Natural makeup looks are slowly but surely reverberating the beauty cosmos. Being considered one of the most alluring looks in the current beauty trends, such looks are as potent as accentuating your unique natural beauty features while giving you a pared-back look. After pulling off a week of constant face colouring with your best makeup shades, you might want to wind up the week in a simple natural makeup look.
On the other hand, you might be a natural-looks purist or just starting on your makeup journey. Knowing how to pull off the right concealers, moisturizers, highlighters, and powders will help you knack this flattering look with much ease.
Note that your needs might be unique, hence, the need for intricacy when checking your skin health. That way, you’ll find it easier to attain a soft natural makeup look.
Let’s get to the details!
Preparing the Canvas
This is the most basic step in any makeup application. You want to ensure the products herein are the most friendly to your skin. Having it right will bring out a major difference between your natural makeup vs no makeup looks. In this step, you’re prepping your skin for the application of your makeup products. Hence, it entails making your skin aligned for a seamless application process.
Two steps:
Clean and Hydrate Skin
We assume that you have a consistent skincare routine and that you’re going to follow that before your makeup application. If you haven’t yet started one, consider your skin type (oily or dry) and source for appropriate cleansers. Cleanse your skin before exfoliating to remove any dead skin and dirt. At this point, you’re good to apply a moisturizer, a non-negotiable part of any skincare routine. It is also quintessential in ensuring that your skin is at its best and allows any layers of makeup to sit well.
The Role of Primer
Sourcing a primer should be easy if you understand its roles and your skin’s needs. For oily skin, choose a primer that’ll keep oil at bay and allow your makeup to comfortably sit all day without flushing out. You want to avoid circumstances when you have to keep patting your skin dry because of sweat. At its core, a primer will help extend your makeup wear time and retain a glowy natural makeup look all day.
Pro tip: Use plant-based cleansers, exfoliants, and primers to ensure that the whole process is as natural as possible. Besides, plant-based options (like aloe vera, rosemary, lavender, etc) will have a soft, soothing action on your skin, unlike their chemical counterparts.
Achieving Even Skin Tone
At its core, this step allows you to highlight your beauty features while setting the right skin tone. Hence, it involves using lightweight complexion makeup options that will retain your natural skin colour.
Lightweight Complexion Products
There are different variants of products you can use to tone out your skin. But for natural aesthetic makeup looks, only lightweight complexion products will do. Such creams as BB and CC come in handy well for an even, natural-looking skin tone. BB creams (blemish balm) have a creamy consistency, coming in different hues. To pull off a shade that’s closest to your skin, apply some to your chin and examine it under different lights.
Likewise, CC creams are a lighter version of foundation. Hence, they give out smooth, toned skin, readying it for any makeup accompaniments. For this step too, plant-based toners and creams are also friendly to your skin and should be used in moderation with sensitive skin.
- Hybrid skin: Also known as combination skin, it combines different skin types. For such, you’ll be safe to use toners with natural ingredients that combat inflammation, balance the tone, and soothe and hydrate your skin. Such ingredients include lavender, aloe vera, and clary sage.
- Sensitive skin: You want to go a little more with sensitive skin. Grab a hydrosol instead of your normal witch hazel-based toner. Source organic ingredients such as lavender, cucumber, aloe vera gel, and chamomile. You also want a toner spray rather than a cotton ball for the application.
- Dry skin: Such will require deep hydrants like aloe vera gel, hyaluronic acid, seaweed (algae), vegetable glycerine, and honey.
- Acne-prone skin: To eliminate the bacteria causing acne, antibacterial ingredients such as salicylic acid and citrus extracted from grapefruit and lemon are good options. Such will help lighten dark spots, cleanse, and rip off dead skin.
Concealing Imperfections
BB and CC creams are not sufficient for imperfection concealers. You need a product that’s curated for that specific purpose.
Concealing with Finesse
A concealer is one of the most versatile makeup products. Besides their traditional imperfection camouflage properties, they are a handy colour corrector, eyeshadow primer, contour, and a highlighter. With the right skill, you can pull this off for any occasion. However, for hiding out imperfections, a concealer will help clear out dark spots, acne scars, pigmentation, discolouration, etc.
Here’s how to get the most out of a concealer:
Know What Amount is Enough
This is not an easy string to pull. However, it’s always noticeable when you go too much. Bash the idea that darker spots might need a smudge too much concealing. Instead, they might need a lighter shade. Celebrity makeup artists like Vincent Oquendo and Nick Barose say using too generous amounts of concealers in your dark spots will only show off the spots more.
Don’t Forget Your Under Eyes
There are many causes of dark under the eyes (or dark circles), according to Healthline. But even as you seek treatment, you want to finesse your looks by hiding them away. “If you use too much, it makes what you’re trying to hide look even more obvious,” says Barose who’s been crafting beautiful natural makeup looks in celebrities like Lupita Nyong’o, Rachel Weisz, and Priyanka Chopra.
Get the Right Shade
There’s no definite shade for all complexion. Hence, look for a shade that best aligns with your complexion and needs. You might need different shades for different spots. If looking for an undereye concealer, lighter shades are the secret to attaining a natural eye makeup look.
Setting the Look
Sometimes, you just want your skin to look fresh and dewy, so what’s the need for too much shine?
Locking in the Glow
A natural, fresh look depends on matte, less bumpy, smooth, and less scarry skin, which a translucent setting powder does singlehandedly. If you feel some parts of your face are greasy and a little too shiny, then it’s time to add this product to your arsenal.
Traditionally the product can go all over your face. However, modern beauty trends have changed that to applying it to only oily parts of your skin. If going with the modern trend, be sure to strategize the application, dotting on parts like the nose and chin. Also, consider using a big brush to apply it lightly.
Defining and Illuminating
In this step, you’re employing techniques that highlight your natural features without overdoing it or leaving harsh lines. You don’t want to etch your cheeks out too much – just something less intense, soft, and neutral.
Sculpting and Glowing
You’ll need a blush, bronzer, and a highlighter to add glow, appealing visual effects, and a natural definition. A blush will brighten up your skin, giving it a healthy, natural glow. It gives your look a pop of colour while leaving you with a more awake, vibrant appearance. Strategize your bronzer application for a warmer, sunkissed appearance. A matte bronzer is useful in contouring your face and giving it an illusion of shadows.
A highlighter will enhance your cheekbone, give you a glow-from-within appearance, and enhance your skin tone. Besides, this product allows your skin to attract light, giving it a natural flair. Use a powdered highlighter for a subtle glow, which is much needed for enhancing natural looks.
Captivating Eyes
Your eyes are among the most critical parts of any makeup routine. Yet you want to slay a nude, natural glam look. Here’s how:
Natural Eye Makeup
This is the time to double-check your lids and under-eye for any missing steps. You might have missed the first step of applying your primer. Or rather, you might have set that aside for now. If you have dark circles, consider using a lighter primer and wait for it to tack before getting to the next step.
- Apply a light matte cream shade all over your lids
- Blend your creases with nude – lower lash lines and outer corners.
- Apply undressed on lower lash lines, outer corners, and lids
- Use a concealer to give a clean, flawless look
- Add your favourite shimmer to give your eyes a catchy, glowy look
- Pop on your favourite mascara and lashes
Luscious Lips
Lip Care to Complete the Look
Caring for your lips will give them a fresh, smooth, and moisturized look even without applying anything to them. But to pull off a natural make-up look, a tinted lip balm will sure be part of the palette. The tint in this lip balm will give your lips that natural but elevated look that you’re craving. So, you want to go for a shade that compliments your complexion and has a smooth feel.
The safest criteria for choosing a tinted lip balm are safety and moisturizing properties. Look for organic ingredients and consider their SPF score. Remember to use lip scrub to remove dead skin beforehand.
Natural Makeup and Celebrities
As you bank on the easy makeup looks journey, knowing that your favourite actor or performer on screen does the same will give you a different kind of rave for it. Here are a few figures that love to keep it simple…but very alluring.
- Lupita Nyong’o: The renowned actress has been a natural makeup freak for as long as we’ve known her and it hasn’t failed her yet. The melanin has been drippin’ and who doesn’t love it?
- Selena Gomez: As an actress, she has pulled both ends of the scale well but no-makeup makeup looks seem to be her favourite. Her new makeup brand, Rare Beauty, gives fans a more non-conventional, fuller cheeks, and thicker lips look.
- Kim Kardashian West: She has always sourced the most glamorous looks with her bronzed skin and neutral tones combo. The nude lipstick and gloss have always added to the faze. Don’t forget her taupe-brown-defined cat eyes – always the strongest beauty spot yet so natural.
We’re currently navigating the subtle, neutral-toned year and more celebrities are adding natural looking makeup to their cart, including Ananya Pandey, Alia Bhatt, Meghan Markle, and Zendaya.
Natural Makeup vs No Makeup
| Natural Makeup | No Makeup |
| More defined facial features | The face may look bare with no attention to any features |
| Flawless, natural look | No coverage of your face’s imperfections like black spots, dark circles, and rash |
| Reduces clogging and maximum absorption of ingredients from organic makeup products | While there’s no clogging, your skin lacks a good source of nutrients |
| Makeup looks natural and not cakey | The skin will look bare and bland |
| It is the new craze in town, now being taken by celebrities | No one wants to remain just natural without adding a little flavour and a pop of colour |
FAQs
How Long Do Natural Makeup Products Last?
Natural makeup generally lasts 2-3 years. However, some products come with stronger preservatives, hence last longer.
Does Wearing Minimal Makeup Benefit Your Skin?
Yes! Many layers of makeup may increase oil production on your face, clog your pores, and increase pimples. So, going minimal will eliminate all these drawbacks.
How Do I Retain a Younger Face with Natural Makeup?
The safest way to wear natural makeup is to establish a consistent skin care regimen. That way, your skin’s needs will be met, and still maintain that cool look.
Conclusion
For all the girls who love to keep it low and natural, we hope this guide answers your questions. Natural makeup doesn’t have to be a head-scratcher any more. Just matching your skin tone, going a notch lighter for darker spots, and maintaining a skincare routine. Remember to be consistent with your skincare routine as that will eliminate dead skin, remove clogs, and retain a vibrant look.
Besides, attend to your skin’s needs if there are special ones. For instance, sensitive skin might need a makeup time limit. Otherwise, there’s so much to explore in the natural makeup world.
