Beauty fads come and go. Neon eyeliner, dramatic contouring, vampire lips—all had their time in the spotlight. However, there is one style that genuinely never falls out of favor—it’s the classic crowd-pleaser that looks good anywhere. We are discussing light makeup, often known as makeup without makeup. Consider it to be the “silent luxury” aspect of beauty: refined, modest, and utterly timeless. Not to add that it truly is suitable for all situations. Everyone looks better with soft, natural makeup because it presents you as a more put-together, polished version of yourself. With any kind of hard lines or vivid colors, it only enhances your appearance rather than taking away from your beauty, says famous makeup expert Natalie Dresher. The other pleasant aspect? It is quite simple to make and, appropriately, doesn’t call for a large amount of goods. Lastly, Dresher adds soft makeup is very buildable if you find it to be too light for you or if you want to intensify your look later in the day. She notes that you can create an entirely other effect by adding a little bronzer, eyeliner, and lipstick. Dresher offers a thorough, step-by-step lesson up top for applying subtle makeup.
1. Get your skin ready
Make sure your complexion is well-hydrated before applying makeup, as this style of makeup really is all about letting your skin show through. To enhance your natural glow, Dresher recommends using a brightening serum, such as Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops, with your moisturizer or SPF. “Humid, radiant skin not only appears radiant and healthy, but it also requires less makeup,” the expert explains. Up until then…
2. Skip foundation
choose a moisturizer with color instead. According to Dresher, it gives you some coverage without obscuring your skin. Cover FX Radiant Start Tinted Moisturiser is her choice. She says that applying it with your fingertips will guarantee that you get the maximum coverage because the product won’t seep into the sponge or brush bristles.
3. Use concealer judiciously
Apply concealer if necessary. According to Dresher, common places for discoloration and redness include around the nose, the center of the forehead, and the under-eye circles. Dresher advises choosing a product that also has some color-correcting properties because less is more in this situation, as you don’t want to run the danger of caking or creasing. She claims that the Tarte Radiant Shape Tape has medium coverage while letting the skin show through, which is why she enjoys it.
4. Apply a cream blush.
You can choose to use a cream recipe instead of a powder one and forego the bronzer in favor of a subtle blush. According to Dresher, these have a more youthful glow and a more natural brilliance. They also tend to mix more easily into the skin and have inherent hydration. Dresher’s favorite is Glow Play Blush by MAC.
5. Wear little to no eye makeup
A simple mascara tube would suffice. However, make sure it’s a tubing variety for the longest-lasting effects. Mascara tends to smudge more quickly when there isn’t much powder on the skin since it can more readily interact with the oils in makeup. “Applying a tubing mascara guarantees its retention, preventing you from having raccoon eyes,” advises Dresher, who prefers Tarte Tartlette XL Tubing Mascara.
