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Anywhere you look, there are so many makeup ideas, like ombre lips and blurred lips and unicorn look and contouring… It is not always easy to find your way around.
Though these things look great on Instagram, for a huge majority of girls these are not practical advice and techniques, suitable for daily makeup.
What if you don’t want that much makeup? What if you want to look natural? Maybe you want to still look like you, only… you know – the best you can…
There are so many videos out there showing you step-by-step how to contour your face. And the girls look amazing, right?
But, unless you’re putting on makeup just to take photos for Instagram, completely covering your skin in several layers of makeup is not such a good idea.
Though these things look perfect in front of a camera, in person – not so much. This especially works for daily makeup, whether you are going to school, work, having coffee with your friends or running errands.
For any daily occasions, showing your own face skin is preferred to the mask effect. Completely covered skin makes you look older and by an extent – less attractive.
The reason why many girls are putting on thick layers of makeup is because they don’t know how to properly apply thin layers of light daily makeup, and yet get the optimal results.
The following steps will show you how to do that perfectly. Each and every one of the steps counts and each is important. So, don’t skip steps, follow this routine and I guarantee – your skin will look natural, youthful and radiant.
1. Cleansing
Have you ever tried to apply your nail polish over and old layer that’s peeling off? You know how you couldn’t cover it: there were lines and edges, and it was obvious there was something underneath that shouldn’t be there?
The same thing happens with your skin. The skin constantly renews itself, but the old layers sit on top of it. So, when you apply your foundation to dirty, oily or flaky skin, it shows.
To remove all of this, try using some gentle peeling cleanser. Its grains will remove the layer of dead skin cells and oils and reveal healthy, young skin. Then you can use your makeup to just highlight that youthful glow.
2. Toner
Face toner is a big big big big BIG!!! thing in skincare. Big thing. It evens out the skin tone. Mattes the skin. Improves skin tonus. Shrinks the pores.
Choose a non-alcohol-based toner that suits your skin type. Put your toner on a cotton pad and apply it by lightly dabbing it on the skin. This may seem like a step you can ditch, but it has a huge impact on the end result.
3. Moisturizer
The last thing you want is skin that looks oily and greasy, excessively shining and with running-down makeup. So, choose your daily cream wisely, but don’t even think about skipping it.
A proper moisturizer can be a perfect base for daily makeup. It will be easier to evenly spread your foundation over a thin layer of a light face cream and your makeup will look better blended.
What you need is first and foremost a moisturizer that suits your skin type, to protect your skin throughout the day. Next, choose light, non-greasy formula that will not make your face all shiny. Gel moisturizers seem to be the best choice for most girls.
Apply the moisturizer after the toner and wait a couple of minutes. When your skin has absorbed a good part of the moisturizer, but is still slightly damp, it’s time for the next step.
4. Foundation
It depends on your skin and how much coverage you need. Even so, for daily makeup use as light a foundation as you possibly can.
There are tons of foundation brushes out there. However – and many makeup artists agree with this – all you need is your fingertips to get the best results. That way, the makeup looks far more natural, there are no brush traces all over your face and you don’t end up with the mask effect.
So, just squeeze a small amount of foundation on the back of your hand. With your fingertips, dab the foundation over your face and blend it well with your skin.
There’s one more thing you should consider –the chances are, you’ll be wearing the foundation all day long. So make sure to choose one that will perfectly suit your skin.
Nowadays, you can find hydrating foundations for dry skin, matting foundations for oily skin, oil-free foundations based on water, foundations with minerals, vitamins, anti-aging properties…
So, your perfect foundation is out there somewhere, you just need to find it. In fact, if you can get away with using just BB cream – even better.
And don’t forget to remove the excess foundation with a tissue. This is crucial and makes all the difference between perfect, natural-looking daily makeup and a makeup disaster.
5. Concealer
Use concealer only on the areas you need to completely cover, like acne and dark circles under your eyes.
To cover your acne, there’s a range of antibacterial concealers to choose from. The undereye concealer should be 1 – 2 hues lighter than your foundation.
Like with foundation, it would be best to use your fingertips to blend the concealer.
6. Powder
Use a face powder only if you have excess oil on your skin; otherwise it can seriously dry out your skin or make your foundation look flaky.
So, once you have applied the foundation, evaluate your skin. If there are oily areas, apply a small amount of powder with a powder brush. Apply it only to the oily areas. For example, if your T-zone is oily, don’t cover your cheeks as well.
Only a very thin layer of powder can look natural. Opt for a translucent powder that doesn’t add coverage.
7. Bronzer, Blush and Highlighter
You don’t have to apply any blush or bronzer, but if you do, don’t go into model-on-a-photoshoot techniques. No contouring and no playing with shapes and shadows.
For daily makeup, you need subtle colors that complement your skin tone, and only a light sweep of a brush from the middle of your cheekbone towards your ear.
Highlighter also isn’t necessary, but if you want, you can use a teeny tiny amount of it. But if anyone can point at your face and say “You’re wearing a highlighter, right?” – you overdid it.
The three best places to use highlighter are: the top of your cheekbones, the inner corners of your eyes and right under your eyebrows. Make sure to blend it well and it will add some sparkle to your look without looking fake.
8. Daily Makeup for Eyes and Lips
Keep the eye makeup simple. Just a little mascara. Maybe a thin line of eyeliner. And the eyeshadow, if you use any at all, should be in pastel tones and slightly shimmering.
As for your lips, nude colors that go well with your skin tone will perfectly complement your daily makeup.
Here’s a really cool trick to find the shade that will suit you perfectly – scrub your lips using either a lip scrub or a toothbrush. Scrub them really well for a couple of minutes. See how your lips are getting a nice, intense hue as the blood flow in them speeds up?
Well, there you have it – that is the perfect lipstick shade that will suit your complexion and look completely natural on you because… well, it (sort of) is your natural color.
Or you can use a translucent lip plumper, just to accentuate your natural lip color.
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