How to look chic with minimal makeup

What is the dream, chic look? An even, shine-free skin, luscious lashes and softly glowing cheek would be high on the response list. The Parisian girls agree, and the catwalk tends to agree. While the minimal look might seem effortless and super chic, it isn’t always the easiest to achieve. Minimal makeup can take a bit getting used to in order to get it just right – but once you nail down the look, you’ll be turning heads.

It all starts with the skin

The first thing you need to sort out is the base, i.e. the skin. The trends of the season call for a fresh and dewy skin. While there’s plenty you can do with your makeup regime, a healthy, glowing skin also takes some tender loving care with your whole beauty regime and lifestyle choices. What are the basic essentials for a good skin? You need a good night’s sleep, proper diet with the right minerals and vitamins, and a lifestyle that doesn’t include smoking or heavy drinking. You also need to start moisturising your skin well. Our recommendation is Rodial’s Snake Moisturised and for the sunny (and non-sunny) days, you’ll also need proper sunscreen, like Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream. Both products are available at Selfridges.

But what about the makeup? Lay down a solid foundation with a primer. BareMinerals’ Prime Time Original Primer is a great choice to make. If you have oilier skin, pick Givenchy’s Mister Mat Mattifying Foundation Primer. If you want to take out two birds with one stone, you could opt for the Hydrating Gel Cream by Bobbi Brown. Top it up with a creamy foundation in the right shade for your face. A great pick of the moment is Inglot’s Amc Cream foundation. You can find it from Beautylish, which has a great selection of other foundations if you don’t like Inglot. For example, the MAC Mineralise foundation is a good creamy foundation and it comes with sun protection as well as an added bonus.

Blush it up

Once you’ve created a basic foundation and gotten that radiant glow, you can blush it up a bit. Giorgio Armani’s Blushing Fabric Blush is a magnificent choice. You can currently find discounts for Armani products on John Lewis, so it’s definitely worth checking out. Even if you pick something other than Armani, always go with a cream blush for a lighter finish.

Finishing it off with the eyes

You’ve only used three products so far and you won’t have to add much more to your collection when it comes to eyes. You essentially need the girl’s best friends: a good mascara and a good dark eye shadow (or alternatively a lighter one if you prefer a more girly look).

Pick a brown or black mascara and avoid any different shades to keep it classy. You can choose between a waterproof or non-waterproof mascara – it’s more about personal choice rather than a clear change in looks. For waterproof mascaras, the Lancôme Hypnôse from Look Fantastic is a perfect and durable choice. We also like Estée Lauder’s Sumptuous Extreme Waterproof mascara. If you want to go with a non-waterproof versions, opt for Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara or the Lash Power Mascara by Clinique. Both of which can be purchased from Superdrug.

For the eye shadow, you want either a medium brown colour with a slight tint or something a bit pinkish for a modern chic look. The ZOEVA En Taupe palette is definitely our favourite and it’s on sale at the Beauty Bay. You could also invest in the BH Cosmetics Neutral Eyes 28 colour palette, as it guarantees you have plenty of shades to play with.

When you’re adding the eye shadow, apply it from lash line to crease and a light layer underneath the lower lashes. This creates a beautiful look with minimal effort and you don’t look like you’ve applied much makeup at all to your look.

Leave the lips untouched – almost

Now, the lips can divide opinion when it comes to a chic, minimalistic look. Some people think you should leave them almost untouched; just adding a light layer of lip balm. Neals Yard Remedies has a great collection of non-glossy or tinted lip balms at amazing discounts through usage of voucher codes. On the other hand, some recommend adding a touch of lip stain. A good choice would be the Joe Fresh lip stain in Pale Pink. The Luscious Lip Stick by Charlotte Tilbury available at Sephora is another good option.

 

There you have it! You’ll only need five products to create this incredible look and you won’t be sacrificing in terms of style. A minimalistic makeup looks effortless, yet so fresh and chic. But don’t be fooled by the few amounts of products – you definitely want to practice the look, especially the foundation. You want the results to look dewy, not glowing and minimalistic, not completely natural. Therefore, you should consider trying a few of the listed items to ensure you find the ones that work for you. Then it is just time to start impressing people with your new, effortless look!