How To Wear Makeup Without Looking Like It

As a makeup artist, you might think that I wear a ton of makeup. The answer is no. I love to wear my makeup so that it covers my flaws, but I still look like myself. The best way to describe it is, I like to look like the best version of myself. I think creating the perfect makeup look all starts with the skin. Use a good skincare routine and become diligent about taking good care of your skin and you’ll be on your way to your best makeup days ever. In order to achieve the, “I’m wearing makeup, but don’t look like it” look, you have to start with the basics of skincare. You can find out all about my skin routine here.

There are certain products you need to use to look like you have effortless, impeccable skin. If you’re wondering about the type of look I’m talking about, here it is:

I’m absolutely obsessed with Lauren Conrad’s makeup style. She is such a minimalist when it comes to her makeup. She looks casual, chic and cool. If you think for one second though that she just isn’t wearing makeup and is blessed with naturally radiant, flawless skin, you’re wrong. She is absolutely wearing makeup. She has just mastered how to apply it without looking like pancake face.

I’m going to show you the necessities to master this look. Even though it may look like Lauren just has a little lip gloss and eyeliner on, there is actually quite a bit more that goes into achieving this look. Here are the things you will need:

1. Foundation:

You have to achieve an even skin tone and hide your imperfections. Start with a foundation that gives you the amount of coverage you need. You don’t want to choose one too heavy, otherwise you risk losing the all-natural look we’re going for. Try a few samples from Sephora to see what works for you and what you feel comfortable with. Recently I’ve been on a foundation sampling frenzy and I’m currently loving this foundation from Lorac. It gives me the perfect amount of coverage for my skin.

Lorac Natural Performance Foundation, $36 at Ulta

2. Bronzer:

Lauren has a bronzed look to her skin, but it’s not too over the top. You need to create a little contour to your skin. Sweep some bronzer on your forehead, cheeks and jawline. I’m in love with this bronzer from NARS:

NARS Bronzer in Laguna, $34 at Sephora

3. Highlighter:

Highlighting is the key to giving your skin back the radiance it naturally emits. Dust a highlighter on top of your cheekbones to give your skin the radiance you see celebrities with in pictures. Everyone wants this look. I call it the J. Lo glow:

Who wouldn’t want to look like this?

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle, $34 at MAC stores

4. Eyeliner:

Eyeliner is something I have mixed feelings about. Everyone always thinks it’s strange that I NEVER line my bottom lash line. This is actually my secret to looking like I’m not wearing a lot of makeup. I love the definition that lining my top lid gives me, but once I put it on the bottom I feel like the whole look of my makeup changes. It looks like voilà, I’m definitely wearing makeup. If I’m doing a smokey eye though, I’ll definitely line underneath. If you notice in the picture, Lauren only has liner on the top. They have applied a bronze shadow underneath to give it a glowy feel. I love powder eyeliners because they tend to look a little more natural and you can get them really close to the lash line. Here is one of my favorites from Bare Escentuals:

Bare Minerals Powder Liner Shadow in Onyx, $14

5. Groomed Brows:

Groomed brows help to make you look polished. Make sure you remove any stray hairs. You can do this in form of waxing, tweezing or threading. My absolute favorite brow gurus are Anastasia of Beverly Hills. They have this counter at your local Nordstrom. They shape your brows into the perfect shape for your face. They’re wonder women! Unless you are blessed with perfectly full, shapely brows, you may need to fill them in a bit. I prefer a powder, over a pencil,  to fill in my brows because I think it looks more natural.

Anastasia Brow Powder, $22 at Nordstrom

6. Lips:

Lips are the finishing touch for this look. Unless you put something on your lips, you don’t look completely finished. Apply a gloss, or a nude lipstick. Here is one of my favorite nude lipsticks. You can also find it featured in this post:

MAC Lipstick in Honeylove, $15 at MAC stores

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What do you think about the minimal makeup look? What celebrity do you think wears this look the best?

Summer Makeup Essentials Part 2

I have so many favorite summer makeup products that one post just wouldn’t cut it. Here are the rest of my essentials for long-lasting and flawless summer makeup:

1. Tinted Moisturizer:

A tinted moisturizer can completely replace your foundation if you’re comfortable with a sheer coverage. I, on the other hand, still use a light coverage foundation on top of my tinted moisturizer because I have minor skin imperfections. If you are blessed with great skin, a tinted moisturizer is all you will need in the summertime. Tinted moisturizers do exactly what they sound like they do. They tint the skin, covering discolorations slightly, and moisturize. If you decide to strictly use a tinted moisturizer, make sure it has a high SPF of 30+.  A  great money-saving trick I love is to use your daily foundation and your daily moisturizer and mix equal parts together to make your own version of a tinted moisturizer. It works just as well. I have finally found the ultimate tinted moisturizer I’ve been searching for:

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30, $42 at Nordstrom

This moisturizer gives great coverage, while still letting your natural skin show through. I absolutely love the texture and feel of it. It leaves my skin feeling very hydrated and not tacky, like some tinted moisturizers tend to. It has a long list of luxurious ingredients that actually help to improve your pigmentation after 4 weeks of use. I’ve tried a lot of tinted moisturizers and this one exceeded all of my expectations, so it will stand alone on my list of favorites. In fact, this product is so good that it’s what Gwyneth Paltrow wore at the Golden Globes this year.

2. Bronzer:

It wouldn’t be summer without bronzer. Summer is the only time of the year you can get by with looking like a bronzed goddess without being questioned if you just came back from an exotic vacay. With that being said, bronze away! While the sun is one of my favorite things, I prefer not to lay out in it because of its harmful effects, so I definitely put my bronzers and self-tanning creams to good use in the summertime. One of my least favorite things in a bronzer is one with an underlying orange tint. If you’re trying to be cast as the latest Jersey Shore housemate these bronzers are NOT for you:

NARS Bronzer in Laguna, $34 at Department Stores

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder with Real Cocoa, $29 at Sephora 

Bare Escentuals Warmth, $19 at BareEscentuals.com 

3. Bright Pink Lips:

Bright pink and fuchsia lips happen to look amazing with muted down makeup and luminous summer skin. In the summer, keep it easy and choose one focus point or just keep everything simply neutral. My lovely cousin Arantha, author of the blog Gourmet Beauty, recently did a post on fuchsia lips. You can view her favorite colors here. One of the colors she has recently recommended on her blog has become one of my new daily favorites!  These colors are very stylish and fun this season, so give them a try!

Nicki Minaj for MAC Viva Glam, $14.50 at MAC stores

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Candy Pink, $8.99 at drugstores

4. Finishing Mists

I am in love with finishing mists. One of my favorite things about them is they feel refreshing, like you’re giving thirsty skin a drink of water.  They  set your makeup and give it staying power. It’s Indy 500 week here in Indianapolis and for those of you that don’t know, that means a long, 90 something degree day in the direct sunlight. My makeup has to withstand the heat and also last for hours. These products will help it to do just that:

Urban Decay All Nighter, $29 at Sephora

MAC Fix+, $20 at MACCosmetics.com

Are there any essentials you must have for summertime? Everyone have a safe & happy Memorial Day!