FOTD: No Makeup Makeup

I've had a rough day on the job front: no one will hire me, my latest batch of students thought I was a potty-mouthed prime candidate for What Not To Wear (well, not all of them, but still), and I spend most of my mornings and afternoons with  my cat. In other words, I'm turning in to a cat lady a liiiiiittle too early for my liking. Hence, a kinda-sorta tutorial to chase the blues away!

This probably isn't the best example of "no makeup makeup," as I am physically incapable of not giving myself a lotta eyebrow. But otherwise, I think this is a pretty good example of what no makeup makeup should be: not hyper-polished or striking, just clean, simple, and seamless.

STEP 1: Oh, look! I'm already dressed! That's a step ahead!

STEP 2: Prime your eyelids and undereyes with a creamy primer; I like to use Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($18). Apply a light-coverage foundation, like MAC Face & Body ($33), all over your face and upper neck. Bazingas! Super-nice-but-not-airbrushed skin that still looks completely natural!

STEP 3: Use a small amount of sheer, brightening concealer on your undereyes; my current faves are Clinique Airbrush concealer ($19.50) in 01 Fair, seen here, or some Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer ($42) in Sx02 mixed down with MAC F&B. Press a matte medium brown shadow, like theBalm Sleek (from Nude Tude palette, $34), in to your upper lashes. Realize that none of this is going to show up on a webcam. Touche, minimalism, touche.

STEP 4: Pick a mascara that keeps your lashes separated and fluttery, like Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing mascara ($3.50). Reeeeally rub off the wand before applying it to your lashes, working slowly and with quick, soft strokes to prevent clumping or getting lots of product on your lashes. Fill in your brows with extra-gentle strokes of La Femme brow pencil ($1.50) in Taupe, then smooth the color out with a Q-tip.

STEP 5: Find a sheer liquid blush that looks uber-natural on your skintone--mine is Becca Beach Tint ($25) in Watermelon--and blend that on to your cheeks, focusing primarily on the apples and fading back in to the cheekbone. You can tap some in to your lips for a bit of color, but my lips are already really pigmented ,so there's no need; I just used some Burt's Bees lip balm ($1.50). Dab a small amount of MAC Cream Color Base ($17.50) in Pearl on to the tops of your cheekbones and right under your brow.

STEP 6: Realize your lighting next to a window with weird blinds really sucks. HULK SMASH! (Er, sorta.)


I did this face so I could take some pictures of my truly fabulous earrings, which are my favorites and were made by my friend Jessica. She has an Etsy store with lots of really beautiful jewelry, including some of my favorite necklaces: strands of faux pearls with working clocks. Check her stuff out here!