Photo Courtesy of MTV/Gaga’s Twitter
We here at Beautystat loved it when Lady Gaga tweeted a picture of herself wearing no makeup. While Gaga has the confidence to wear nothing at all, not all of us are so comfortable being so bold and bare faced. Read on as I talk a bit about my favorite products to achieve a natural, glowing, no-makeup makeup look!
There are certain staples to a glowing, beautiful complexion. Products I can’t live without include very good skin care, pencils/powder for brows, concealer, mascara, blush/bronzer and lipstick! And don’t forget that eye cream. No one likes to see dry, crepey undereyes.
First step involves preping the skin, I love to use Philosophy’s Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash ($25.00 – price ranges according to size). I love this product because it gives professional results. I can’t always afford to get microdermabrasion procedure done — and this product gives almost the same exact results. In thirty seconds, your skin is buttery soft and prepped for anything you put on your skin.
Next up, before I put on any concealer, or foundation, I can’t live without my Mally Beauty Perfect Prep Poreless Illuminating Primer ($35.00). I first tried this product this past Thursday, and let me tell you: I am NEVER leaving home without it! It really makes your skin poreless and primed! It also has a bonus, as Mally says, it helps to ‘bake’ skincare into your skin so you get maximum results. I had it on last night with just a little concealer and a gentleman told me I looked happy because I was glowing (thank you, MALLY!).
Last but not least: eye cream. My favorite is Benefit’s It’s Potent Eye Cream ($32.00). And boy is it potent! I’m not sure exactly what is in this product, but a little goes a long way. It banishes dark circles and illuminates the undereye while it moisturizes the entire eye area. If you suffer from lack of sleep, this is the eye cream for you. These products mentioned above will have you looking renewed and refreshed!
As for makeup, I can’t leave my house without doing my eyebrows. If you use pencil or powder, finished eyebrows help to lift the entire eye area. Why get an eye lift? This alternative is not only cheaper, but is quicker. A word to the wise, make sure the shade is lighter than your hair color; you don’t want Groucho Marx brows now, do you? For example, I would have a lot of Asian clientele, and just because their hair is black you definitely don’t want to do black eyebrows. The Brow Kit Powders ($45.00) from Bobbi Brown have a wonderful shade range that lift the eye area all while looking natural.
If you don’t want to use a powder and brush another alternative comes in a pencil form. I love Chanel’s Crayon Sourcils Sculpting Eyebrow Pencils ($29.00), because they have a handy brush on the other end so you can brush your brows upwards. However, if you want a slightly less expensive pencil, I also love to use Make Up For Ever’s Eyebrow Pencil ($18.00). Their pencils are extra long and come in a great shade range as well. If you have veins on your lids and you want to even out that area Illamasqua has a fantastic Cream Pigment ($24.00) shadow in Hollow that is so natural and makes your lids look evenly toned.
Next up, concealer and powder. A great multi-use product for foundation and concealer is Bobbi Brown’s Foundation Stick ($41.00). I use this all the time in my bridal kit. I love that you can layer it to get the coverage you desire. It’s great for undereyes — due to the soft texture, it won’t crease. To set your skin, as I have mentioned before, use Mally Beauty Evercolor Poreless Face Defender ($40.00). It sets your makeup, letting your natural skin tone shine through.
Three more steps to achieving a natural look include the use of some mascara, bronzer and lipstick! First off, CURL YOUR LASHES! It opens up the eye area, and helps your peepers look their best. A great mascara to top it all off is Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara ($20.00) It doesn’t clump and you can layer it to get fuller lashes. As for curlers, the best is of course Shu Uemura’s Eyelash Curler ($20.00) — accept no substitutes. For natural shading and a wash of sun-kissed color Nars Bronzing Powder ($34.00) in Laguna is a great one. It has a slight shimmer, but you won’t look as if your heading to the disco; it will enhance your glowing, natural look. And it lasts forever.
Last but not least are the lips!!! For the natural look I tend to skip lip liner, but if you need the extra definition here are a few that are universally flattering: Nars Lipliner Pencil in Morocco ($22.00), Lancome Le Lipstique in Bronzelle ($24.50) and Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Natural Lips ($20.00). To top off this look you can either use lipstick or lip gloss depending on what finish you like. I like to have lots of options, but one of my favorites for lips is Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Buff ($23.00) — a nice pinky shade that enhances your natural lip tone. And for lipstick I like the Laura Mercier Sheer Lip Colours ($22.00) in Bare Lips, Baby Lips and Tender Lips. They remind me of my nieces’ lips, perfectly rosy!
So there you have it, my take on a soft, natural no makeup look inspired by the fearless Lady Gaga.
So, tell me…are you going to be rocking a no-makeup look this week?
– Erin Sutera, senior writer and makeup artist
For more giveaways and contests, sign up for our newsletter HERE.
If you like this post, share it with your friends and give it a LIKE on Facebook.
