The Tuesday Face : Naked Skin

Unless you've been living under a rock for the the past year, you'll know that the "no-make-up make-up" look is all the rage right now. Which is quite odd, if you think about it and consider the billions of over done, borderline drag looks that assail Instagram everyday (no hate, people, I like dramatic make-up too. Just not on a daily basis). From my understanding, a no-make-up make-up look is a way to say "I woke up like this" while secretly wearing a heavy load of products. The concept is to look "natural" but flawless. What's natural about that ? We all have our little flaws, hormonal spots, scars, freckles, beauty marks, and there's nothing wrong with that. In this look you can clearly see I'm wearing make-up, but believe it or not, there's very little of it. It took me around 8 minutes (brows are always a tedious process, whether you want to play it effortless-y or not) and it was awesome. I believe that if you use reliable products and put forward the right features, there's no need for an elongated routine - unless you enjoy it of course. I like to play with make-up too! But for those days you have to go to class, travel, or run errands and you're not feeling like going out with a bare face, this is a viable compromise. 

If you have particularly good skin, you can definitely get away with wearing a bit of concealer to the right places (we generally all have a bit of darkness at the inner corner of our eyes and some redness around our nose). If not, I'd recommend using a light-weight base such as a tinted moisturizer - it feels awesome and you don't have to think too much about it when you apply it - put it on like you would a moisturizer, massage it in and you're good to go! Next is blusher - no one should skip blusher. Bronzer, sure, if you feel like it (although I don't know many people who actually do? Beside me that is?) but everyone looks prettier, more alive with a hint of a flush. To get that youthful, glowy look I'd opt for a cream product, like I did here (if you have very oily skin, you may want to stick to powder though. You can always add some glow back in, but more on that later). I personally skipped bronzer but used a touch of contouring powder. This is up to you, but I will say that using one or the other will help to put forward your bone structure, and don't we all love a cheekbone? Again, totally optional. What isn't optional however, is brows. When you wear so little make-up, your brows just have to be there to frame your eyes and again, give your face some definition. You can tell I went all out with the highlighter (you definitely don't have to wear that much, I did so it would appear on the shoot). I'm forever amazed at what a different a little bit of sparkle can make. It suits everyone and is a nice way to add some wanted glow on an oily skin type. Similarly to the blush, I used a cream product here - I find it looks more natural as the product literally melts into the skin, whereas a powder highlighter can sometimes sit awkwardly on top of it if you're not careful. Always hit the highest points of your face (top of cheekbones, brow bone and cupid's bow should do). Now would be a good time to set your entire face if you need to and if not, to keep it to your T-zone - it's never good to glow there. One last step I'd recommend doing is curling your lashes. Even if you decide not to wear any mascara, curling your lashes will truly open up your eyes and make a difference (and that's coming from someone who never bought the eyelash curlers obsession, until about a year ago when I actually tried). Here I added a wash of colour to my eyelids, natural warm browns are ideal. Depending on what you prefer, you could go classic with a matte shadow, or like me chose one with a shimmer in it to get some extra dimension (fun fact, this wasn't actually an eyeshadow, but a highlighter. To hell with rules right?). I finished things off with a tinted lip balm too keeps things cosy and carefree throughout the day. 

What do you think of those minimal looks ? I find them quick, easy, and at times frankly liberating. Now, we'll all agree I most definitely did not wake-up like this but let me let you on a secret; no one does. Cindy Crawford said "Even I don't wake up looking like Cindy Crawford." See ? Even supermodels say so.

Base: Nars Pure Radiant tinted moisturiser in Finland, Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Diffused light, Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate in 01, Make-up Forever HD blush in 310 Eyes: Tom Ford Skin illuminating powder duo in Moonlight, Suqqu Brow pen in brown