5 Steps for a No-Makeup Look for the Most Difficult Skin

Wearing: All makeup by IT Cosmetics from Sephora

With indie makeup brand success, IT Cosmetics, arriving at Sephora, I’ve had the opportunity to try a range of the brand’s makeup and (or really ‘slash’) skincare products. I’ve been a big fan of IT Cosmetics My Sculpted Face contouring palette, so I was excited to see whether the other products lived up to the hype. What really captivated me about IT Cosmetics is this idea of ‘Problem-solving’ makeup. This is a somewhat avant-garde idea that makeup should help treat your skin problems and enhance your natural and unique look, rather than hide them. I know some of you might roll your eyes at this point, as I am sure your list of skin concerns, which demand the most heavy duty makeup to cover, is at least as long as mine. Even so, I have long believed that good makeup should look like you’ve not worn any at all. So while sharing my 5 steps for a no-makeup look, I also want to highlight the skin problems that I struggle with how I deal with these.

1Prepare your skin

Among the best advice my mother gave me was the importance of preparing your skin to create the perfect base for your makeup. Applying a good moisturiser will do half the work of reviving and plumping your skin as well as help your makeup stay all day. I have really fallen in love with IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream. This cream promises to be a ‘transforming moisturising super cream’, with both instant and long term skin benefits. When I tried Confidence in a Cream, I really did see an immediate improvement in the look of hydration and health in my skin.

With my years of dealing with adult acne and blackhead issues, I am conscious of the large pores and general bumpiness in my T-Zone, which most foundations tend to emphasise rather than cover up. This is where IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Silk HD Anti-Aging Micro-Powder comes in (also available in a pressed powder). This sheer powder contains silk fibres which sit over pores and fine lines to make skin look so much smoother. I actually use this powder before foundation as well as after to set my makeup (using the brilliant IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe® Wand Ball Powder Brush #8).

2Correct not cover

We usually describe foundation in terms of its ‘coverage’, but with CC Creams, the emphasis is on its namesake acronym ‘colour correct’.  Most of us have come to accept that difficult skin problems like blemishes, redness and acne scarring require thicker foundations that unfortunately look caked on. However, don’t let the reputation of CC Creams, being lighter than foundation, fool you. I can’t rave enough about the ability of IT Cosmetics Your Skin but Better CC Cream to completely remove any look of redness and discolouration, and to cover absolutely everything – and I mean everything. But the most impressive part of all is that it looks completely natural. How you apply your foundation is often a huge factor in the final finish, and I would always recommend a good foundation brush to ensure even application. I love It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe® Complexion Perfection Brush #7, which is a foundation and concealer brush in one.

3Wake up tired looking eyes

Some people have resting bitch faces, while I’m told that I have a resting tired face. I’m not sure what’s worse! No matter how much I sleep, I always have these big bags under my eyes. What I’ve learned about covering up under eye bags is that ordinary concealer will not do. An under eye concealer needs to not only conceal but also brighten, and IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer does both of these extremely well, while looking perfectly natural for a no-makeup look. When covering up undereye darkness, you don’t want apply it to the entire under eye area. The purpose is to brighten up the shadows, so apply only to the darkest parts, and blend well.

Another instant trick to wake up those eyes is a good mascara which defines your eyes and opens them up. My problem here is that the number of eyelashes I have is in single digits.  IT Cosmetics Superhero™ mascara was designed with people like me in mind. The formulation coats every lash in the deepest black and both lengthens and volumises.

4Defined and natural eyebrows

The key to achieving a no-makeup look is limiting your makeup routine to the few most important steps which make the biggest difference. For me, one of the most important steps is defining the eyebrows. However, I often find myself feeling exasperated trying to find the perfect shade for my sparse non-existent eyebrows. So what so impressed me about IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil is that it is a ‘universal’ shade. The lightness or darkness is all in how much pressure you apply. The reason the perfect shade is so important for sparse eyebrows is because you’re actually drawing eyebrows in where there wasn’t one before. For me, as I start with almost no brows at all, I simply create the shape by applying a little outside of the hairlines in short strokes.

5A natural lip

As for the lips in a no-makeup look, all you need is a good lip balm that smooths and hydrates, and a light natural colour. Initially, I thought IT Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Reviver Lipstick Stain was a sheer lip balm, but was pleasantly surprised when applying it that it gave a natural flush of colour. This lippy is both a lip treatment and lip colour. As with all IT Cosmetics makeup products, it contains beneficial ingredients which promise long term benefits.

What do you think of my no-makeup look?

Shop IT Cosmetics products at Sephora. I really hope you give these products a try and that they will be problem-solving for your skin as well.