Top Tips for a Natural Makeup Look

When it comes to makeup, most people want to look like themselves with a bit of “pop” - not as if they have on gobs of makeup. Sometimes you may want drama, but on most days, if you’re like most people, you probably want to look like natural. Here are some of my top tips for your bringing out the natural you.

Face

If your skin is normal-to-dry or dry: 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

Use a sheer moisturizing tint such as Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 to smooth without looking like you put anything on. I recently did makeup for someone who doesn’t like makeup. Because I didn’t want to scare her I used this product, assuring her that she would not look like a “painted lady".  And because she actually liked it, I gave her a tube so she can use it every day for moisturizing benefits, and, more importantly, sun protection. As I keep saying, never leave the house without sunscreen. If you don’t want to use a tint, still use something that has a sunscreen. I am currently moisturizing with LaPrairie Crème Biologie Marine Avancee Jour SPF 20 under my foundation - I always make sure my moisturizer and foundation have sunscreen in case I missed applying somewhere.

Clean and Clear

If your skin is oily:

For especially oily skin, try an oil-absorbing powder in place of a foundation. And carry oil-blotting papers with you so you don’t have to keep reapplying – if you continually reapply, the powder might start to cake up and not look natural at all. On shoots I’ve been using Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets – they are affordable and great for every day too. Just press them right where you need to blot excess oil. I use these on set to keep people from looking shiny on camera.

Bare Minerals Warm Radiance

Cheeks

For the natural look (as seen here on Melinda), I used a soft reddish bronzer. If you’ve read my other articles, I don’t mean to bore you by recommending the same things over again – but I do love the tried and true and will only share the things I really like. This is bareMinerals Warm Radiance – the shade is so versatile I use it on almost all skin tones. It’s a loose powder so you have to be careful or it can make a mess - dip the brush in lightly and then tap off excess before application. bareMinerals recommends dipping the brush into the top cap to avoid getting too much product on the brush. It’s a definitely good tip. If you really prefer a pressed powder, I like Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder. (People also love Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact if you want some bronze sparkle.)

Eyes

For natural softness, use shades that blend into skin and hair tone. This is usually earthy shades, such as soft beiges, creams and browns (depending on your skin tone). Blend well.

Eye Shadow

• A soft beige eye shadow from lash to brow

• A soft rust shade in the outer corners (a rust accent complements Melinda’s hair color and pulls the makeup together.)

Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara

Eye Liner

I lightly applied brown eyeliner on top lash line. To keep it subtle, always apply right on lash line, not outside or inside of it. Staying on the lash line just makes lashes look a bit fuller.

Lashes

Try brown or black/brown mascara on top lashes only. I am still a big fan of Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara. It never clumps and always looks natural. I am also allergic to most mascaras but I can wear this one!

Brows

Clinique Brow Shaper is super-easy to use. The shades are subtle and it comes with a stiff brush that helps you shape without looking drawn on. Apply lightly and then step away from the mirror to make sure you’re using just enough product to lightly define brows.

Lips

For this shoot I used a sheer gloss with a tint. I like the non-sticky lightness of Clinique Almost Lipstick (one of their classic best-sellers and my favorite is a shade called Black Honey). I recommended it here as a Clinique Beauty Icon product.

The shades listed here work for most skin tones. If you have a deeper skin tone you can use the same shades, just with deeper pigment. For example, instead of brown use a black eye liner and mascara. In addition, use brands that have more pigment-rich colors in general, such as MAC, Stila or NARS. Viva au naturale!

MODEL IMAGE BY:

Photography, Chris Eckert

Model, Melinda Lennox

Hair, Kristan Serafino

Makeup, Robyn Tamura

Add a Little Drama

That would be makeup drama, I mean. Nothing stressful or upsetting. If you're already full of drama, maybe now just channel it into your eyes - your dramatic, smoky eyes. Beauty Editor Carly Cardellino of Cosmopolitan magazine asked me to share my best tips for a smoky eye. Check them out here on  Cosmopolitan.com.

Top 6 Things to Do About Your Dry, Chapped Lips

6. Avoid Super Long Wear. If you wear lipstick, don’t use one of those longwearing lipsticks that has a lip stain on one end and a moisturizer on the other. At least, I’ve not found one that works. Even with the moisturizing stick, lips still feel dry shortly thereafter so you have to keep using the moisturizer on top of the stain all day long. And I don’t even think the color ends up being super long wearing anyway. Or else I’d be wearing them. 5. Find a Moisturizing Lipstick. I personally hate reapplying lipstick so I wear the driest, most matte lipsticks that don’t ever come off. This causes people to constantly comment on what a great color I have on but that my lips look really dry. Which, again, if I have to trade one thing for another I’m not going to wear a lipstick I have to reapply over and over. The alternative for me is not wearing lipstick. But you, like most people, probably don’t have this hang-up. So find something really creamy and soft like Lancome’s L'Absolu Rouge.

4. Moisturize Nightly. Since I wear dry lipstick during the day, I moisturize at night. I like to use either Burt’s Bees Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter or Nivea Lip Care Essential. For some reason I discovered Nivea years ago in Dubai. It was in my hotel room or something and I had not had it before so I bought a whole bunch while I was there, only to realize we have it here. But since then I have loved many Nivea moisturizing products.

3. Exfoliate Lips. Use a gentle face scrub on your lips from time to time. I like Clinique 7-Day Scrub Cream because it has a cream base and small, perfectly round beads that are gentle and buff off dryness. Do not use a chemical/cream exfoliant on your lips unless a company says it’s OK - if it’s not specifically made for lips it can be irritating (or worse).

2. Use a Lip Balm with a Lip Pencil. If you can’t find a moisturizing lipstick that does it for you, use a moisturizing lip balm with a lip liner. First apply lip balm; then line and fill in lips so you can wear it all as your lip color. Apply the balm first or else the lip pencil will probably drag and pull on your dry lip skin.

1. Drink Lots of Water. Cure that dryness from the inside out. Eight 8oz. glasses daily are the recommended but I find that I do best with 12 (glasses a day). This makes my brother to warn me about hyponatremia (water intoxication that can be fatal) but I rarely achieve 12 glasses anyway. I know if I did my lips would be soft and supple every day – without ever having to use any lip balm.

Mwah!

Behind the Scenes: Emmelle Fall 2012

This is a photo shoot for Emmelle’s Fall 2012 collection. Designer Mi Jong Lee’s clothing is feminine and strong and I especially like her Asian inspired pieces. She is also a very nice person! To complement the styling, we started with a softer makeup look but then decided to make it more dramatic. Below is the look I started with (via iPhone pics below); the second is what you see here in the final images. For the final look I just applied deeper shades over the first. The model – Angelika – is quite fair so it didn’t take much to add drama.

Here’s what I used:

Skin. Foundation, concealers, powders should be invisible - used as sparingly as possible. Her skin was pretty even so I just used a concealer only where she needed it. But she wasn't going outside. For most people I recommend a sheer foundation with an SPF to make sure you get daily sun protection. My friend Mary swears by Jouer Illuminizing Moisture Tint. I once gave it to her and later found out how much she liked it when the product ran out and she called me, very concerned that didn't know where to get another one (I’ve only seen it in Bendels NYC and she lives in California . . . but to her relief she found it online). I've given Mary many products over the years and she is very discriminating so I am confident in passing on her recommendation.

Cheeks. I like powder blush because it’s easy to blend and if I need to adjust application, it’s also easier to blend off. In general, a good rule is to start with less - it’s always easier to add than subtract! Here I used Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Precious Posy. It’s one of my favorite shades because it’s soft and warm. And it’s kind of a happy color.

Eyes. For eye shadow, I used one of my favorite palettes from Prescriptives, which unfortunately is no longer a brand so you can’t buy it anymore. A similar shade combination of what I used is Clinique Eyeshadow Duo in Like Mink. It has a pale shimmery cream and a dark shimmery brown. I used the light shade all over lid and the darker shade from lash to crease. For more drama, I applied a MAC Eye Shadow in Carbon and smudged it on the lid and around the top and bottom lashlines. Then I added layers of Clinique High Impact Mascara.

Lips. I kept lips soft because the eyes were so strong. I have a Bobbi Brown lip palette that has something like 20 or 30 shades so I never remember the names, but I used a peachy gloss with a Clinique Lip Liner called Honeystick (Can you tell I've worked a billion years with Clinique? I first worked with Clinique in 1990, so I have a pretty good idea of what their products do and do not do. So, yes, listen to me. I know!).

Anyway, as usual we had fun! I especially like how bride of frankenstein beautiful Angelika looks here:

Photography by  Seiji Fujimori, Styling by David Yassky, Hair by Kristan Serafino, Makeup by me.

My Favorite Products Winter 2012

Since I work with so many different brands I am lucky enough to try and evaluate products on a regular basis. And, of course, I can't help myself and buy my own as well. So my list of favorites is always evolving as I discover new things, but these are my recent discoveries.

Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder

I recently used this on many different skin tones and was pleasantly surprised to see it truly was invisible. Products often say they are "invisible" but then they are only invisible on certain - usually light - skin tones. I have not yet tried this on very dark skin, but so far it has worked on every other skin tone.  It also not only looks invisible, it feels incredibly silky smooth. I was so happy to find this because I have to powder people all day long and I'm always carrying around different shades for different people. And if I powder too much the makeup often gets cake-y. Now I have this one!

Up & Up Cocoa Butter Lotion Deep Conditioning

I am an equal opportunity cosmetic user. I am discriminating but do not brand discriminate when something is good. If there's a deal to be had, I will have it. This cream is a generic Target brand. I have a 31.8 fl oz bottle that you can buy online for $3.49USD. (It says 30% more, although I do not know what it's measuring against.) My skin gets so dry in the winter that usually only the really thick creams make my skin comfortable - but they also make it greasy. This lotion is creamy and makes skin instantly comfortable. I also put some extra on my feet right after I crawl in bed so my feet are extra-soft in the morning.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Makeup SPF 10

So not only do I love Chanel packaging (who doesn't?) but their products are good too. I originally thought this foundation would be shimmery and sheer because the word "lumiere" made me think it would shimmer. It is actually lightweight like a sheer foundation, only with more coverage. It gives you that "I don't have makeup on" look, except your skin is more smooth and even. For that reason, I love it. And, if you can't or don't want to afford a Chanel bag, a little Chanel makeup is a nice mini-substitute. It's not inexpensive, but you do at least get what you paid for.

It's only January, so I expect I will find more favorite makeup gems. And when I do, you'll see them here too.

Get the J.Lo Glow!

One woman who wears makeup right is Jennifer Lopez. She is always glowing. Next time you're watching TV, look at people's makeup and compare the difference. For example, sometimes newscasters look orange or greyish or too pale (I know sometimes they have to do their own makeup so we can cut them slack, but take a look). Below are some things you can do to try on the glowy look as shown here. When J.Lo goes red-carpet-y and glamorous, she does it just right. The Look Basics

Blend well.  Makeup looks soft, with edges fading away. Here and elsewhere, her makeup is almost always well blended.

Skin looks natural. Her foundation is used to smooth and even her skin, and the shade gives her a slightly warmer look.  Again, the makeup is so blended and smooth it gives her a non-makeup-y glow.

Focus on eyes. The makeup draws attention to her eyes. Everything else is muted.

Face

Bronze. After foundation, apply bronzer at hairline, on forehead and down the sides of face. Bare Minerals Warm Radiance works on many skin tones for both men and women. It gives a touch of warmth without looking unnatural or orange-ish.

Brighten. Choose an under eye concealer that’s one shade lighter than your skin tone; blend under eyes to the tops of your cheekbones. This is what gives her that bright-eyed look. I like YSL Touche Éclat for this because it's so lightweight it doesn't look like you added a lot of makeup.

Flush. Use a soft pink cheek color, concentrating color on the apples of cheeks and up cheekbones. Blend so it fades away.

Eyes

Start with a pink base. Use a pink eye shadow all over eyelid, blend up to (but not on) brow bone. Make sure the pink is not too bright. It’s not a garish pink, it’s soft, slightly pink shade.

Use a plum shadow in crease. Apply a dark plum eye shadow at the base of lashes, in crease and blend up, fading into the pink.

Apply black eyeliner. Use a black kohl eye pencil on the inside and on lash line. Meaning, right next to the whites on the inner part of eyeline is lined black, as well as on the lash line.

Blend brown eye shadow slightly underneath the lash line. Blend a golden brown shade under the bottom lash line. Use a thin brush to smudge and blend.

Lashes. Her top lashes are long, even and perfectly separated—if you’re why wondering they’re so perfect, it’s because they’re falsies. If you’re feeling adventuresome, try falsies on your top lash line. If not, try Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Mascara in black.

Brows. Use a brow powder, such as Clinique Brow Shaper, to lightly fill in brow shape. It's easier to use a powder than a brow pencil. I always recommend filling in your natural brow shape…unless your brow shape is all over the place. If so, pluck the stray hairs around your brows first and then fill in.

Lips

Nude. Line and fill in lips with a light pink-beige pencil. Then use a matte lipstick of a slightly lighter shade, concentrating color on the middle of the lip. Look closely and you can see that the lipstick is slightly lighter and then blends out to a slightly darker lip line. You can also use a light, nude gloss on top for extra shine.

Voila. The J.Lo glow!