No-Makeup-Makeup/Saturday-Day-Makeup

To follow up my makeup ideas for fun in the sun (i.e. primer and waterproof), I'd like to give some tips and ideas on how to create an easy, natural, minimalist look that can help polish up a little bit.

It's no secret that I love makeup, but to be honest, I don't love having to have on a full face at every waking moment. At the same time, I don't usually like to be completely without any makeup either. And while Dominic does have an appreciation for me wearing makeup, if I were to put on a full face of makeup on a Saturday afternoon, I'd get laughed at. (I'd laugh at me, too.) Understandibly so, given that our typical Saturday day consists of doing laundry, washing cars, and running errands.

So then what's the happy medium? What do you do when you want to look like more than you just rolled out of bed and shampooed and look less like your about to go to prom? I've come up with a makeup look that I would like to think of as either my no-makeup-makeup or my Saturday-day-makeup look.

(I'll be giving a number of different options and talking about a variety of products, so that you can figure out what works best for you, your features, and with what you already have. I'm not intending to imply that you go out and get or use every product or tip here to create your 'no-makeup' look, just trying to give lots of different options.)

So my theory behind the this look is that it polishes you off just a little bit. It's what I said, I personally don't enjoy looking like I only got out of bed and showered, but I also don't necessarily want people to say, "Oh, yes, Daisy will even wear makeup to go to a garage sale". So then, a look that uses minimal product, natural colors, and tones down the sparkle, makes sense. Using the right products, in the right places will cut down on time and effort, looking more natural.

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Before you start...
When you wash your face that morning, be sue to do a little exfoliation. Use a face sponge, a washcloth, or an exfoliating cleanser and scrub off all that dead skin you don't need any more! This will brighten you up.

Where to begin? With primer!
Like I discussed in another posting, using a primer will fill in your pores and fine lines, giving a more even appearance to your skin. This is one of the primary purposes of using a liquid foundation, but liquid foundation can be time consuming, heavy, and sometimes obvious, especially in the summer. So using a primer alone gives some of the benefits that you would get with a liquid. Also, some primers have little light deflecting particles/sparkes, that help even out reddness. This alone, even though transparent in color, will take the edge off of uneven skin tone or, even to some extent, blemishes.
Suggested Product: Avon Magix

Next... powder.
I would recommend using either a transparent mineral powder or transparent finishing powder. Sometimes I use both together (mineral then finishing). This, again, will make your skin look more even, but without looking like you have on heavy makeup. I would say, unless you can do a very sheer application avoid using a regular mineral foundation. Using a transparent powder, finishing or mineral, will, logically, look a lot more natural, but still let you feel like you're a little more pulled together.
Suggested Product: Prescriptives * magic liquid powder (Yes! It's worth the moolah!)
Suggested Product: Avon Smooth Minerals Ideal Shade Mineral Makeup in Transparent Glow

After that, comes cheeks.
Again, I want you to keep in mind, that I'm not saying that you need to do every one of these steps, just that some combination of these can make up your no-makeup-makeup look. So, if you have a lot of natural color in your cheeks, then skip doing cheeks! If you're looking a little bit like a brand new coloring book, then go ahead and do a little bit of blush. Pick whatever looks most natural on you. For example, I seem to look more natural with a cream blush, in a color that's in the berry family. Momzy looks more natural with a warmer pink in powder form. Everybody is a little bit different here.
(Tip: Look at the color of the inside of your mouth, or tounge, or your lips after you bite them. Chances are, you want a color in that family.)
(Remember: If you're applying a cream blush, you'll want that to come before any powder, so switch the order of the steps.)
(Another option: If you have time, or have the natural color already, consider applying a highlighting powder to the tops of your cheekbones or the apples of your cheeks, depending on your facial structure.)

Then comes lips.
The main key here is to think sheer and pretty clear. Don't wear a lipstick on this day. Ditch the heavily tinted lip glosses. Maybe just apply a decent coating of chappy. I would say that a tinted chapstick is even better. Avoid sparkle on the lips; sparkle will make your lips look makeup-y. If you have a nice clear, or very sheer tinted gloss, that is good too.
Suggested Product: Burt's Bees Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil
Suggested Product: mark Glossblossom Ripening Lip Tint

Lastly, eyes.
Don't foget about eyes. One of the quickest ways to brighten up eyes, is by using an eyelash curler. I know some people hate them, but I think their great. It's a no-makeup way to make your eyes look bright and pretty. What I most often do for super light eye makeup is use a sheer highlighting powder, either in a matte just a little lighter than my skintone or a something with a very light shimmer, and dust it on the top of my brow bone, under the arch of my eyebrow, and in the corner of my eye, by the tearduct. Then, curl and mascara.

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That's about it. I hope this was helpful. And yes, haha, I know this was a long write up for a look on how to do just a little bit of makeup. But good luck and let me know if you have any questions at all.