The minimal makeup style doesn’t leave you bare, but it keeps your look natural. Using color shades that are slightly lighter and slightly darker than your skin tone, a nude makeup style will provide just enough definition to highlight your features.
When done right, this barely-there look is subtle and stylish. But don’t let the subtlety fool you into thinking that it doesn’t take some effort. In the tutorial below, we’ve broken down the steps on how you can achieve the flawless look of nude makeup.
Prime Eyelids: Start by priming your eyelids. This will enhance the eyeshadow colors that you use and it will keep your makeup looking good all day long. Here, we’re using Urban Decay Eye Primer.
Eyeshadow Base: Using an eyeshadow that closely matches your skin color or is slightly lighter, cover your entire eyelid with a base coat to create a clean canvas. Here we’re using a Wet ‘n Wild Blending Brush with the Morphe 350M Nature Glow Matte Eyeshadow Palette.
Define The Eyelid Crease: Using a nude eyeshadow tone, define the crease of your eyelid. Start by applying shadow directly to the crease, and then blend it out and up. Repeat this process until the crease is noticeably defined. We’re using the same brush and eyeshadow palette from the last step.
Lower Eyelid: Using a nude color that’s two or three shades darker, apply eyeshadow on to the lower lid between the lash line and the crease. Blend up into the crease to create a smooth transition. We used the same Morphe 350M Palette, but we switched to a flat eyeshadow brush from Urban Decay like the UD Pro.
Lower Lash Line: Using your flat eyeshadow brush, apply the same color that you used in the previous step along your lower lash line.
Mascara: Define your lashes with a black mascara like the Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara that we’re using here.
False Eyelashes: Apply false lashes to further draw attention to your eyes.
Line Lips: Now switch to your lips and line the edges using a warm nude color such as the Kylie Cosmetics Pencil Lip Liner in Hazel that we’re using here.
Lipstick: Fill in your lips using a similar shade to the liner. We used the Kylie Cosmetics Matte Liquid Lipstick in Hazel.
Lip Gloss: Add some shine to your lips with lip gloss. Here, we’re using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in the color Gilded.
Doesn’t this nude makeup style look so good? The contrast of the matte finish on your eyes with the high gloss of your lips creates interest and adds dimension to your look. Even though it looks natural, it certainly doesn’t look boring.
It’s a perfect look for daytime. But it also looks good for a night out.
Interested in learning more about makeup techniques and styling hair? Check out the Ogle School Blog for more tutorials, or consider the Ogle School Esthetics Program where you can become a professional makeup artist in less than five months.
