It’s on, but it’s not really on
It is the greatest make-up illusion, perfectly demonstrated by the Queen Bey herself. I mean, she looks like she has no make-up on yet we all know there must be some. The ‘natural’ or ‘minimalist’ look is particularly popular nowadays and we’re here to give you the key steps on how to achieve this look flawlessly.
Step #1: Clean Face
Go through your regular skin care regimen with emphasis on exfoliation to bring out that clean, youthful glow that you will need to start this process. Make sure to take all the dead skin off and whatever you do, don’t use an oily moisturizer. It will create some bumpiness that we don’t need for this look.
Step #2: Foundation
Always keep in mind that you are going for a natural look so the point is to have less make-up on. Avoid the thick foundation that will make you look like you really put your face on. Instead, go for the blemish balm (BB) cream, also known as a color correcting (CC) cream, to even out your skin tone. Carry some powder to manage the oiliness that is unavoidable during the day and apply sparingly.
Step #3: Bronzing
Allow me to say here: Bless the person who came up with the bronzer! It is one of the best things that happened to make-up. The bronzer will give you a tanned look all year round and makes for a healthier, glowing complexion. You want to buy one that is darker compared to your natural tone and apply it where the sun is more likely to shine i.e. chin, forehead, cheek bones and nose.
Step #4: Eye shadow
Maintain the minimalist look by choosing nude or subtle tones for your eye shadow. It should look like you don’t have any, remember? Get some bronze colors, champagne or tan. Also, stay just on the lid and don’t extend to the corner of your eye. Keep it simple.
Step #5: Eye lashes
If you already have those thick, long eyelashes (which I’m so jealous of), all you need is a bit of mascara and you are good to go. As for the rest of us (ahem!), get your false eyelashes up and put some mascara on them. Just remember not to put too much mascara so you look like you have spider legs on your eyes…creepy!
Step #5: Blush
To get a natural blush, go for cream blushes rather than the powdered ones. You can use your fingers to apply the cream on your cheeks to get that glowing blush that crowns off the entire look. Use just a little bit to catch the light, but not have you looking like your child put on your blush for you (however cute that can be).
Remember to always have your eyebrows groomed and if you need to, fill them in with a light powder to achieve this look. Now go forth girls and run the world!
Author Bio
Selma Ahmed is a make-up artist to the stars and an avid blogger on all things beauty. You can see some of her work on Aquilah’s review of beauty products as well as her own website.