Dressed down glam. Natural makeup. No makeup-makeup. Weekend makeup. For when you are relaxing, unwinding, chilling…. but still want *a bit* of face. This is pretty much my go-to daily makeup look. Nothing too arduous to apply, no faffy layering or structure, minimal use of brushes and the full face is done in under 10 minutes.
I, along with a helluva lot of makeup artist’s I know, am actually relatively lazy when it comes to my own face and doing my makeup. I want speed, quick results and to be honest, I have more important things to do than spending 30 minutes + on getting myself ready. The less brushes the better (I use an entire sum of 2 for this makeup) and anything that can be dabbed and blended with fingers is a plus.
Let’s get it straight : If I’m staying at home all day ; I’m in my dressing gown (house coat), slippers and not a scrap of makeup. This is for when you must (sigh) leave the house and face the big world world and look like you have your sh*t together, had your 8 hours of sleep last night and you drink 30L of water a day or something like that.
Base / Skin
I layer 2 products for that dewy, fresh skin look and feel. One thing I hate is my makeup to feel heavy, greasy or that I need to touch it up too much. I start with a few dabs of my new favourite, the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter* on my forehead, cheeks and chin. Before I have blended, I dab a few dots of the IT Cosmetics CC Illuminating SPF50 cream* and then I grab a buffing brush and blend it all in together. Always start off with little product and build it up if you need : to avoid that heavy finish. You still want skin and slight imperfections to show through as this isn’t a full coverage vibe. I then dab on my Perricone MD No Makeup Concealer under my eyes and anywhere else that needs a little more help. This brightens up my under eyes really well, but is infused with lovely skincare too, so it’s almost like a tinted moisturiser in concealer form.
To give me a flush of life and colour then I dab on some of the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge* (shade Pale Pink) with my fingertips and a swish of the PIXI Glow-y Gossamer duo highlighter* over the top to give a touch more radiance. Base done.
Brows
As always, I use Benefit for my brows. I skip on the eyeliner step for a more simple brow (I usually use pencil > liquid liner > brow gel for a super structured / perfect brow) and just use the Benefit Precisely My Brow to fill out the patchiness and give some shape and then a sweep of the Gimme Brow to give a bit of texture and volume.
Eyes
Eyes are super simple. First I use my highlighter brush which I used on my base and simply swish that all over both eyelids : usually I don’t have to re-dip as there will be enough excess product left on the brush. This gives a nice, fresh look on the lid and you don’t have to worry about placement or blending. To give depth and enhancement to my lashes I use the DHC Liquid Eyeliner EX* for a soft feline flick and smoke it out a little with the Kevyn Aucoin Basic Brown eyeliner. The Kevyn Aucoin eye pencils have been a favourite of mine for years, particularly this brown shade :they are soft and easy to blend plus I love the smudger on the other end to make quick work of smudging the liner. Curl the lashes then a couple of layers of Benefit They’re Real mascara for a separated, fluttery lash. I love Bad Gal Bang mascara for more drama and thickness but I find They’re Real is better for me when I want a more natural finish on my lashes.
Lips
For a barely there lip I go for a nude but slightly better. I line my lips with my all-time favourite, the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lipliner, and blend it slightly in over the lips to enhance the pink of the lips. I then finish with a slick of lipgloss and more often than not it’s the Kevyn Aucoin Tulapina which is a really soft, ethereal baby pink.
JOB’S A GOOD’UN.
What kind of makeup do you use for a pared down and easy look? Can you spot any of your favourites here? Let me know in the comments.
Products marked * are press samples.
