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How to Do No-Makeup Makeup in Five Steps

“Most 'natural' looks fail because people put on full coverage and then try to make it look like nothing. Nobody else will say this because they're selling you foundation: you probably need half of what's on your face, in the right three places.”Her take

Why no-makeup makeup is about placement, not less product

The look people are after is skin that looks like skin: some glow, a bit of even tone, brows that look tidy and a mouth with some colour. The usual mistake is starting with a full layer of foundation and then trying to hide the fact that it's there. That's backwards. Start with the skin you have and correct only what pulls focus.

So the question isn't how much product you wear. It's where it goes. Redness around the nose, a blemish, shadows at the inner corner of the eye: those get attention. Everything else gets left alone, including freckles. Freckles are what tells people it's your face and not a mask.

Step 1: Prep the skin so it does half the work

Healthy-looking skin makes this look work. Cleanse gently, use a moisturiser suited to your skin type and give it a few minutes to sink in before anything else goes on. In the daytime, sunscreen is the last skincare step. Let it settle too, or whatever goes on top will slide and pill.

If your skin feels tight, put on a little more moisturiser on the dry areas only. If you get shiny, use a lighter moisturiser and keep the richer one for your cheeks. The goal is a surface that looks smooth and slightly dewy, not greasy.

• Cleanse, moisturise, then sunscreen in the morning.
• Wait a few minutes between layers so nothing pills.
• Any new product gets a patch test first. A persistent skin concern is a job for a dermatologist, not concealer.

Step 2: Conceal spots, not your whole face

Skip the full foundation layer. If you want a little evening out, a sheer skin tint or tinted moisturiser pressed into the centre of the face is enough. Blend it out toward the edges with your fingers so there's no line at the jaw or hairline.

Then pick up a small amount of concealer that matches your skin (not one shade lighter) and dab it only where it's needed: around the nostrils, on a blemish, at the inner corner of the eye if it looks shadowed. Tap it in with a fingertip or a small brush until the edges disappear. Leave freckles uncovered. Covering them and then drawing them back on is a lot of work to end up where you started.

Step 3: Cream textures over powder

Powder sits on top of skin. Cream melts into it. That's why cream blush, cream bronzer and balm highlighters read as 'your skin, but better' rather than 'makeup'. Warm a small amount on your fingertip and tap it onto the cheeks where they're highest when you smile, then blend up toward the temple.

Use a colour close to your natural flush: a soft rose, peach or berry, depending on your colouring. If you build in thin layers you can always add more. Taking it off without wrecking the rest of your face is harder. If you get shiny, use a tiny amount of translucent powder only on the sides of the nose and the centre of the forehead. Leave the cheeks alone.

Step 4: Groom the brows, don't draw them

Brows frame the whole face, and in this look they do more than any eyeshadow would. Brush them up and slightly out with a clear or tinted brow gel. Only fill in gaps with light, hair-like strokes from a fine pencil in a shade close to your natural colour, or a touch lighter.

Avoid a hard outline or a block of colour. If you can see where the product starts and stops from across the room, it's too much. For the eyes, a coat of brown or black mascara on the top lashes is enough. Wiggle at the root and pull through so the lashes look defined, not clumpy.

Step 5: A sheer lip and the final check

Finish with a tinted balm or a sheer lipstick dabbed on with a fingertip. A sheer berry, rose or your-lips-but-better shade looks the most natural. Press your lips together, then blot once so the colour looks like a stain, not a coat.

Then check in daylight, by a window if you can. Indoor bathroom light hides edges that daylight shows. Look for lines at the jaw, concealer sitting in creases and blush that stops abruptly. Blend whatever you find with a clean fingertip and you're done.

Questions people ask

The takeaway

Prep the skin, conceal only what pulls focus, use creams instead of powder, brush the brows up and add a sheer lip. Keep the freckles and check everything in daylight.

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