Most natural no make up looking make up?
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free skin care · Thu Nov 07, 2013 1:42 pm

I am not really a fan of make up, I really hate to see it sitting on the skin or for it to be noticable to others it is a personal little foible but as a result I never wear it and focus on skincare.

I do think though that I am missing a trick, make up must has moved on in the past few years and I would be interested giving it another go!

Just a few basic prodcuts like a concealer, foundation, blush and some touches to enhance the eyes and lips. I like to look in the mirror and not really be able to see the make up myself (is this too much to ask?) I certainly don't want to look foxy or glamourous which is just not my style just grommed, fresh and youthful.

Any recommendations? I quite fancy a proper make up lesson but whenever I have been to a make up counter in store they make me look like a clown which I hate I am super fair and a few years ago at the clinique counter the sales assistant sent my away because she had nothing to match my skin tone.

I read on another thread that the bobbi brown concealer is good, do they do good natural make up and lessons? I am not very drawn to their branding for some reason but if the products are right then of course that is all that matters.

What do you all think is BB a good idea or do you have other suggestons?

free skin care · Thu Nov 07, 2013 4:38 pm

Bobbi Brown is a very "natural" look, as opposed to MAC, say, which can be v dramatic. BB colors are made to look like YSBB. So many colors and formulas to choose from pretty much guarantees you will find a match. The SAs at the counters are good about talking to you about what look youre after and showing you how to achieve it.

I used BB before and never had problems with it.

free skin care · Fri Nov 08, 2013 4:43 pm

I would also take a look at different makeup counters. If you can see the makeovers and the amount of makeup/product; it will give you an idea of what the artist will apply.

Also take a look at the sales assistants/makeup artists at counters. I would look for someone with natural makeup.

Usually make overs are free. Be prepared that they will try to sell you something (and I have no problems buying something if I think it would work for me.)

free skin care · Fri Nov 08, 2013 6:33 pm

Last week-end I got the Double Wear mineral powder and the new double Wear cream concealer from Estée Lauder.

I'm very impressed with the powder, it looks very natural and the concealer is also pretty good, not as natural looking as the powder. Actually, I never wear concealer because I find my dark circles look better than any concealer Smile

but this one I wear and like it, plus it has and 35 SPF.

The lady at the counter took her time to help me pick what I needed. One thing I never paid attention to was the brush. I always used a loose powder brush, But the lady made me pick a specific brush for powder foundation. She showed me the difference and I can tell it does a better job on my skin. I would say the look is more buffed.

Just as autumn said go to the cosmetic counters and request some help. Don't let any lady get you trying more than what you want. They often have the tendency to make you try all they can sell and you end-up felling like a clown.

I also like a lot the Paula's Choice sheer foundation. The lightest tint is for pretty fair skin. It has a 30 SPF.

free skin care · Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:41 pm

Just the opinion of a makeup lover: Foundation is the least natural-looking aspect of makeup; that being said, look for a light coverage liquid version rather than powder or cream, apply it with a brush (I like a flat top brush to buff it)for even coverage, dust with translucent powder to set and then mist lightly with water and blot with a sponge. This will blend the foundation with your skin and keep a natural finish that is not dry and powdery. Bobbi Brown has good products, but just about any department store makeup counter can help you out. You might want to try a "blurring" primer under the foundation, to invisibly soften and fill skin imperfections. Use cream or gel for the most natural blush, various intensities of rose pink looking the least artificial (darker skin requires more intense color, of course). Check out Laura Mercier cake eyeliner, or Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner and learn how to tightline - it's a very natural looking eyeliner application. Urban Decay Primer Potion is an excellent eyelid primer. If you're pale, try NARS Biarritz, a matte cream colored powder eyeshadow that evens out discoloration for a brighter look around the eyes. Bobbi Brown's Heather shadow is also matte (sort of a dusty mauve) and can be a very natural crease color. Curl your lashes, apply mascara (I like Blinc tubing mascara, which never smears under the eye) and a rosy translucent lip color or stain et voila! Your natural beauty is enhanced. (I apologize for not knowing much about makeup for darker skin as I am pretty pale, and an amateur, but I hope some or all of this is useful to you.) Wink

ETA: Yes, makeup brands will do makeovers. I recommend contacting your local Bobbi Brown counter and seeing when their next event is. You can have the salesperson do it, but they also sometimes have visiting makeup artists who are employed by the brand and coming from New York; they are highly skilled and talented, well worth seeing.

free skin care · Fri Nov 08, 2013 8:25 pm

http://www.lisaeldridge.com/video/17770/no-make-up-look-tutorial/

Technique is the key.

free skin care · Sat Nov 09, 2013 10:29 am

But wait, there's more! If you think about it, the goal of "natural" makeup is to have even toned skin with a delicate flush of color at cheeks and lips, full (not patchy) brows, large, defined eyes and long, full lashes. So I forgot to tell you:

You can use powder (either eyeshadow or a specially dedicated brow powder) and a brush to lightly fill in any bare spots in your brows, and define the whole brow shape; the Bobbi Brown consultant can help you with that. It only takes a second, but can make a big difference.

Foundation can flatten out the contours of the face by making it a blank canvas. If you find this to be the case, use a little bronzer to bring back the color and shape. I like bareMinerals Warmth, as it is not too yellow on my fair-but-not-porcelain skin (don't be scared by the terra cotta color, you only use a tiny bit), but just about every line carries a bronzer. Check out the reviews on makeupalley.com if you want to see what people think about a particular item before buying it; you can select reviews by fair-skinned people if you want to narrow it down. And of course try it out and check it in natural light before buying. Also, you can use a light matte eyeshadow to subtly highlight the tops of your cheekbones, bridge of your nose, brow bone and cupid's bow. Most people do this with a shimmery product, but that needs an extremely light hand to look natural.

If you have under-eye circles, Bobbi Brown makes a great corrector, which is colored to counteract the color of the circles. I use the peachy one (I think it's called Bisque but am too lazy to go look). They also have a little brush for applying that. Keep in mind that concealers and correctors that go under the eye should be creamier than those applied to other areas to hide blemishes and spots.

If you don't want to fuss with selecting different individual eyeshadows, you might want to look at the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. The shadows are all matte and when applied lightly can look very natural.

For your lips, a layer of opaque colored cream is not very natural looking, so go with a stain+balm or one of the new balm/lipstick hybrids. I use Bourjois 4 Praline Dis Moi Oui, plus Salma Hayek's Nuance Rose Petal Hydrating Balm,both of which are currently available on Amazon. If you're in the U.S., Ulta and Clinique are having a promotion where you can get a free try-me size of Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Broadest Berry with a consultation with a "Chubby Stick Mixologist." I've never tried it, but it could be fun. To pick your best my-lips-but-better color, look at the inside of your bottom lip. If you need to prevent feathering of the color outside your lip lines, use a clear lipliner around the outside edge of your mouth. L'Oreal makes one, as do several other lines; you can see a bunch of them on Amazon.

Last but not least, two makeup artists with really good youtube videos about technique are gossmakeupartist and Lisa Eldridge (I see Zoebig already recommended her; she's great).

I hope all this info hasn't scared you off. Of course you can pick and choose what you want to enhance. Once you have the products and have learned the application, you'll find a natural makeup look can be quick, easy and very fresh and pretty. You might even get addicted, like I am! Smile

free skin care · Tue Nov 12, 2013 8:51 pm

Thank you so much everyone for all the information, yes it is a bit overwhelming especially all the various products mentioned but it seems a lot of it is in the application which needs to be skilled to look right!

I actually watched that Lisa Eldridge video a while ago and went out to buy the foundation she uses and it looks awful on me, like a death mask however perhaps it was the way I applied it.

Tessera, I am a bit afraid of eye shadows, eye brow antics and especially bronzer as I fear I will end up looking too orange but again I can see that it might be helpful if done right.

Chantrelle, Its funny you should mention Estee Lauder as they were my best ever experiance of a make up counter some years ago, they were really helpful and listened to what I wanted rather than just pushing me to have what they wanted, so perhaps I should try them again.

I am going to save all this information and do some more research and speak to some of the counter staff. The Bobbi Brown under eye concealer sounds good though, perhaps I'll get that now!

Thank you all again for your advice!

free skin care · Thu Nov 14, 2013 2:15 pm

pandora77 wrote:

I actually watched that Lisa Eldridge video a while ago and went out to buy the foundation she uses and it looks awful on me, like a death mask however perhaps it was the way I applied it.

Tessera, I am a bit afraid of eye shadows, eye brow antics and especially bronzer as I fear I will end up looking too orange but again I can see that it might be helpful if done right.

You should absolutely only do what you're comfortable with. Maybe just one thing at a time, until you're completely used to it? Since you already have the foundation, let me just suggest that to sheer it out for a more natural look, put some on the back of your non-dominant hand and add moisturizer to it. When applying, don't spackle on an even coat all over your face. Either apply foundation just to discolored areas to blend them out, or put a dot of foundation on forehead, nose, chin and each cheek, then blend outward so that you get the most coverage at mid-face and the least coverage at the outer edges. This allows the most even-toned areas of your skin to peek through in a natural way. Alternatively, L'Oreal's Revitalift MiracleBlur gets some good reviews on makeupalley as a colorless cream that "blurs" skin imperfections (but causes breakouts for some people).

Makeup application is not rocket science but it can be fun, especially when you see a pretty, refreshed version of your reflection. Good luck. Smile

Wed Dec 11, 2013 2:04 pm

Hi all, a newbie here. I read these posts and was fascinated. I've always worn makeup, but now at age 58< I have a lot of skin problems.
Reading the advice of "experts" I hear different things about what make up to use at my age. I can tell foundation is tricky. It can accent pores and wrinkles...and concealer, can look awful. I never have the light to know...and hate looking in the side mirror..passenger seat!
I've heard for me.."less should be more." But I have discoloration and dark circles and every reason for covering up with foundation.
Then I heard another "expert" say, I should use one cream foundation, without powder. If I needed a bronzer it should not be powder....mineral or otherwise. He advised using a bb product as a primer, then a foundation or "heaven forbid" a mineral powder at my age would look caked. I'd be better off without any make up.
I understand why powder might settle in the wrinkles and accent them, but I love the Bare Mineral commercials. LOL I do.
You have been learning much more than I. I'd so like to hear what your ideas are for a women, age 58 with discoloration, pores, dark circles, wrinkles and sagging skin....to LOL distract from all those negatives? A cream or BB and some mineral bronzing powder...or perhaps a better idea you've heard of. Thank you so much!!!! Even if all that was confusing, I do thank you and am so happy to be here.

free skin care · Wed Dec 11, 2013 2:53 pm

Welcome AQuest !

I'm 43 therefore I could not recommend any particular product. However, I could say that no product will totally cover your brown spots that you worry about.

I personally find that brown spots or skin discoloration do not look bad and that just a slight coverage is enough. A slight coverage makes them less apparent and still look natural. Then again I know I don't have them yet, so it is easy to say Wink

.

I recently looked into the BB cream with sunscreen. I first wanted the Estée Lauder double wear (SPF 35) BB cream; however, from the reviews I have read it would be too covering for me (I like very sheer coverage). Maybe it would be a good one for you, it is less covering that a foundation but covers more than some other BB creams. Here are some reviews for the double wear BB Cream. You can filter the reviews by ages.

http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp?ItemId=149550&skintonetype=-2&AgeRange=0&SortBy=helpful

In anyways don't try to hide the brown spots just tone them down. I find that we have the bad habit to look at our self much closer than others usually do Smile

Have you tried any product to reduce your brown spots ?

Hope you find a lot of useful info here.

free skin care · Wed Dec 11, 2013 2:56 pm

chantrelle99 wrote:

Welcome AQuest !

I'm 43 therefore I could not recommend any particular product. However, I could say that no product will totally cover your brown spots that you worry about.

I personally find that brown spots or skin discoloration do not look bad and that just a slight coverage is enough. A slight coverage makes them less apparent and still look natural. Then again I know I don't have them yet, so it is easy to say Wink

.

I recently looked into the BB cream with sunscreen. I first wanted the Estée Lauder double wear (SPF 35) BB cream; however, from the reviews I have read it would be too covering for me (I like very sheer coverage). Maybe it would be a good one for you, it is less covering that a foundation but covers more than some other BB creams. Here are some reviews for the double wear BB Cream. You can filter the reviews by ages.

http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp?ItemId=149550&skintonetype=-2&AgeRange=0&SortBy=helpful

In anyways don't try to hide the brown spots just tone them down. I find that we have the bad habit to look at our self much closer than others usually do Smile

Have you tried any product to reduce your skin discoloration issues ?

Hope you find a lot of useful info here.

free skin care · Wed Dec 11, 2013 7:04 pm

AQuest wrote:

I've heard for me.."less should be more." But I have discoloration and dark circles and every reason for covering up with foundation. ...
I'd so like to hear what your ideas are for a women, age 58 with discoloration, pores, dark circles, wrinkles and sagging skin....to LOL distract from all those negatives? A cream or BB and some mineral bronzing powder...or perhaps a better idea you've heard of. Thank you so much!!!! Even if all that was confusing, I do thank you and am so happy to be here.

Hi AQuest! I'm 56, with similar issues to yours. I've found that while I go for a more natural look than I used to, it takes more products to get me where I want to be. So for me, more is more. Smile

I used bare minerals foundation for years, but recently found that it accented my newly acquired fine lines and dryness. You might be different, so I would recommend that you try the mineral foundation (have an MA apply it at an Ulta if you're in the U.S., or take home a sample). Take a mirror outside and look at your skin in sunlight; see what you think. I still use bare minerals Warmth as my bronzer, as it is so fine and not applied all over the face, so it doesn't emphasize lines and dryness. Right now, I'm using L'Oreal True Match liquid foundation, which I quite like. I don't use concealer, as I like sheer coverage to "blur" imperfections rather than mask them. You can always add more coverage if you find you prefer it. L'Oreal also makes a True Match creamy concealer. You can still set the foundation with powder, but it should be very finely milled so it doesn't look cakey, and applied very lightly. Bare minerals' Mineral Veil is a good powder, but try before you buy - it can make sensitive skin itchy and reactive. The most important product for pores and lines is primer. I use Pur Minerals color correcting primer in green because I have a lot of redness. You can't do much for sagging skin with makeup, other than contouring, i.e. applying foundation 1 - 2 shades darker on areas you want to recede, eye shadows & blush at a subtly upward angle, etc. Bobbi Brown corrector is a creamy concealer that comes in peach or pink to counteract the darkness of undereye circles and the sides of the nose near the inner corners of the eyes. Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder can be used to set makeup under the eyes without settling into lines. Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster pen is fabulous for highlighting the tops of cheekbones, plus visually camouflaging sunken areas like circles and nasolabial folds by making them lighter and thereby more prominent. I like NYX cream blushes, but I'm not sure how long they last as I tend to forget to check later in the day.

To summarize: whereas I used to think very little about "the canvas" (i.e. primer/foundation/correction/bronzer/blush) and much more about interesting and colorful eye and lip makeup, my focus is now the opposite- help the skin to look pretty, and keep the eyes and lips soft.

free skin care · Wed Dec 11, 2013 8:15 pm

Thu Dec 12, 2013 9:49 am

For a natural looking foundation, I use Prescriptives Virtual Skin. It provides light to medium coverage. I don't expect it to cover all my flaws. I just want my skin, but better. This provides that and feels like I am not wearing foundation.
Most days I don't wear any makeup. I only use foundation if I am going out to lunch, dinner, a party...that kind of thing. I have recently found something that is nice for days when I want a little something more than my bare face. I bought the Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette. It gives a little glow on days I feel I need it. It takes less than a minute to apply and is pretty much foolproof.

free skin care · Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:15 pm

I agree with others who have said application and the right color are the most important elements. I just got samples of Estee Lauder Double Wear Light and Invisible Fluid based on reviews on youtube by Hotandflashy. What I did was go to two different stores, partly because I'm greedy, and partly to see if they gave me the same colors. Both sales assistants did so I feel that is an important first step. Either foundation is only $36 so I am hoping one of them works for me.

Her second choice was Giorgio Armani foundation, forget which one, which was much more expensive.

Hotandflashy also reviewed two different Hourglass foundations and thought both were horrible. Just goes to show you have to find something that works for you.

Those makeup tutorials are a goldmine and will save you a lot of money. I always look for someone who looks like me.

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