Waiting on spring!
It’s always kinda amusing to me when I view a tutorial for “skin that looks like skin,” or “effortless foundation,” and it involves, like, 12 steps to get there!
I know, I know! It comes with the territory of doing makeup. but still. ?
ADVERTISEMENT
Admittedly, I’m guilty of over-complicating makeup on occasion (*cough* sorry! *cough*), but in some cases I really do just want easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, and this three-step process to a sheer, fresh base is exactly that.
The goal here? A low-effort base that looks natural and polished, with a few areas of strategically placed slightly dewy (but not shiny) finish peeking through. Please bear in mind that this type of base will not completely cover everything. Yes, we’re purposefully letting lots of actual skin show.
You’ll need…
Three is the magic number here, starting with how much time you’ll need.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cats & makeup Sweatshirt ??
$42
Shop Now
About three minutes.
Also, you’ll need the following…
An opalescent, low-shimmer highlighting lotion, ideally one without any bits of glitter in it
A sheer-to-medium-coverage stick or cream foundation that works for your skin type and tone
A synthetic blending brush
The step-by-step
First, dab a few dots of the pearly lotion all over your face, and blend. I like to include a few dots below my eyes to lift and brighten that area. After blending all of your dots, wait about a minute for your pearly lotion set.
Apply the foundation you selected wherever you want the highest coverage. gently press and blend it in with clean fingers (ideally, your fingers ought to be warm for this, and not freezing cold like my fingers get sometimes). I usually do my cheeks, underneath my nose, around my mouth, and in the center of my forehead. This ought to take just about another minute.
Gently diffuse the edges of your foundation with the blending brush, perfectly blending the foundation into your natural skin. The trick is to not lift off and remove too much product here. That is, you do want some coverage, after all, so use a light touch.
Optional: dab some concealer under your eyes, and I’d suggest something sheer because a full-coverage concealer will look disjointed alongside such a sheer base.
Additional optional step: set your foundation with a sheer powder (I typically skip this step).
Here’s a closeup of the base! As you can see, there are a few freckles on my nose and a few places where a little pigmentation is peeking through above my upper lip and on my cheeks, which I’m completely amazing with. like I said, this is the type of makeup that isn’t implied to fully conceal everything.
Well, hi there!
See the freckles on my nose?
What to pair this base with
If you want to keep it casual and underdress this base, you could pair it with a combination of brow gel, mascara and eyeliner, but for a little extra polish, you could dress it up like I did here by pairing it with something like a cool-toned olive and taupe on the lids, a matte rosy blush on the cheeks and a light pinkish brown lipstick.
Swatches of the essential eye, cheek and lip products
Featured products I’m wearing on my eyes, cheeks and lips
Product links
What I’m wearing
MAC Strobe cream in Pinklight
MAC studio fix Soft Matte foundation in NC42
PYT No BS palette in Cool
Chanel Espresso eyeliner
Laura Mercier rose blush
Laura Mercier beige Intime lipstick
Lancome Lash Idole mascara
Urban Decay Brow Blade in Dark Drapes
MAC clear brow gel
Additional pearly/low-shimmer highlighting lotion options
Similar | BECCA Backlight Primer
Similar for less | L’Oréal studio secrets Magic Lumi Light Infusing primer
Additional stick or cream foundation options:
Similar cream, in a pan | Kjaer Weis cream Foundation
Similar cream, in a stick | hourglass Vanish
Similar cream stick foundation for less | Maybelline very stay Multi-Use foundation Sticks (you might have better luck with it than I do)
Similar cream in a pan for less | truthful charm everything cream Foundation
Synthetic blending brush options:
I used | real techniques expert face Brush
Similar | The hourglass Foundation/Blush brush No. 2
Similar for less | e.l.f Selfie foundation Brush
ADVERTISEMENT
Your friendly neighborhood charm addict,
Karen
P.S. pleased Tuesday! ?