5 Beautifully Bare Makeup Looks to Try Now
5 Beautifully Bare Makeup Looks to Try Now
On the spring 2014 runways, one of the biggest beauty statements seemed to be making no statement at all. Complexions that appeared to be untouched ruled the catwalks from New York to Paris. How did the pros create a flawless face that comes across as au naturel? Here, we break down five different backstage techniques to perfecting the "no-makeup" makeup look.
Minimal Impact
For a designer who thrives on minimalism, it’s not surprising that Narciso Rodriguez sought an equally pared-down face to complement his clothes on the spring 2014 runway. To create the look, Shiseido artistic director Dick Paige concentrated on bringing features to life by working almost exclusively in creamy textures, “melting” a mix of cream shadow and moisturizer into the lash lines for a “natural shadow effect” and flushing cheeks with a few strokes of two lipstick hues to lend “color that didn’t read as color, but as natural.”
Get the Look
Paige played up a fresh flush by combining two lip shades, Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in Metalrose and in Hellebore (both available in spring 2014), and gently blending them into skin with “a slight emphasis on the apple.” To make eye makeup appear as if it were “leftover from the night before,” he combined Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Shoyu (available in spring 2014) with Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer, and brushed the transparent mixture into the upper and lower lash lines. To brighten eyes, Paige dabbed Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Yuba (available in spring 2014), a pale champagne tone, on the inner corners.
Key Products: Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer, $45; shiseido.com; Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in Metalrose and Hellebore, $25 each; shiseido.com; Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Color in Shoyu and Yuba, $25 each; shiseido.com
Bases Loaded
To glance at the finished makeup design at Emilio Pucci, you’d never know that backstage pro Lisa Butler employed a little bit of dark magic. She mixed a deep chocolate hue into the base to impart a “moody” effect and enhanced the contours of the lids and cheeks with a combination of beige and gray shades. “This is a strong girl who is naturally beautiful and doesn’t need makeup,” she said of the look. However, her brew of creamy foundation, highlighter, and lipstick certainly added an aesthetic dimension to the girls that they didn’t otherwise have.
Get the Look
To create her “moody” girls, Butler first matched M.A.C Face and Body Foundation to each model’s complexion, and then blended that shade with a darker Face and Body Foundation to add warmth to the skin tone. Rather than dim the entire face, Butler patted M.A.C Strobe Cream over the cheeks and bridge of the nose for lit dimension. The creamy taupe M.A.C In the Mode Lipstick (part of the Spring ’14 Trend Forecast Lip Palette, available in spring 2014) did double-duty: Butler rubbed it into the cheeks for a soft flush and then filled in the entire mouth to take down any natural red in the lips. As a finishing touch that didn’t feel too “done,” she blended wine New Groove (part of the Spring ’14 Trend Forecast Lip Palette, available in spring 2014) in the center of the lips, again playing with depth in the subtlest way.
Key Products: M.A.C Face and Body Foundation, $35; maccosmetics.com; M.A.C Strobe Cream, $32; maccosmetics.com
Arch Support
The barely there makeup design at Tanya Taylor’s spring 2014 show highlighted luminous skin capped off by perfected brows. “The look is so refined and chic—beautiful, polished skin with luminous cheeks, and a matte nude lip,” Nars makeup artist Uzo said. “The key to this look is really a sculpted and defined brow to give an air of sophistication.”
Get the Look
Uzo prepped each model’s skin for luminescence with NarsSkin Optimal Brightening Concentrate, and followed with a light application of Nars Sheer Glow Foundation. She then kissed the high points of the face with three different highlighters: Nars The Multiple in Copacabana, Maldives, and Nāpali Coast (available in spring 2014). She punched up the natural shape of the model’s arches with Nars Brow Perfector and then set them with Nars Oural Brow Gel.
Key Products: NarsSkin Optimal Brightening Concentrate, $72; nordstrom.com; Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, $44; nordstrom.com; Nars The Multiple in Copacabana, $39; beauty.com; Nars The Multiple in Maldives, $39; beauty.com; Nars Brow Perfector, $22; nordstrom.com; Nars Oural Brow Gel, $22; nordstrom.com
Skin Centric
It’s long been known that healthy, hydrated skin sets the perfect stage for the makeup that follows. But when the “no-makeup” makeup look is so completely bare, as was the case at Balmain, the dermis becomes the star. To prep skin for the big reveal, makeup artist Tom Pecheux treated models to mini facials backstage, massaging the face into a flushed picture of perfection. Then he went in with the ultimate product for evening the complexion: concealer. “It’s raw, natural beauty,” he said of the maxi-minimalist effect.
Get the Look
Pecheux layered skin-care products, combining Estée Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Moisturizer with Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging Cream to revive models’ complexions. To impart dewiness to the face, he patted on Estée Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher. Any problem spots received the lightest brush of M.A.C Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer with the teeniest brush that Pecheux chose specifically to ensure minimal coverage. Lashes, lids, and apples remained untouched, while lips got a dab of M.A.C Lip Conditioner for a moist, healthy appearance.
Key Products: Estée Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Moisturizer, $39; nordstrom.com; Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging Cream, $75; bergdorfgoodman.com; Estée Lauder Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher, $140; esteelauder.com; M.A.C Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer, $18; nordstrom.com; M.A.C Lip Conditioner, $15; maccosmetics.com
Dewy Beauty
For Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s spring 2014 presentation for their Elizabeth & James line, Avon global celebrity makeup artist Lauren Andersen created a natural look that we could see the founders themselves wearing. “It’s fresh yet sophisticated,” Andersen said of the dewy skin, glowing cheeks, and stain-bitten lips—a true trifecta of minimalist beauty.
Get the Look
To create the fresh-faced beauty look, Andersen used her fingers and a foundation brush to blend Avon Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage Liquid Foundation only where needed. She then dabbed a wet makeup sponge over the foundation to bring out a “natural dewiness” and lightly swiped Avon Smooth Minerals Powder Foundation in Transparent Glow onto the cheeks, brow bones, and nose. Andersen gave cheeks that “just-pinched” appearance by dabbing on Avon Ultra Color Lipstick in Carnation, keeping the color confined to the apples, and blending softly until it melted into the skin. To impart color to the mouth, she used her fingers to blot the same lipstick onto the center of the lips, patting it outward to create a natural-looking stain.
Key Products: Avon Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage Liquid Foundation, $11; avon.com; Avon Smooth Minerals Powder Foundation in Transparent Glow, $12; avon.com; Avon Ultra Color Lipstick in Carnation, $8; avon.com
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