12 Tips From an Expert That’ll Make Your Natural Make-up Routine a Breeze

The “no-makeup” trend, or makeup with a no-makeup look, seeks to highlight our features and beauty in a natural way, using only a few products, moderate tones, and without investing a lot of time. We believe it is a great option for everyday use for women who are not very into “a full face” of makeup. It’s also a great option for people who are not experts in very advanced makeup techniques. One of its most popular promoters is Bobbi Brown, who has done makeup for celebrities like Katie Holmes, Scarlett Johansson, and Sienna Miller.

Bright Side compiled several of Bobbi Brown’s tips for achieving beautiful, natural-looking makeup without having to invest a lot of time in it and without needing special tools — in fact, in many cases, you can even use your fingers for better results.

1. Keep your skin moisturized at all times.

If you want to get a natural and beautiful look, even when wearing some makeup, Bobbi Brown suggests that you start by really discovering what the needs of your facial skin are. Do you suffer from dull skin? Is it dry or oily? Do you have combination skin? Her advice is to keep your skin moisturized at all times with a cream that’s specially made for your skin type. In addition, she always stresses the importance of taking care of yourself from the inside as well, not just from the outside. To get well-moisturized skin, you’ll also have to drink plenty of water.

2. Choose a foundation that is similar to your skin tone (face and body).

You might think of this as a fairly obvious tip, but still, a little reminder won’t hurt anyone. Sometimes, some people might choose a color that’s not the right color for their skin. When you do that, the foundation layer is easily noticeable and sometimes even your neck looks as if it is a different shade.

Bobbi Brown says that foundation shouldn’t change the color of your skin, it should simply even it out. To make sure you’re using foundation in the right way, the first thing you should do is to stop testing it on your hand before buying it. Instead, you might as well just test it on your face directly. That way you can tell if it’s right or not. If it “disappears” or “blends” with your skin color, it’s the right one. When choosing, avoid foundations with pink pigments, because they look less natural. Try going for those with yellow pigments.

3. Do not use concealer to cover imperfections

Bobbi Brown hardly ever pulls out the word “never.” But now she wants to warn you to NEVER use your under-eye concealer to cover any imperfection on your skin. That’s because, usually, this product is lighter and instead of hiding the detail you’re trying to camouflage, this makes you highlight it. So it’s better to use a concealer that is specially created to cover imperfections on the face like spots, pimples, or redness. Don’t forget to make sure it’s appropriate for your skin tone just like she explained earlier with the foundation. Concealer should be applied right after foundation and can be diffused by simply using your fingers.

4. Apply under-eye concealer properly.

When you have very dark bags under your eyes, you can use a pink or peach-colored concealer to lighten them a bit. Then you just have to apply your usual eye concealer, which will work best if it’s made to show yellow undertones and if it’s a shade lighter than your foundation. It should cover everything that goes from the area closest to the tear duct through to the outer corner of the eye. Apply with very gentle strokes. Finally, you can finish everything off with a bit of powder, which should also have yellow undertones.

5. Let a professional shape your eyebrows instead of doing them at home.

To have well-defined eyebrows, this renowned makeup artist says it’s best to seek the attention of a professional. It’s best if the person you go to has been recommended by a friend who has eyebrows that look like what you’d want for yourself. Then, you can easily keep them well-shaped on your own by removing the hairs as they grow. Regarding the colors you can use in this area to make your face look natural, we recommend that they be the same shade as the hair, if it is black, you can opt for a dark brown. To tame unruly hairs, a clear gel could come in handy.

6. Use your index finger in place of an eyelash curler.

This is one of our favorite tricks from Bobbi Brown. She says that once you’ve applied your mascara, you should wait and let it dry out a bit. Then use your index finger to gently push them up. Hold them there for just a few moments and then let them go. Their website warns against a fairly common practice: using a curler.

7. Blend your eyeliner (also) with your fingers.

And, once again, Bobbi Brown recommends using our fingers, the best tools we have at our disposal. This time the goal is to get a smudgy eye line. Start by outlining the area near your lashes with your eyeliner, right at the top, then do the same at the bottom, but with a softer line. Now it’s time to use your fingers to smudge the line. You can try doing that several times until you get it just the way you like it.

8. Apply a blush similar in tone to your actual flushed cheeks.

This cosmetic is specially made to add a natural glow to your face. It sometimes comes in powder or sometimes in the form of a cream. However, in the case of the cream, it’s not meant to be applied as heavily as a regular cream. Bobbi Brown suggests that you ask yourself what the color of your cheeks is when they blush. This is the shade of blush that can help you achieve a natural look for everyday use. For special occasions or galas, you can choose a brighter shade.

9. You can use your cream blush on your eyes and lips.

We think one of the makeup artist’s favorite products is a cream blush. You can also use the cream blush that you applied on your cheeks on your upper eyelids and lips, with light strokes (yes, also with your fingers). This way you will achieve that natural look you are looking for, without having to think about how to combine all the shades of your makeup.

10. Use a lipstick in a shade you can apply without a mirror

According to Bobbi Brown, at all times we should carry lipstick in a shade that doesn’t require a mirror to be applied easily. Too bad we’ll have to skip the rouge this time around, but that’s okay because the makeup artist has a good tip to share with us.

When applying lipstick that doesn’t require a mirror, start by painting the lower lip. Then simply press the lips together and with your finger (again) finish covering the upper lip. If you don’t have any lipstick on hand and you still want to add a little color to your lips, you can gently bite them. This is a good trick that can work for spontaneous selfies.

11. Watch your diet to keep your skin looking healthy naturally.

Bobbi Brown shares many beauty and makeup tips on all the different social media accounts that she has and in her books as well. But besides talking about foundations, concealers, and lipsticks, she never fails to mention that diet is maybe the most important thing if you want your skin to look great. Make sure to stay away from processed foods, excess salt, sugar and white flour, and soft drinks. These are just some of her recommendations.

12. Be confident and just be yourself.

We’d like to wrap up this compilation with a very valuable tip from Bobbi Brown that might seem obvious, but that’s why it’s the most important one. She believes that beauty comes from the confidence you have in yourself, from feeling good in your own skin.

One of the chapters of her book Beauty From the Inside Out (2017), is entirely dedicated to talking about this. She thinks that confident people not only look more attractive but also feel unstoppable. There’s a simple way to achieve this. Next time you stand in front of the mirror and look at yourself, stop comparing yourself to others. Instead, be happy to be who you are, because you’re unique. Focus more on what you like about yourself rather than on what you think of as flaws. We believe that with that attitude, any makeup will look beautiful on you.

Which of these tips are you already using, and would you add any additional tips to Bobbi Brown’s to help others achieve a more natural, beautiful makeup look?