Secrets to a sexy no-makeup look

Any woman with a kikay kit will have to read up: your no-frills, “I naturally look this gorgeous every day” look is getting an ultimate lift.

Filipinas are obsessed with looking “natural” and low maintenance. Some say it’s cultural, some say it’s laziness, but it can also have something to do with the perceived attractiveness of “The Simple Girl” — she’s got to have straight, virgin hair and porcelain skin, topped with predictably taupe lipstick.

Daring beauty junkies will readily dismiss this and say that it can be lazy, but here’s the real deal: achieving “no makeup” makeup requires a fine attention to detail as well as tempered skill. Many makeup artists I’ve encountered in the past say as much: the “natural look” can be quite tricky, and it requires certain techniques and products to ensure that you get the look down pat — right from base to finish.

So, exactly how do you start perfecting the look? As expected, the cornerstone of the “no makeup” look is clear skin, a blank canvas that one can shade to perfection.

For that smooth base, try Foundation Primer, P1,550: Laura was the pioneer in primer.

While most makeup brands like to paint the town in color, Laura Mercier stresses the importance of this “flawless face.” In fact, “Laura Mercier was the first cosmetic line to launch with skin,” says Jeffrey Tasker, regional training manager and global makeup artist for Laura Mercier, who recently visited Rustan’s where the brand is exclusively available. Their now-extensive line of products is renowned for it celebrates natural beauty and accepts a variety of skin tones. Overall, their beauty breakthroughs have made “no makeup” makeup ultimately achievable for anyone.

Sizzling Simplicity

Aside from being ultimately achievable even for the non-kikay, Tasker says that the “no makeup” look can definitely be far from boring. Kicking up the natural look a notch is really a matter of mastering your own face and knowing what techniques will work for you. “Plus, injecting surprise elements to your everyday makeup gives it dimension and makes it ultimately more exciting,” adds Tasker.

With the festive season right around the corner, we got Tasker to spill some secrets to perfecting the natural look and making it go from so-so to sizzling: 

• Prime for perfection.

Start by readying your skin. “Take the extra two minutes to apply primer, foundation and concealer. What it does is makes your makeup last longer throughout the day, and it makes application easier,” says Tasker. “Use a pea-size amount of primer, spread it around, and it makes foundation glide on easier, last longer, and makes you use less foundation later on.”

“Laura was the pioneer in primer. She created her own primer with no silicone, and she found that it lasted longer,” says Tasker. Their latest primer, Primer Radiance, gives luminosity, glow and radiance. “Immediately, you’ll see an airbrushed look to the skin, so you don’t have to use as much foundation. It has a rose gold pearl, so it adjusts to the skin tone of each and every person, so the lightest to the darkest of skin tones can wear this primer. Plus, it’s also the only primer that you can use on top of makeup.” You know how makeup can look almost dull and lackluster at the end of the day? This primer can help perk up your makeup.

• Cover your bases.

Then, put on a skin-loving foundation. The new Moisture Supréme foundation “has medium coverage and anti-aging benefits. A little bit goes a long way,” says Tasker. With Laura Mercier, they recommend that you use a sponge when applying foundation, especially since their foundation is highly pigmented. Instead of swiping it across, the trick to looking more flawless is to pat the sponge onto the skin.

Score Laura Mercier’s signature “flawless face”: Foundation Primer, P1,550. Tinted Moisturizer, P1,850. Secret Camouflage Concealer, P1,650. Loose Powder Translucent, P1,550. Secret Concealer, P995. Available at Rustan's The Beauty Source.

After applying the right foundation, cover up blemishes with a concealer made for your exact tone. “Our award-winning product, Secret Camouflage, is made to look like skin,” says Tasker. “The concealer palette comes with two colors: a peach tone to cut the dark spots out of the skin and a yellow tone to cut the blemish color or the red color out of the skin.” Mix these colors to create a customized color for your skin.

Then, set the under-eye area with a smart powder. The Secret Brightening Powder veils your skin so naturally that it “will make you seem like you never had a job, husband, career, breakup, or hangover,” says Tasker. “It sets concealer without making it line. And, what it does is reflects light from the under-eye area, making that area seem brighter.”

Finally, put on a setting powder to naturally set your base. “The Invisible Loose Setting Powder is a finely-milled powder that is pigment-free and has millions of optical diffusers that reflect light. Unlike others that absorb oil, this powder keeps oil away.” It’s very lightweight and sheer, perfect for that natural finish.

• Highlight, don’t contour.

Filipinas have been known to be obsessed with wanting a model-like face: high cheekbones, a structured jaw, the works. Tasker says: “Ninety-five percent of my clients in Asia would say, Contour; I want structure.’ But, in reality, it’s not always about structure and contouring as it is about highlighting strategically.”

You can always highlight softly, but it is very difficult to contour softly. So, if you’re gunning for the more natural look, highlighting may be the better beauty bet. Tasker suggests that you should highlight the bridge of the nose, above the brows, and the tops of the apples of the cheeks. “Highlighting the face in strategic areas creates natural shadows and contours on your face.” If you really have to contour to, say, tone down a round face, “instead of drawing tough lines on the hollows of your cheeks, you want to put some structure at the sides, nearer the ear, and have that color marry with the color of your cheeks. It’s about blending color, not always about angles,” explains Tasker.

• Remember: It isn’t always about browns and neutrals.

It’s definitely tempting to stay on the safe side of color, especially if you aren’t used to doing makeup. But remember, the face isn’t meant to be boring. So, be inspired by the colors of the season. In Laura Mercier’s repertoire, their fall line is all about the dramatic colors of a canyon — think: rich mauves and warm earth tones. If you’re feeling even more inspired and experimental, their holiday collection, Moonlight, showcases the rich colors of twilight: plums and garnet.  

Lead makeup artist for Laura Mercier, Jeffrey Tasker:“Highlight, don't contour.”

• Practice the tight-line eyeliner.

Aside from mastering your base, another way to make the “no makeup” look a tad more dramatic is by perfecting your eye makeup. Contrary to copout popular belief, however, you don’t always need a smoky eye to make your eyes look dramatic and sexy.

If you’re a newbie to makeup, Tasker suggests that you master doing the “tight liner.” This means that you simply “put liner at the root of your lashes, seemingly ‘connecting the dots’ of your individual lash strands,” explains Tasker. Using the Tightline Cake Eyeliner in Orchid Shimmer from the Moonlight collection gives you a line that looks rich but natural nonetheless. “And, applying a tight line in this shade makes your eye pop, but doesn’t take away the lid,” says Tasker. This means that it’s friendly even to women with narrow or chinita eyes.

Willing to add a bit more drama to your look? A cream stick eye color can make give your eyes even more depth and definition. Laura Mercier’s Caviar Sticks come in a range of colors that women can easily apply on-the-go. They’re fab for taking a day look into evening, since you can “simply apply the them on the lids, close to the lashline, and blend out the color with a brush,” says Tasker. This gives you a soft eye infused with color, perfect for making your “no makeup” look ultimately ready for any happening shindig.