I was inspired recently by one of my favorite conventional beauty YouTubers, Estée Lalonde, to do my makeup without using any foundation. Now, I have to say, I am not a girl who is big on foundation, and I rarely wear a full face of makeup, BUT the look she created was SO pretty, glowy, and perfect for the Summer, that I couldn’t help myself in trying to re-create it using all clean beauty. I will say that this look does have more steps and is a bit more involved than just putting on some tinted moisturizer and blush and heading out the door – but it is also more polished and put together, while still looking incredibly natural. It is quick to complete and can be easily done in under ten minutes. If you’re interested in the products I used and the steps to apply them, read on below!
>>If you would like to WATCH these steps as well as reading them, head on over to my YouTube video for a more in depth tutorial!
I think it is important to note that for a look like this, skincare and prepping the skin prior to makeup application is very important. When you are not using foundation and letting more of your skin show, you want it to look hydrated and smooth. The best way to do this is by using a hydrating base. I prefer to use a facial oil like THIS, and if time allows, prepping the skin with a light exfoliation first. When you do this, your skin will look moisturized, more even toned and the products you use will apply easier and sit on the skin nicer.
In addition to skincare, a makeup primer is a great additional step. In this look, I used the Vapour Organic Beauty Stratus Luminous Skin Perfecting Primer in the shade 903. Although this is meant for darker skin tones, the golden color still worked perfectly and complimented this look very well. I applied it all over my face and blended with my fingers. This creates a beautiful silky veil on the skin and helps to blur imperfections.
Stay with me, because the order of operations here for application might seem a little different, but I promise it works! After applying the primer, I apply a cream bronzer. In this case, I chose to use a darker shade of the Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Luminous Foundation. I used a color about four shades darker than the color I would typically wear, and it worked great. Using a darker foundation shade is genius because it contains no shimmer and sits on the skin wonderfully. I applied this quite liberally with a larger, but still somewhat dense, fluffy brush, to the top of my forehead, cheeks, and jawline to create a warm glow to the skin. I also applied this color to my eye lids as an eyeshadow to subtly define and bring warmth to the eye area.
Next, I lightly concealed under my eyes using the RMS Beauty Un Cover-up. Using your fingers for application really helps to warm the product and allows it to melt into your skin creating a very natural finish. I then spot concealed any active blemishes on my face using the HAN Skincare Cosmetics Concealer, but using a light hand and not covering up absolutely everything. Letting some imperfections show only makes the look more natural and gives the impression that you aren’t wearing any makeup! (tricky tricky!) You could use a setting powder over the areas or spots that you concealed to make your look last longer if you would like – I chose not to for this look.
More bronzer, more bronzer! Yes, next we will use another bronzer, this time in powder form. I used the Sunkissed Bronze Powder by Root, and applied it over the areas where I previously applied the cream bronzer product. If you wanted to define the eye area a little more, at this point, you could take some of your bronzing powder and apply it to the crease area for a stronger eye look.
To give my brows some definition, I used the W3LL People Expressionist Brow Gel. This product is on the wetter side, so applying carefully is important so you don’t get too much on your brows at once. I used the technique from Estée’s video and backcombed my brows to get a great color payoff as well as a really naturally defined brow. (I showcase this technique HERE in my accompanying YouTube video)
Moving on to the cheeks, I used the Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi-use Classic in the shade ‘spark’. (Estée actually used this exact product in her video! Was so excited to see her use a bit of green beauty!) Again, blending this into the skin with your fingers is truly a great application method. Patting the product into the skin with your fingertips will allow the product to stay in place, but just be pressed into the skin leaving behind a gorgeous luminous natural flush. After blending into the cheeks, I also used some of ‘spark’ on my eyelids from about the center of my lid to the outer corner, to add a little color and help to tie everything together.
To make the skin glow a bit more, we will of course, add some highlight, and in my opinion there is none more natural and easy to wear than the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer. (so much so that I even bought it for my Mom, who loved it!) I was actually surprised to see that Estée used this exact product in her video as well! This highlight is subtle but beautiful and is pretty fool proof to use. You really can’t apply too much, and it always imparts a dewy, healthy skin glow.
To complete this no foundation look, I lastly apply some mascara and a lip product. The mascara I chose to use was the current one I have in my collection, which is the W3LL People Expressionist Mascara. Just like their brow gel, the formula for this is on the wetter side, so use a careful hand when applying this, or it will immediately smudge on the under eye area. I applied two coats and it gives decent volume and length. I do find that it transfers by the end of the day, but I find this to be fairly common among natural mascaras.
Lastly, I applied a lip product to complete this look. I used the OGEE Sculpted Tinted Lip Oil in the color ‘Linnea’. This is my first experience with this product, and I really enjoy it! It is fairly moisturizing and gives a nice buildable color on the lips that wears pretty well! This particular shade does have quite a lot of shimmer in it, which I was surprised by, but you can’t see it unless you are close up. It also smells like peppermint, and gives a little tingle on the lips upon application, which I personally like and find refreshing!
Here is the final look! I hope you will try this no foundation makeup routine! I really enjoy this look for Spring and Summer – it’s lightweight and gives the skin a gorgeous natural glow!
Thank you so much for reading! Let me know your favorite ways to get glowing skin in the Spring and Summer!
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My name is Keri. I am a Midwest living wife and stay-at-home mama trying to live a cleaner lifestyle by making better choices in the products I use everyday. I am obsessed with Disney World, I can never eat enough dessert and I always, always make my bed and floss my teeth. Non-negotiable. I hope you will enjoy my little space on the internet!