Nail the “No-Makeup” Makeup Look

Nothing’s more beautiful than skin that looks like skin and a face that looks like yours. We, as a global community of makeup users and lovers, have gotten past the stage of slathering and masking on makeup. While full-glam, heavy makeup looks may be cool and all for evening parties and weddings, a fresh, minimalistic and “not-so-perfect” appearance would take you a long way, especially in the daytime. Keeping the current weather situation in mind, I’ve curated a list of tips and tricks that you should be keeping in mind to nail the “no-makeup makeup look”. It’s easy, breezy and you can probably hack the look with your eyes closed. I have faith in you! Let’s begin.

Remember that Skincare Plays High & Mighty

Yes, how good your makeup turns out is heavily dependent on your skincare and prep. I like to stick to a basic skincare regimen to ensure that my pores kept clean and healthy. The CTM Routine (which stands for cleanse, tone, moisturize) is the most basic skincare ritual that you can incorporate into your daily self-care regimen. Always remember that your painting is only as good as your canvas is. Your face is your canvas and keeping it in good condition is imperative to guarantee that your makeup looks top notch. Just consider choosing products that go with your skin type.

Get rid of the “Peach Fuzz”

Your face has tiny hair growing on it that even you might be unaware of. These hair act as tiny hooks that trap big pigments of makeup and prevent their contact with the actual skin. This may make your makeup appear imperfect and not so seamless. To make sure that your skincare products seep in better and your makeup sits on your skin well, shave your face with eyebrow razors. It gets rid of all the peach fuzz, grooms your eyebrows, and sloughs away dead skin cells from the surface of your skin.

(Click here to watch an in-depth tutorial)

Go Easy on the Brows

Super-sculpted, Instagram-baddie eyebrows are pretty and all, but they look very unnatural if you’re opting for a “no makeup” kind of a look. Heavy, dark-toned pomades and pencils look sickly and drawn-on on the brows. We suggest just lightly filling them up with feather-like strokes for believable, clean and natural-looking eyebrows. If they are particularly unruly, you can tame them with a clear or tinted eyebrow gel. Just brush them upwards for that ultra-chic Gigi Hadid’s eyebrow look. Pro tip: If you choose to use tinted eyebrow gel, make sure you use a shade or two lighter than your own eyebrow colour. It gives a really realistic 3D appearance.

Moisturize and Protect

No matter what the weather outside is like, know that you can NEVER skip on sunscreen. I was listening to celebrity dermatologist, Dr Rashmi Shetty’s take on sunscreen and she told us a little rule of thumb. 1 SPF protects you from the UVA and UVB rays of the sun for 10 minutes. The more time you spend outside, the more broad-spectrum your sunblock should be. But before slathering it on, make sure your skin is nicely moisturized and prepped for makeup to smoothly glide.

Less is more.

When it comes to “no-makeup” makeup, it’s all about blurred out skin and edges, undetectable lines and ultra-blended everything. To achieve that, you should always remember that less is more. You need everything lesser than you think you would. Whether it’s the foundation, bronzer, mascara, lip colour- everything should be in moderation for rocking the “I didn’t try hard at all” kind of a vibe.

Blend, blend, blend.

Blending is key when it comes to untraceable, seamless makeup. Whether you choose to use a sponge or a brush, make sure everything is nicely blended. Harsh lines would only take away from the look you’re trying to achieve. So keep blending. Louder for people at the back!

Creams are your Best-Friends

When it comes to formula, remember that cream products blend in more seamlessly and undetectably than powders do. Also, keeping your skin’s chemistry into consideration, cream formulations also tend to sit well on top of your skin because the pigments are mixed in a solvent that replicates your skin’s own oils. Powders are notorious for just perching on the skin which may result in a streaky finish. So always remember to opt for liquid and/or cream foundations, concealers, highlighters, blush, bronzers etc. If you’re worried about makeup slipping and sliding throughout the day, set it with a finely-milled translucent powder.

To achieve the look, ZERO Makeup Palette may come in handy. Read more.

Multi-Use Products

Yes, your blush and bronzer can be used to define and create depth on your eyes, your lip colour can double up as a cream blush and your brow pencil can be used as an eyeliner and to create faux freckles and moles. Also, since the monochromatic look is so in vogue these days, you sure are up for a trendy makeup moment.

Neutral Tones are the Way to Go!

Warm, skin-like colours like brown, nude, grey, beige, tan, bisque and taupe are your best bet when choosing makeup for yourself. See what works for you and your undertones and you’d be good to go! It’s called “no-makeup” makeup for a reason after all.

Be Patient & Keep Practicing

Keep in mind that “no-makeup” makeup looks are harder to achieve than full-glam ones. But it’s makeup after all. If you think about it, it’s a form of face paint that can come right off once you wash your face. So keep trying your hand at it, come up with new techniques that work for you, see what products suit your skin best and allow yourself to learn and have fun with it.

 

*Important Reminder*

Always remember that the only purpose of makeup is to have fun! Don’t ever feel like you NEED it to look beautiful. Beauty and confidence come from within. Makeup is just an accessory. Like a pair of earrings are. You wear them throughout the day and take them off at night before going to bed, right? Makeup’s the same. Treat it like it should be treated and know that covering your face with pigments don’t make you look flawless and likeable, your heart does.