The no-makeup makeup look, also sometimes called “natural makeup” or “natural beauty makeup,” is an approach to makeup that’s all about letting your natural features shine through, using minimal products to really showcase your own beauty. This has become one of the most popular makeup trends of the 2020s, with many beauty products and skin prep options available for people of all “no-makeup” needs. If you’re looking to get this unique look, here are five steps to take so you can get it.

Step 1: Skincare

Start your look with skincare. Natural skin should look moisturized and well cared for, as that will help you avoid the need for fuller coverage in future steps. Build your own skincare routine depending on the issues you’re dealing with, whether that’s dark circles, oily skin, uneven skin tone, dry skin, or even tired skin, which can have a combination of these factors. Your choices may include glow mists and hyaluronic acid.

Step 2: Concealer

Use concealer sparingly for this specific approach to beauty. Remember, you want to give the appearance of skin that’s untouched, so covering up every single pore and wrinkle shouldn’t be the goal. Instead, you just want a bit of coverage in the places where you feel like you need it the most. Your concealer should work to create the appearance of moisturized skin, and it should be exceptionally close to your natural skin tone.

Keep an extremely light touch when it comes to concealer. You can also use a beauty blender to blend out harsh lines between the concealer and the rest of your face.

Step 3: Foundation

Next is foundation. More so than potentially any other makeup style, foundation is completely up to personal taste in this natural makeup style. There are generally two paths people take for foundation in this style.

The first path is a more traditional foundation path. There are multiple types of coverage foundations, including light coverage, medium coverage, and full coverage. Some styles provide what they call “buildable coverage,” where you can start very light and move to more complete coverage. With the variety of shades available, if you can find something exceptionally close to your skin tone, it can be completely worth it to go for one of these options. This is especially true with a dewy foundation, which often provides more of a natural glow than other liquid foundation options.

The other path is to use a moisturizing skin tint, BB cream, tinted moisturizer, or other tinted options. These are exceptionally lightweight and therefore provide substantially less coverage. However, “less coverage’ might be exactly what you want when it comes to a no-makeup makeup look to bring out your natural beauty. You may even be able to forgo the beauty sponge for your hands, as many of these formulations are made to be rubbed in rather than patted in with a beauty sponge.

This is also where you’ll add a bit of blush, highlighter, and bronzer shades if you think you need them. It pays to have an exceptionally light hand here. You’re just trying to restore the bit of glow that your foundation may have taken away. Use only enough to make the look appear natural, and blend it out for beautiful coverage.

Step 4: Eyeshadow

Eyeshadow may not be something you think of when it comes to this no-makeup makeup look. However, many people give a subtle highlight in nude tones to their eyeshadows when it comes to this style. Sure, you’ll likely want to stay away from any pop of color unless you want it to seem like your eyeshadow is the only component you actually worked on. However, a touch of shimmer is a great option.

Most people use a brown or beige eyeshadow that’s one or two shades darker than their skin tone. This provides some much-needed depth to the eyes, especially considering that you’re going to be removing that natural color if you have a more full-coverage foundation on. A beige eyeliner pencil or brown eyeliner pencil will often look more natural than black eyeliner. If you’re using black eyeliner, keep it offset right around the eyes.

Mascara can also be an important step here. Just make sure you’re using a lightweight mascara that doesn’t clump. Some volumizing mascaras can help if you have very light eyelashes.

Step 5: Lips

Choosing the right lip style for the no-makeup makeup look can be tricky. A lip balm, especially a tinted balm, can be a great way to cap the look off, making you look natural while also giving your appearance some subtle color. However, others can sometimes go for a nude lip, which can provide you with great coverage and slightly more color choices.

Dazzle in the Best Neutral and Natural Styles

If you’re someone who likes the appearance of skin in its natural state, but you still want to do a little bit of extra work with it, a no-makeup makeup look can be amazing. It gives you access to the natural color and appearance of skin while also providing you with a canvas to work a bit of magic on. Whether you’re just interested in learning to do more with skin tint or you want to make a bold and bright statement, the cosmetology program at Ogle School can help you pursue a career with these skills.