and add definition. Forget New Age blocks of blusher in scary shades of scarlet or little girl circles of pink, you should be choosing a tone that makes you look slightly flushed in a post-coital kind of way. Clinique’s Quick Blush in Minute Mocha (£20.56 available Nationwide) is a convenient product with the blush and brush in one. The shade is warm (don’t be put off by the mention of mocha) and the formula is fragrance and oil free so won’t upset your skin. Start with a tiny amount of product that you can build up, then smile and sweep the brush from the apple of the cheek up to the hairline.
Now the skin looks healthy and glowing we focus our attention on the eyes. Eyebrows play a fundamental part in looking groomed. Think neat and tidy rather than shaped and arced and never over pluck them. If you have fair hair or sparse brows, an eyebrow shadow - rather than a pencil that looks too harsh when applied - will sort them out. When applying do so with light feathery strokes to build the colour up to avoid looking like Frieda Kahlo. Afterwards run through the brow with a little brush to remove excess or seal with a brow wax.
For a natural lid colour it is best to choose a neutral beige, peach or pale pink tone to add warmth and lift the eye area. Again the colour should be built up slowly and applied in sweeps across the eye socket, then blended with a clean finger if this feels easier than using a brush. Clarin’s Eyebrow Kit (£28 www.clarins.co.uk) is a convenient product containing almost everything you need for the eye area; mini tweezers for eyebrow touch ups, brow powders in 3 different shades, a brow brush and wax and a peachy pink lid colour perfect for almost any skin tone.
To finish the eye area mascara is essential and a brown one is fundamental for a natural look. The easiest way to apply is by holding a mirror beneath your face, looking down and stroking the wand on the underside of the lashes from root to tip. Up to three applications are needed, dependant on how light and sparse your lashes are. A good mascara should lengthen lashes and not clump. Dr Hauschka’s Brown Mascara (£15.98 www.drhauschka.co.uk) fits the bill but has the added bonus of containing sorbital to moisturise and strengthen eyelashes and a pretty rose scent. It is also comes off easily so you aren’t rubbing the delicate eye area at the end of the day.
And finally the lips. A slick of balm is all that is required to complete the natural face, but if you want to modernise the look a lip stain will do the trick. Laura Mercier’s Lip Stain (£16 www.selfridges.com) in Peach Glaze warms all skin tones and is less obvious than pink or red. It has a balmy texture and should be applied by blotting onto the lips with the finger rather than rubbing, as this helps to build a purer colour. It contains candelilla wax to ensure a smooth application, vitamins C and E to prevent ageing and yarrow extract to help the lips stay soft and supple.
Creating healthy looking skin, lifted, wide eyes and flushed lips are all you need to concentrate on to produce the perfect no-make-up made up face. |
