After clocking approximately 7452 hours practising my cut creases, carving my contour, and perfecting winged liner—it’s with great irony that my approach to makeup today takes the exact opposite philosophy. Now: I’m all about extreme simplicity. Obscenely lightweight formulas and a Less Is More mantra, with the goal of looking like I’m not wearing anything at all.
No-makeup makeup is an equilibrium that gets you looking like yourself—just a smidge better. You—but with a healthy flush on your cheeks, your eyebrows wrangled to obedience, and those dark circles undetectably colour corrected.
It’s the cheat code to looking like you have your shit together—without exerting too much elbow grease over the vanity.
If I Wear Makeup, I’m Probably Doing Something Like This:
Step 1: Very Glowy Primer
I stand by primers, always have. They’re so easy to use, and they’re so worth it. Why people don’t bother spending 30 seconds to apply something that will give 10x the makeup longevity. I opt for a few pumps of Very Glowy Primer for a visible, all-day luminosity, and makeup that sticks.
Step 2: Sheer, Fresh Base
I massage in Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint with the Rae Morris Jishaku #23. We’re evening things out rather than covering things up so I use light layers and only where I need it.
Step 3: Colour Correct
I then tap Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish (Medium) under the inner corners of the eyes and over any stubborn shadows or redness. Tiny amounts. It’s just a mute button to any unwanted dark circles that tend to scream: ‘I slept a grand total of 4 minutes last night.’
Step 4: Brows That Still Look Like Brows
After surviving the thin-arched, tadpole brows of the noughties, I keep brows simple and natural. Light strokes of Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil to fill gaps. Brush up and set with Kosas Air Brow Clear Lifting Gel. Fluffy, feathery, and tidy.
Step 5: Soft Cream Bronzer
Warm things up with a cream bronzer like Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer or the Westman Atelier one. Just where the sun actually hits: Forehead, cheeks bone, a whisper on the bridge of the nose and jaw.
Step 6: Cream Blush
Cream or liquid blush always. Lately, I’ll dab our Pop Matte Blush on my cheeks for a matte, ninetiest-esc look. I reach for our Glowy Blush when I want a fresh wash of luminous cheek colour that stays put. The delightful, serum-y texture blends like a dream and wakes my face up instantly.
Step 7: Strategic Shimmer
Press a melt-into-skin highlighter (like Ring Light—a microdot is all you need) on tops of cheekbones, brow bones, and cupid’s bow for that delightful lit-from-within hint of healthy radiance.
Step 8: Lastly: Lashes
Curl if you can be bothered, then do one fine coat of Kevyn Aucoin The Volume Mascara or Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions. Wiggle at roots, blink through. Just for a bit of definition, not high drama.
Comments