Less Makeup and Natural Beauty Builds Confidence

I cannot tell you how many women I’ve encountered who miss out on the confidence that very little makeup and an extra 5 minutes in the morning will give them. When I used to sell cosmetics, I learned that many women are intimidated by makeup or pretend to not care about their appearance because they aren’t familiar with what to use or how to apply it.

The key to achieving natural looking daytime makeup is that it shouldn’t look like you have it on.  I like to use the term “healthy glow.” I really admire French women for their ability to nail this, where it is culturally desirable to appear effortlessly chic, polished, and not overly done. 

Get the look:

Concealer- even if you don’t have to deal with dreaded dark circles, concealer is an instant eye-brightener. Apply a tiny bit using your ring finger just under the eyes, in a half circle. Make sure to go only about a half shade to a shade lighter than your skin tone and really blend out the product. Makeup Forever has a really good liquid formula “Full Cover” $30.  that won’t “cake.” If you have more mature skin, or are dry around the eyes, make sure you use an eye cream prior to a concealer.

Tinted moisturizer-  the most sheer coverage of any complexion product. It’s purpose is to warm up and even out skin tone, not necessarily coverage. Apply it with clean hands as you would a moisturizer.  Nearly all lines make this formula, my favorites include LORAC (Sephora), Laura Mercier (Sephora), and Bobbi Brown (department stores).

Mascara- a little instantly makes eyes pop. Coat both top and bottom lashes.

Groomed eyebrows-   the brows serve as the frame for your face.  Indian threading, an alternative to waxing and tweezing is a good way to keep your brows in check.  I recommend going in to have them professionally done vs. doing them yourself to prevent over-tweezing.

Bronzer, neutral blush, or highlighter- a quick sweep on the apples of the cheeks is all you need to appear refreshed, stick with neutral tones. A highlighter will give you a glow (not sparkle), for a more radiant appearance. Bobbi Brown’s shimmer brick in “Bronze” $38. is my favorite for everyday and evening wear.

Natural color lip balm- I wouldn’t use anything too glossy for a natural look. A balm looks healthy and more natural.