I’ve been meaning to do one of those popular but interesting to read nevertheless “no makeup” makeup kind of posts for ages around these parts but as I tend to be an all or nothing kind of girl — either a full face or authentic no makeup –, I’m hesitant at calling my attempts successful in the endeavour of wearing makeup to look like you’re not wearing makeup but rather look better – with clearer skin and brighter eyes than before — but here is my take! It also took about seven minutes which is ideal for a daily kind of basis when you’re like me and tend to benefit from more definition than just mascara on your lashes and shadow through your brows. But now looking at the finished result, I reckon that this is very similar to the picture in the sidebar from my Daily Face #12 – just in case the uncanniness was bothering you in the depths of your soul.

I don’t think its necessary for me to point out the humidity in the air today — my out of control hair does all the talking for me — but it’s a rainy day so I skipped out on the sunscreen as its such a bother and I’m extremely lazy. I’m pleased to report that I’m through with the purging that resulted from adding tretinoin back into the skincare routine but I’m still suffering from the scarring and dullness that has been left behind; to combat this, I’ve been going in with the smoothing and subtly pearlescent Annabelle CC Colour Control Luminous Finish Instant Perfecting Base before going in with the skinlike Revlon Age Defying Firming + Lifting Makeup in 10 Bare Buffthat manages to somehow glide over dry skin and uneven texture while offering medium-to-full coverage and a damp sponge to maximize the effect. Although it didn’t make much of a difference because the imperfections that I was looking to cover up were no longer inflamed but rather textured scars, I went in with a small synthetic brush and the Make Up For Ever 5 Camoflage Cream Palette in 1and then I went for the radiant but invisible Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in 125 Very Fairto brighten up the skin underneath the eyes.

Before starting on the eyes, I made sure to slap the EOS Summer Fruit Balm on to ensure that there would be no further chapping of the lips. Because nothing kills the ‘no makeup’ effect like shimmer overkill, I went in with the translucent NYX HD Eyeshadow Baseand while I was waiting for it to set, I filled in my brows with the matte light ashy shade from the NYX Parisian Chic Love in Paris Palette.For the eyeshadow, I was feeling the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, so I patted Strange into the inner corner, applied the peachy sheeny shade named Burnout all over the lid, blended Nooner through the crease and then concentrated the plummy Factory in the outer corner. As I’ve said before, I’m someone who really benefits from liner even on basic makeup days so I applied the Annabelle Smoothliner in Blackto the outer half of the lashline and smudged it, diffusing the line. I tried to keep the lashes looking natural with the separating and thickening L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess on the upper lashes only.

I targeted the dull skin problem further, by applying the sheer and undetectable-looking Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in 200 Pink Lightonto the tops of my cheeksbones with the pads of my fingers and I must say that it made such a difference in terms of making me look wide awake, revitalized and all that. Because of the minimal nature of the whole ordeal, I shockingly skipped bronzer and instead opted for a cream product, the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rose, which I applied in dots quite high on the cheeks and blended into nothing with the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. I skipped the powder altogether because this foundation really doesn’t require it and I find it makes face makeup that much more noticeable on the skin.

I’ve been really loving my new Annabelle Lip Liner in 405 Demure and I’ve been using the creamy rosy pencil to line my lips and fill them in as well. On top, I applied the slightly deeper but flattering Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rose yet again, as it actually appears to work well on the cheeks and lips. I acknowledge that this might not truly be a “no makeup” makeup kind of deal but it’s my slight alteration on it and I hope you enjoy nevertheless.

What do you reach for on an everyday “no makeup” look?

Maggie, x.