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‘No make-up’ make-up is once again set to be next season’s standout beauty trend – according to the spring/summer 2018 catwalks. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have the Hadid sisters’ clear complexions and creating the impression of flawless skin, while still appearing make-up free, can be difficult if you are self-conscious about imperfections. We spoke to celebrity make-up artist Hung Vanngo to discover the tricks behind faking your way to the on-trend look. Spoiler: most importantly, ‘no make-up’ make-up never means no make-up at all…
Tip #1: Preparation is key
“I think the key thing people forget is that prepping the skin before make-up is so important. Start by exfoliating and washing your face. Then, if you have a bit of time, try doing a little mask and afterwards use moisturiser. I always put a bit of Marc Jacobs’ Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Face Primer, £44.99, on top because it feels like serum. The light texture gives a little extra hydration and it holds the make-up better too. When the skin is fully prepped then you don’t really need to put a lot of foundation or concealer on; everything becomes minimal.”
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Tip #2: It’s not about being barefaced
“‘No make-up’ make-up can come in many different forms, but, in general, it’s a monochromatic look that makes it appear like you are wearing no make-up. Some people mistake it for actually not wearing any make-up but that’s not often true. I’ve had comments like, ‘oh I love that no make-up look’, but really I used quite a few products. It just looks seamless.”
Tip #3: Use a sheer foundation before concealer
“Although people without perfect skin often might say ‘I need full coverage’, I personally prefer it when the skin doesn’t look like a heavy mask. That’s why I use a sheer foundation; I like when you can see the texture of the skin. I also apply concealer after the sheer base, as before you can look at your skin and say ‘okay, I have a lot flaws’ and then you start applying too much concealer. Then, after that, you put on a full layer of foundation, which can take off some concealer in process, so after that you’re like ‘oh I need more concealer’. That’s why it becomes cakey.
“When you apply foundation first, you often find that it covers 90% of your imperfections, so it might turn out that an area you might think needs concealer is already covered up. I normally just apply concealer around the nose and then spot-treat imperfections. I also tend to choose a concealer shade pretty close to the foundation colour, rather than a shade or two lighter, as I find it blends better. That’s why people say the skin I do on girls always look so fresh. It’s just because the steps I take are always minimising how much product I put on the face. Even when you have skin problems, you don’t really need to cake foundation on to make it look natural.”
Tip #4: Touch-up gently
“If you over apply your base, don’t take everything off and start again. Just carefully blot your skin. Primer is a solver for a lot of things for me, especially when I use too much foundation. I mix a little into my hands and then press it into the skin, to sheer everything out, without taking the moisture out of the skin.
“To tackle shine, using your fingers or a triangle sponge, press in some powder to freshen up your complexion. You could also try blotting paper to take off the excess oil first and then touch up with powder afterwards. I love Fenty Beauty’s Invisimatte Blotting Paper, £14.99 – it’s amazing. As it comes on a roll, you only need to take out what you need so there is less waste.”
Tip #5: The best way to blend
“My biggest piece of advice is that blending takes practice. If you see my aesthetic, I like skin to look like skin, so the make-up needs to look seamless and blending is key to that. Truthfully, it doesn’t matter how much you wear if you blend it well, because then it doesn’t look as heavy. As for how to blend, I use a combination of my fingers and a brush.”
Tip #6: Choose the right colour palette
“You need to take your colour choices into consideration when creating this look. You can’t wear a blue eyeshadow and a red lipstick, but you can wear a beautiful soft pinky, peach eye colour or blush and it can be considered a ‘no make-up’ make-up look. I’ve done many minimal looks with brown shades or taupe shades, or even a soft pink or peach, because the colour combination is all in the same family. It’s basically just about choosing the right neutral colours, so that there is nothing that pops. I’d choose a neutral eyeshadow palette from Marc Jacobs, for example Glambition, £39, which I think is the perfect palette for ‘no make-up’ make-up. All the colours can be seamlessly blended together and it subtly enhances your own beauty.
Tip #7: Create a natural-looking flush
“A little blush can make a huge difference. You literally wake up right away and look refreshed. I tend to apply a swipe of blusher upwards using an angled brush, but without completely sucking in your cheeks. You just gently purse your lips [as if you’re about to whistle] so you know exactly where the cheekbone is. Then, you do a little smile and apply it to the apples of your cheeks using a circular motion. A lot of people don’t know where the cheekbones start, so I always get them to do the two positions and blend the make-up in. That way all your facial expressions are covered and you achieve that fresh look.”
Tip #8: Subtly lift your complexion
“For me, highlighters are a bit of fun. I use Marc Jacobs’ Dew Drops Coconut Gel, £32, because it creates a brilliant subtle highlight. The pigment is so fine that it looks like second skin, but your complexion really glows. With a lot of highlighters you can see a strip and it’s very obvious – but with this one, you don’t see that. A little bit goes a long way though. I always tell people one or two drops into your foundation and they forget and they do one or two pumps. Drops are not a pump. You do a tiny bit and it gives you that brightness on the skin, but you do a couple of pumps and you are going to have a thick unnatural glow.”
Tip #9: Perfect plumped lips
“To achieve fuller, yet natural-looking lips, start by filling in your full lip with liner and then go all the way up and over your outer lip line. You should also apply your lipstick just a little bit over the top of your lip line, which then gives the illusion of a fuller lip. If you do lots of lip liner and then lots of lipstick on top, it’s too obvious, but by going right by the outer edge of the upper lip, it doesn’t look like you have cheated at all and it doesn’t look smudgy or heavy.
“You should also try using creamier lipsticks, instead of matte, because matte lipstick really defines where your lips end. That means that if you overdraw your lips and then use a matte lipstick you can see that you’ve faked it. But when you use a creamy lipstick it’s glossy on the top which hides the liner. I tend to use Marc Jacobs’ New Nudes Sheer Gel Lipstick, £25, or Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer in French Tickler, £37.99. I’ve had a beauty editor literally grab one off of me before; that’s how much she loved it.”
Tip #10: Take your time
“For me, good make-up takes time and with ‘no make-up’ make-up that’s because you have to prep the skin more. You need to spend the time to make sure the skin looks a bit more fresh. I normally find it takes about the same amount of time as it takes to apply ‘normal’ make-up. It’s just the colour choices are more minimal.”
From: Harper’s BAZAAR UK
