'No Makeup' Makeup

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The idea of 'no makeup' makeup, despite sounding a little crazy in the first place, is actually something that I get asked about a lot. Day-to-day, a lot of women (myself included) want to look like a more polished version of ourselves but not necessarily look 'made up'.

There are also quite a few professions that don't allow (or find it inappropriate) to wear a full face of makeup, so today I'm going to be sharing with you all my go-to 'no makeup' makeup look, the products I use to create it and some tips and tricks for making your makeup look as natural as possible.

So starting off with a note on skincare. Taking care of your skin is so important for this kind of look to work it's best, as good skin needs little makeup anyway, and hydrated skin looks clearer and brighter even without any makeup. No matter what your skincare routine of choice, try your hardest to stick to it religiously. One thing I like to do before applying anything to my face in the morning is to use a face wipe or eye makeup remover to ensure every last scrap of mascara is removed from my lashes (no matter how hard you try, there always seems to be a teeny tiny bit left in the morning, so I start off by getting rid of that!) I'm currently using the Simple Micellar Wipes which are great as they are a wipe version of my favourite Micellar Water, so are quick and convenient when you're in a hurry or on the go and they easily remove any last snaps of mascara that may be clinging on to the base of your lashes.

Next up for base, A tinted moisturiser or BB cream is your best bet for light coverage and a natural looking finish. I've been using the Simple Perfecting Beauty Balm recently, which I really like because it has SPF 15 so offers additional coverage to my daily sunscreen in my moisturiser but it also looks really natural and gives the skin more of a tint than noticeable coverage. It makes your skin look really naturally glowing and also helps to keep it moisturised too. I apply this by hand, warming it between my fingers before applying it to the centre of my face first (where I want the most coverage) and working outwards. It comes in one 'Universal Shade' which when blended in, adapts to fit most fair to medium skin tones. It actually comes up a little darker on me which I really like, because of the low level of coverage, it almost has a slight of tanning effect to my skin, making me look slightly less pale, but still blending perfectly with my skin tone.

Next up for concealer. I've been loving the Aerin Eyelight Concealer for under my eyes as it's great at brightening. When I first got this I was shocked by how pale the colour was for me, and thought it was too light, but once you blend it in you realise it's more about the brightening effect than concealing, and it does a really nice job of brightening up my under eye area. My skin is pretty good at the moment, so I'm not using a concealer for any blemishes, but if I do have any I really like using the Chanel Perfection Concealer in B20. After concealing, I set my base products using a very light sweep of my bareMinerals ready foundation in R170. This helps to keep everything in place for longer.

I always make sure my brows look neat and well-groomed no matter how much makeup I'm wearing that day and for this look it's no exception. I fill them in and enhance their shape using my MAC Lingering Eye Brow Pencil. This is one of my all time favourite brow products as it's a great colour for me and the pencil nib is really fine so it's easy to get precise results with it. I also use a clear brow gel to set the brow hairs in place. At the moment I'm using one from Anastasia.

For the eyes I like to keep it all matte, so those not in-the-know wouldn't even notice I'm wearing any eyeshadow. My Urban Decay Naked2 Basics Palette is a god-send for this kind of look as it's all neutral matte shades. I use the palest shade 'Skimp' all over my eyelids and up to my brow bone to help conceal any redness and even out any discolouration. Next I use a mix of the medium shades 'Frisk' and 'Cover' to define the contour of my eye by blending them into my socket line. Lastly using a small pencil brush, I work the darkest brown shade 'Undone' into my upper and lower lash line, creating definition and making the lashes appear more voluminous without having to use eyeliner. 

I finish off the eyes by curling my lashes using my Su Uemura Eyelash Curler (the best!) which helps to open up the eyes and instantly make you look brighter and more awake. For mascara, I like to use one that creates volume, but doesn't clump, keeping the look as natural as possible. My favourite one for this at the moment is Aerin's Lengthening & Volumising Mascara. I think out of everything, mascara is the most noticeable makeup item in this look, so if you want to skip applying it on the bottom lashes, that will help make it even less noticeable or if you don't want to wear any mascara at all, I would recommend getting your eyelashes tinted (especially great if you have blonde lashes like me!)

Last but not least for the lips, I use a natural balm to keep them hydrated and add a tiny bit of shine. I tend to change this up every time but today I used Suqqu's new Lip Concentrate Balm as my lips are a little dry and it's really thick and moisturising and it lasts for a good few hours on the lips.

Before...

After...

That's it for my 'No Makeup' Makeup Look, I hope some of you found this post useful. What do you think of the final look?

* Sponsored Post: Compensation was provided by Unilever Simple via Mode Media.  The opinions expressed 

herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Unilever Simple. 

"Simple has over 50 years heritage in caring for all skin types, even the most sensitive. Sensitive skin is not a skin type limited to a few people, we can all experience occasions where skin feels dry or irritated, sometimes when we least expect it. All Simple products contain triple purified water and only our purest possible, skin-loving ingredients with no artificial perfumes or colours. Our unique formulation helps to instantly hydrate reducing the potential for irritation. You can trust the natural goodness in all our products to care for even the most sensitive skin."

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