There’s a Specific Equation Behind Natural-Looking Makeup—6 Ways Pro Artists Master the Formula
Whether you give natural-looking makeup a try to embrace the fresh and simple looks inspired by the warmer months of the year, or as a way to streamline your beauty routine during the latter half, there’s no denying that it’s one of the most versatile ways to approach makeup. I’ll be the first to admit that as a beauty editor, I thoroughly enjoy discovering new ways to elevate my makeup routine without worrying about a trend going stale just as I’m investing in the products to give it a try.
Even before landing on its official name, I gravitated towards timeless makeup like on the daily, so it just made sense to attempt. If you’re as interested in mastering the natural-looking makeup as I am, read the six major expert-approved tips and tricks on how to create it, then scroll ahead to take a close look at some of my favorite recent takes on natural-looking makeup from makeup artists and makeup-savvy celebrities.
What is natural-looking makeup?
Natural-looking makeup enhances your natural face shape and features using what’s widely considered to be subtle application techniques, product shades, and textures. Timeless and versatile, natural makeup looks are often popularly referred to as “no makeup” makeup in media and is beloved for its simplicity. Remember the “clean girl” beauty inspiration that flooded social media last year? This easy-to-recreate trend embraced natural-looking makeup while leaning into lifestyle-driven aesthetics.
Makeup artist Michelle Waldron tells us the key to accomplishing natural-looking makeup is using great skincare. “A hydrated canvas allows for sheer and glowy products to blend seamlessly,” Waldron says. To add glow and color to the skin, she recommends using Roxanne Rizzo Bronze Glow Bronzing Mist ($40) for an even, sun-kissed look. Makeup artist, esthetician and founder of Omayma Skin, Omayma Ramzy, echoes this sentiment. “When your skin is genuinely nourished, you’ll wake up halfway there without having to touch a single product,” she adds.
Beauty expert Jaleesa Jaikaran advises focusing on strategic placement instead of applying product everywhere. If you were to start your makeup at the center of the ace, for example, apply your concealer under the eyes to conceal any discoloration around the mouth and nose while promoting an even skin tone. Before reaching for any makeup product, Jaikaran prefers prepping her skin with a hydrating spray like D’Alba White Truffle First Spray Serum ($18) and a nourishing glazing milk such as Byoma’s Hydrating Milky Toner ($12). “The goal here is to use lightweight formulas that melt into the skin and not have the skin overly shiny,” she explains. “My focus is almost always between glowy or a soft matte.”
How can I create natural-looking makeup?
Ahead of makeup application, Ramzy’s skincare routine consists of using the Omayma Skin Active Rejuvenation Oasis Serum ($124) to promote luminosity after cleansing, then locking in hydration with The Bedouin Elixir Facial Oil ($112). “By the time I’m finished, there’s this lit-from-within quality that’s almost impossible to manufacture with makeup alone,” she explains. For natural-looking makeup, she prefers to keep the approach architectural and minimal, using the Fara Homidi Essential Face Compact ($88), and layering its Shine Baume and Smooth Veil for, “skin looks raw and real in the best possible way.”
For anything on the skin requiring more attention such as dark circles or uneven tones, Ramzy uses the Hourglass Airbrush Concealer ($20). “It’s the one concealer I trust completely. Buildable without ever looking cake-y, and on properly prepped skin, it disappears into nothing,” she adds. For an effortless, just-bitten lip, Ramzy likes Finding Ferdinand’s Delicious Balm ($28). “It looks almost intimidatingly pigmented in the tube, but the moment it touches your lips it melts into this sheer, bitten berry wash that makes you look alive and healthy without looking done,” she explains. For a final touch, she finishes natural-looking makeup with a single coat of mascara.
What is the best way to apply my products?
While natural-looking makeup may appear simple and effortless at first glance, makeup artists tell me there are steps that can be taken to ensure flawless product application. Ramzy begins hers with a gua sha or facial massage to lift, sculpt, and drain congestion from the face, dedicating 30 seconds to each slide while working upward and outward. Her biggest tip for a skincare routine? Warming facial oil by pressing your palm together ahead of serum application.
For this makeup, Ramzy recommends using a small number of products through layering, rather than using many of them cautiously and to never underestimate what the right lip pairing can do to elevate a minimalist beauty look. “The Finding Ferdinand Delicious Balm is sheer enough that it never competes with your skin, but it gives your lips that berry-stained, just-bitten quality that makes the whole face look intentional,” Ramzy says. “It’s the kind of product that makes people ask if you’re wearing anything at all—and that, to me, is the highest compliment a no-makeup look could ever receive.”
Jaikaran also reminds me to understand the importance of smart layering and the placement of particular products. “Concealer or color corrector does not require you to use a lot since these are already highly concentrated products,” she adds. Jaikaran prefers applying complexion products in small layers (building only where needed), using ‘fluffy products’ for a flawless, airbrushed finish. “One of my go to tricks is using a glowy setting spray in between layers like Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Setting Spray ($25) as it not only helps with longevity but also helping to melt the products into the skin for a lasting, seamless finish,” she says.
Keep reading for a deep dive into the eight natural-looking makeup looks that have captured my attention and prompted immediate screenshots and shopping sprees.
1. Fresh and Dewy
This approach to natural-looking makeup by celebrity makeup artist and beauty director David Razzano has lived rent-free in my mind because of its dewy base. He described it as a “skin sheen” in the caption of an Instagram post he dedicated to it, and revealed that Westman Atelier’s Vital Skincare Complexion Drops ($68) and the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer ($39) were used to create the light-reflecting finish.
Shop the Look:
Westman Atelier
Vital Skincare Complexion Drops
Hourglass
Vanish Airbrush Concealer
2. Blurred Lips
Model and beauty founder, Hailey Bieber, recently shared this effortlessly chic look to Instagram. The blurred lips effect could be achieved with the help of a creamy lip pencil for subtle definition and a pigmented lip tint that’s not overly shiny. Rhode’s Peptide Lip Shape in Press ($24) and Peptide Lip Tint in Toast ($20) would deliver this just-bitten lip look in seconds.
Shop the Look:
Rhode
Peptide Lip Shape in Press
Rhode
Peptide Lip Tint in Toast
3. Warm Tones
My favorite look Hung Vangoo has created for his client, actress Laura Harrier, is this warm and delightfully bronzed masterpiece. It doesn’t take a trained eye to pick up on how nicely the rich, chocolate tones of her lips and cheeks play off the golden bronzer that’s been swept across the high points of Harrier’s face. To create this, consider using highlighter with a pearlescent glow and pair it with a pink-toned blush.
Shop the Look:
Hourglass
Unreal Liquid Highlighter in Mythic
Westman Atelier
Baby Cheeks in Chouchette
4. Naturally Flushed
Makeup artist Judi Gabbay is my top source for soft glam, “full beat” looks, but I love this pared-back moment for model Kennidy Hunter. Described by Gabbay as, “island girl glam” in the caption of the carousel Instagram post dedicated to it, the makeup look combines golden peach tones for flushed cheeks. The two shades of Patrick Ta’s Major Headline Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo ($40) used are She’s the Moment and She’s So LA.
Shop the Look:
Laura Mercier
Liquid Highlighter in Gold Glow
Patrick Ta
Major Headline Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo in She’s the Moment
5. Subtly Sun-Kissed
Bronzed makeup doesn’t always have to lean heavily into trends. In fact, some of the most elegant bronzed looks I’ve come across over the past few weeks shy away from adding too much color, instead focusing on added dimension and sculpted features. Lori Harvey posted this shot of her sun-kissed makeup in February from her New York City camera roll, and I’m scrambling to copy it for my next dinner date.
Shop the Look:
Haus Labs
Color Fuse Glassy Blush Balm Stick in Glassy Ginger
Saie
Sun Melt in Tan Bronze
6. Lightly Smoky
Smoky eye looks don’t have to be reserved for all your night makeup looks. This subtle, smoky moment was created for model Barbara Palvin by Tobi Henney, a celebrity makeup artist who doesn’t shy away for adding a hint of sensuality to a clean, natural-looking makeup look. This copy-worthy moment blends the magic of brown eyeliner with defined lashes and a just-bitten, pink lip.
Shop the Look:
Makeup by Mario
SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer
Sara Creal
Eyes Up 24H Creamy Kajal Longwear Eyeliner in Everyday Taupe
7. Glossy Touches
There’s nothing more fashion-forward and chic than skinny brown combined with a dewy and fresh base. Razzano blended the two in this makeup look for model Astrid Voss using Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Highlighter Wand in Pinkgasm ($44) for a luscious, light-catching touch and Dior‘s Backstage Glow Maximizer Face Palette in Universal Glow ($54) to deliver ethereal glow.
Shop the Look:
Charlotte Tilbury
Beauty Highlighter Wand in Pinkgasm
Dior
Backstage Glow Maximizer Face Palette in Universal Glow
8. Soft Glow
Achieving a soft and glowy base like in this shot by model Elsa Hosk is any easy way to elevate natural-looking makeup without adding more steps to your beauty routine—it just takes smart skincare and makeup layering. She pairs a luminous base with pillowy, shine lips, so to steal this look, I would reach for m.ph by Mary Phillips’ Lip Ciggy in First Base ($26) and Sheglam’s Crystal Mousse Highlighter in Pinky Promise ($6).
Shop the Look:
m.ph by Mary Phillips
Lip Ciggy in First Base
Sheglam
Crystal Mousse Highlighter in Pinky Promise
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