How to Do Minimalistic Makeup

by Spectacular Girlupdated on May 19, 2022January 24, 2021

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Recently, I read this book called Talk Beauty to Me by Kanika Maliviya. One thing I found really cool was that we both used Revlon lipsticks as our first lipsticks! But something more important I learned is that there are three types of makeup users: the makeup enthusiast, the daily user and the occasional user. Now, I of course am the makeup enthusiast! But today I’m here to share with you makeup tips for those of you who like to wear makeup daily but want to keep it effortlessly chic! In other words minimalistic makeup.

Minimalistic Makeup is also known as the no-makeup makeup look. This makeup look is great when you like makeup but you want to have a simple everyday go-to look that doesn’t take a lot of time in the morning.

Minimalistic Makeup Brands that Come to My Mind

These brands come to my mind when I think of minimalistic makeup. Please note the brands I list are a bit on the higher-priced side. I find that most drugstore makeup brands are very out there and un-minimalistic with the exception of perhaps Physician’s Formula.

Rare Beauty: My favorite brand because I’m a longtime Selena Gomex fan! I love their foundation and lip balm.
BareMinerals: Gen Nude Lip Lacquer in Dahling smells so good and is perfection!
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics (I tried the Luxe Lipstick in Retro Coral which is spectacular!)
ILIA (Their super skin serum SPF foundation is the most lightweight foundation I have ever used!)

Guide to Minimalistic Makeup

Face

Say no to foundation and let your natural skin texture show! If you’re looking for some slight coverage use a tinted moisturizer, face powder or BB cream. And don’t forget the sunscreen underneath! You can add a dash of some light pink blush if you would like that extra boost. Below are some of my favorite minimalistic products that I have personally used.

Lips

For lips I recommend finding your signature lipstick! A signature lipstick is “that one lipstick you can’t live without”. It might take time to find your signature lipstick but once you find it you’ll instantly know! I don’t have a signature lipstick at the moment since I’m always trying out new products as a beauty blogger but back in the day my signature lipstick was Revlon’s Pink in the Afternoon. Generally I find that pinks are the best color to go for your signature lipstick.

If you’re not into lipstick you can opt for a tinted lip balm or lip gloss instead. I highly recommend Tower 28 Shine on Lip Jelly for a good lip gloss! I own XOXO and the shade Cashew from the Milky collection and they’re both amazing! Non-sticky and comfortable gloss! Below are some lipsticks I love that could be your next signature lip color! The captions have my favorite shade for a signature lip listed.

Minimalistic Eye Makeup

Now minimalistic eye makeup can get a bit complicated because you can either use eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara or just use mascara. Or you can go for an eyeliner and mascara look without the eyeshadow and vice versa where you use just eyeshadow and mascara. Definitely no fake lashes as it would no longer be a minimalistic eye makeup look. As to which three products you want to use for your eye makeup look it’s up to you. Generally, I recommend just sticking to a mascara and light eyeshadow.

However, if you wear glasses like me what’s considered heavy eye makeup might not be so heavy when you wear glasses. Your eyes tend to look smaller as you wear glasses and they become the center of attention so you might want to add more to your eye makeup look.

Mascaras

For the most lightweight and natural-looking mascara I recommend Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara . This is one of the best mascaras for creating that subtle natural look. For a drugstore alternative to this check out L’OREAL’s Air Volume Mascara. Make sure you’re picking a washable formula for your mascara as waterproof formulas tend to be heavier.

Eyeshadow

Make sure you’re using blush tones or nude colors. I recommend the Naked 3 Palette which is my all-time favorite! This palette comes with beautiful pink colors as well as some more ashy tones. A drugstore alternative to this which I used before I bought the Naked 3 is Maybelline’s Blushed Nudes.

For nude colors, I love using Smashbox’s Cover Shot Eyeshadow Palette in Minimalist. This has all the basic nude colors you want and it’s perfect to fit in your purse and use on the go if needed. A drugstore alternative that I used before I bought this is the Maybelline Nudes Palette.

smashbox minimalist eyeshadow palette on top of maybelline the nudes eyeshadow palette — Neutral eyeshadow palettes to wear

Minimalistic Makeup Brush Set

The first makeup brush set I ever purchased and also the first thing I ever purchased at Sephora is this three set of travel-size brushes that comes with a powder brush, concealer brush, and foundation brush. You can honestly apply most products with your fingers but if you’re looking for some basic makeup brush sets here’s some spectacular stuff I found online.