How to Apply Makeup for a Natural Look

Applying Makeup to Your Face

Clean your face of any previous makeup. Put makeup remover or water on a cotton ball. Dab or rub the cotton ball in small circles to remove old makeup. Determine your skin type and cleanse, tone and moisturize with suitable products twice daily. If you have skin problems like spots/blackheads, exfoliate your skin.

Moisturize your face. Using a small dab the size of a pea, gently rub in an unscented, oil free lotion. Scented lotions can aggravate your skin and cause breakouts or an allergic reaction, and oily lotions will encourage acne. For a more natural look, instead of using foundation, use a tinted moisturizer. Tinted moisturizers blend in while evening out your skin tone and commonly contain SPF. People with clearer skin will look best using tinted moisturizer.

Apply concealer to any blemishes and around your eyes. Applying your concealer before foundation helps keep foundation to a minimal amount. Make sure this is the exact same color as your skin. When you apply the concealer, do so directly on the spot and not around it. This is to avoid a halo effect and emphasis of the spot. Optionally set with beige powder. Be careful not to overdo it on the concealer; you only need enough to cover the spot.

Apply a powder foundation on the oilier parts of your face. Before you start, it’s best to determine whether or not you’re using the right foundation color. Get in a natural light and test the foundation to make sure it's the right color for your skin. Dab a few marks on your cheek and angle your face different ways to see if the color matches. Take your finger or a sponge dab in the foundation, and dab it on your face, blending it until it looks like your skin tone. Be sure to go underneath your jaw line; if you stop at the edge of your face, there will be a clear line where the foundation ends, making it look like you’re wearing a mask. You don't need to apply foundation to your entire face. Just put it on areas that don't have a consistent color and blend it in. If you have bags or discoloration under your eyes, make 3 dots on the line of the circles under your eyes. Blend it gently using your ring finger.

Apply Bronzer. Some people wait until after they have applied makeup to their eyes to add bronzer or blush. Bronzer is a great way to give yourself a natural glow. Lightly brush bronzer all over your face (or just along your cheekbones and T-Zone for a natural suntan appearance). However, bronzer can look silly on people with pale skin if applied incorrectly. Practice at home with bronzer to see if it looks good on you before going out with it on. If you don't like the way it looks, skip this step.

Apply Blush. If you were not happy with bronzer, you can apply blush instead. Crème blush generally works better than powder because it gives you a dewy look and lasts longer. Using a champagne-tinted crème blush, rub a little on your ring finger and blend onto your cheekbones. Note that you should not apply both blush and bronzer; choose one. Rihanna Rihanna, Founder, Fenty Beauty Have fun and take risks with makeup. "Makeup is there for you to have fun with. It should never feel like pressure. It should never feel like a uniform. Feel free to take chances, and take risks, and dare to do something new or different."

Applying Eye Makeup

Line your upper lashline with a brown, black or gray kohl pencil. Some women prefer not to do this, as eyeliner looks a little less natural than an eye with just mascara. Other beauty specialists say to line your eyes with a roasted-colored gel liner. Pencil looks less natural than liquid or gel liner and gel is easier to blend. Line two thirds of your top lashline and one third of your bottom lashline. Smudge the line with a cotton bud.

Use a white eyeliner to make your eyes look larger. Line the inside corners of your eyes with either white eyeliner or white eyeshadow to give your eyes a brighter look. Some people also like to add a bit of white eyeliner or shadow under the brow bone to make their eyes appear brighter and more awake.

Consider using eyeshadow. Use two shades of eyeshadow for a professional look. The colors you choose should be golds, browns or silvers, depending on your skin tone and coloring. Apply a light, neutral tone all over your lid and just above your crease and use slightly darker to softly line the top lid and outline your crease. For a natural look, remember to blend the colors.

Curl your lashes and apply one layer of mascara. Curling your eyelashes will give you a bright, awake look. If you want to make your eyelashes stand out against your skin, put on one layer of your favorite mascara. If you use mascara, avoid clumping by using a de-clumping brush or an eyebrow brush.

Applying Makeup to Your Lips

Apply a sheer nude lip color. Avoid using chalky lipsticks or shiny lip glosses. Lip stain is generally best because it looks natural and lasts all day. Use a color that's close to your natural lip color.

Dab a tiny amount of the shimmering blush onto the center of your lips. Test this step out at home before going out with it on--some people do not like the look of blush in the center of your lips. Do what feels (and looks) best to you!

Enjoy your dewy, fresh, radiant look.