What’s your beauty comfort zone? Most of us have one, whether we realize it or not — the exact makeup combo (or lack thereof) that makes us feel most like ourselves. For me, it’s a defined eye (no such thing as too much mascara for this girl!) with a pinky-nude lip. Though I love a bold red lipstick on other people, I’ve got to admit that when I try to pull it off, I feel a bit like I’m playing dress-up. The thing that I love about having a signature look is that I can speed through my makeup routine in the morning, and then feel comfortable enough to not give it another thought the rest of the day. The downside? It can get boring… and nothing feels more fresh for fall than experimenting with a new look! In that spirit, I decided to take a bright lip color for a test drive, and pair it with skin that looks fresh (though as you’ll see, it’s not completely bare) and an eye that’s a little more naked than what I usually go for. And I’ve got to say, I loved wearing this look! Keep reading for the tutorial, and I’d love to hear in the comments — how do you shake up your beauty routine when you need a fresh look?
photos by Kristen Kilpatrick
SUPPLIES:
- sheer-to-medium coverage liquid foundation (I used Yves Saint Lauren Le Teint Touche Éclat)
- cream eyeshadow in a nude shade (I used bareMinerals BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow)
- cream concealer (I used Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer)
- loose powder with a luminous finish (I used Smashbox Halo Perfecting Powder)
- large fluffy powder brush
- bronzing powder (I used Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess)
- dark brown or black eyeliner pencil, very sharp (I used Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil)
- black mascara (I use Loréal Paris Voluminous Butterfly Mascara)
- brow pencil (I used Estée Lauder Automatic Brow Pencil Duo)
- brow gel (I used Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel)
- bright lipstick in a hot pink shade (I used bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Risk it All)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Using fingers, apply a light layer of foundation all over moisturized skin, starting in the center of the face and working out. I like the way that fingers warm up the product and help it glide on smoothly. Make sure that it’s thoroughly blended, especially around the hairline, jawline, and nostrils where product tends to pool.
- Apply a cream eyeshadow in a peachy-nude shade to even out the eyelid, blending from lash line up to brow bone. A BB eyeshadow like the one I used stays in place and won’t crease.
- If you need a little coverage under the eyes, use fingers to dab a small amount of cream concealer on lower lid. The key here is to use as little as possible to cover dark circles without feeling cakey or heavy.
- Swirl a large fluffy brush in powder, then tap against the side of the compact so that any excess falls off. Swipe powder along the t-zone and swirl a little on cheeks and chin, just to eliminate shine and set the rest of your makeup. Then swirl brush in bronzer and apply to apples of cheeks, across nose, and forehead for a sun kissed look.
- Using an eye pencil with a very sharp point, trace the thinnest line possible into the outer corner of the upper lash line. The key here is that you’re going for the “no eyeliner” look, so you want to actually draw the line into the lashes so it just makes your lash line look naturally thicker. Focusing just on the outer edges makes eyes look larger and more awake. Finish with one coat of black mascara; wiggle wand through lashes from root to tip to make lashes look naturally full, but not clumpy.
- Use a brow pencil to fill in any gaps in brows, then use a clear brow gel to brush brow hairs up and into place. This does more than anything else to make your “natural” look feel polished!
- Finally the pièce de résistance: using a moisturizing lipstick in a bright pink shade (this one is my fave!), glide over lips. You want to capture that French girl imperfect look, so don’t worry if the edges are soft. Use a tissue to blot excess color off, slick on one more layer of lipstick and gently blot. Trés Chic!
