Saturday, November 8, 2014

Five Minutes to a Natural Face



I had an agenda. My mission: leave the makeup counter with a “natural look”. At the end of the hour I realized, “mission impossible”. No matter how many times I stated the code words, “subtle”, “soft”, “daytime”, and “work appropriate”, the artist was determined to make me over in her image. The image was “nude”, but not Kerry Washington on a Sunday afternoon in the city “nude”. Instead I left with at least a dozen products on my face… and I looked “nude”, in that porn star “nude” way.

Disgraced and defaced, I set out on my own to uncover the top secret “natural look” for Black women. I have spied it on Ms. Washington, Rihanna, and Liya Kebede, but never a civilian. Finally, I uncovered the secret to looking uncovered. All you need is five minutes and five steps to fuss-free fabulous.

  1. Concealer only, for face. Take a fine tipped skinny brush and spot
  1. Conceal your blemishes. Blend in the cover-up with a dome shaped brush or your fingers. All you want is an even-tone, not airbrushed.
  2. Concealer only, for around the eyes. Skip the cloying colors and simply dot a creamy, highlighting concealer around the eyes. Tap into the skin with your fingers. You now look effortlessly awake.
  3. Mascara only. Apply mascara generously at the base of the lashes to deepen your definition. This creates the illusion of eyeliner without the harsh effect. Next, focus on separating individual hairs with the end of the brush to give a delicate feel. You want fluttery, not fake.
  4. Barely blush. Fluffy brush a spicy hued powder ( think cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg ) on the highest contour of your cheekbones.  
  5. Lipliner only. Think double chocolate. Pink is too precious for this lip look. A true cocoa lipcolor, accenting a real cocoa lip, is ideal. Lipgloss, liner, or lipstick work to add a touch of texture, while begging to be kissed.

“Mission accomplished” if you want  a polished and pampered, without the pressure look.

Image courtesy of WebMD.com

No comments:

Post a Comment