My No Makeup Makeup Routine
It can be challenging to achieve the perfect no makeup makeup look for those days when you also want to look put together. Unfortunately, what worked for most of us when we were younger won’t work the same for us now for many reasons. Our skin is less than even-toned or supple and bouncy, and our eyes and other features aren’t as lifted.
This no makeup makeup routine for mature skin will help even out redness, discoloration, and dark spots while helping you look more awake, lifted, and youthful. To see it in action, click HERE or scroll below to see the video.
My Skin Type
I’m 49 and have sensitive skin with rosacea. My skin type is oily/combination, which is normal around the perimeter (and can be dry occasionally), and I get shine/oil breakthrough in the center of my face.
My No Makeup Makeup Routine
Before starting any makeup routine, always try to give yourself a 10-20-minute buffer between your skincare and makeup routine. This ensures your products apply and wear properly throughout the day.
Lip and Eye Prep
I always prep my lips first, so they’re hydrated and plump for my lip products at the end of my routine. I often start with City Lips plumping lip gloss in Sun Diego, a bright, warm-toned pink with a golden sheen. It moisturizes, plumps, and smooths my lip lines nicely. It also works well as a gloss. I also enjoy using this Clinique treatment balm.
I have dry under eyes with fine lines and texture. So even though I apply eye cream during my skincare routine, I also use an eye balm like this one as a prep step to help boost moisture. It helps smooth, depuff, and makes a big difference for me!
Brows
Remember your brows when doing a no makeup routine! A well-groomed brow truly frames your face. For the most natural result, I love using a brow pen. Compared to a pencil, a brow pen is as close as you’ll get to mimicking a natural brow hair.
But I’ll use a finely tipped brow pencil for days when I don’t have enough time for the precision of a brow pen. This one from Benefit is a top favorite of mine.
Primer
If you want your no makeup makeup to last longer during the day, this skincare-infused blurring skin primer and setting spray from Beauty Pie is a favorite. It can be used as a primer and setting spray to hydrate and keep your makeup in place longer. I love a good multi-use product!
Simply spray this over your face and give it a few minutes to set in before moving on to your next step.
Foundation
To even skin tone and reduce redness, a skin-like foundation that truly looks like skin is a must. One of my no-fail skin-like foundations I love to use for no makeup makeup is Terracotta Le Teint foundation from Guerlain. You can see other suggestions in the video below. To apply foundation so it looks undetectable, pump it onto the back of your hand and dip your damp sponge lightly into a small amount before tapping it into your skin. Apply to small areas of your face at a time in light layers. Continue tapping and pressing it into your skin so it fuses with your skin.
Remember, we’re evening our skin tone here, not covering every imperfection! We want this to look like our skin! You can see me demonstrate this in the video below.
Concealer & Under Eye Corrector
Now, it’s time to hide any sun spots, blemishes, or imperfections you feel need additional concealing on your face. I like to use NARS Soft Matte Complete concealer for this step. It has a creamy yet dry formula that adheres to the face (vs the under eye) and covers well yet disappears.
Scoop out a small amount of concealer onto the back of your hand to help warm it up. Now, dot very tiny amounts of concealer directly to the imperfection you want to cover with a small concealer brush, using a light hand to blend out the edges around the imperfection.
For the under eyes, I use a thin layer of under-eye corrector to help hide my discoloration and dark circles. It helps me use less product and removes the grey cast that under eye concealer can give without a corrector. This under-eye corrector is a great one I enjoy using. I apply it only to the darker areas with discoloration.
To conceal under my eyes so it looks natural, I either apply and blend concealer (most often my beloved Tower 28 concealer) with my fingers or swipe it on the back of my hand before working it into my brush. I’ll then blend the product thoroughly into my tear trough, under my eye, and into the corner to give my eyes a hydrated, brightened appearance that looks very skinlike.
And you’d be amazed at what evening out your eyelids can do to make you look younger and more awake. Swipe any remaining concealer across your lids. Voila! It only takes a dab!
Cheeks
Now that our skin tone is evened out, it’s time to add some color and life back to our skin! Makeup by Mario SoftSculpt Bronzer is fantastic for this step because it’s so easy to work with. (I use shade medium.) When I’m doing an effortless no makeup makeup look, I don’t follow a specific technique. I just swirl it over any areas I feel I need more color or where the sun would naturally hit my face.
Because I don’t have naturally pink cheeks, I like to apply a bit of cream or liquid blush for a natural glow, like this universally flattering cream blush. A tiny bit is all that’s needed for a natural-looking flush. This step is optional, especially if your cheeks have a natural pink hue.
Lip Liner
This is another optional step, but if you need to define or even out your lipline, this lip pencil in Hugh from Makeup by Mario is a favorite of mine because it’s very close to my natural color. I lightly line my lips and fill in with a very light hand so it looks like my lips – only better!
Setting Powder
For all-day wear, use a sheer, undetectable, lightweight powder to lock your makeup in place. Makeup by Mario talc-free setting powder is an excellent universal setting powder that works nicely for dry skin. I like to press setting powder into my skin with my damp sponge or puff so it fuses with my skin and looks like skin.
Eyes
To give your lashes a lift, curl them with an eyelash curler. This one is my absolute favorite.
To define your lash line and make your lashes look thicker, pick an eyeshadow shade similar to your final lash color (I usually use a deep brown) and press it directly into your lash line with a flat, thin liner brush. In the video below, I used the matte Makeup by Mario palette and this brush to demonstrate.
You can learn more about this technique in THIS video.
To finish, apply a lengthening, volumizing, natural-looking mascara, like Wrap Star Tubing Mascara from Beauty Pie. For this natural look, I prefer to apply just one coat.
Lips
I recently discovered that Ravie Beauty’s Effortless Lips in Lily is very close to my natural lip color, so it’s perfect for no makeup makeup days. Plus, the formula is fantastic!
No makeup makeup isn’t as simple as slapping on gloss, mascara, and concealer and calling it a day like when we were younger. I suppose you could do that. But the effect is usually different. It takes more effort to look more awake and refreshed as we age, yet still look incredibly natural. When it comes to a no makeup makeup routine, it’s all about finding products that work for you and playing around with the order you apply them.
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