au Natural pt.2

Welcome back! Here is the second part of your natural face makeup tutorial!


EYEBROWS are next. If you came of age in the 90's as I did then you may also have extremely sparse eyebrows. It was obviously very cool to have insanely thin eyebrows back then, but if you're reading this now and you haven't plucked the life out of your caterpillars, JUST DON'T DO IT! Trim them rather than pluck them all out!

You need to find an eyebrow pencil in one or two shades darker than your present hair colour. I've heard some people say go lighter than your hair colour but if I did that I'd then be bleaching my non-existent eyebrows into oblivion. Eyebrows frame the face and if you do them well they can really help you look your prettiest! My favourite pencil is a Clinique one but I'm using something else at the moment as the good stuff wasn't in the budget this month (thank you Christmas). BUT I can't tell you the name of it as it's already rubbed off in my makeup bag! I have also used a very, very good powder eyebrow set from Estee Lauder in the past. Try a powder and a stiff eyebrow brush if a pencil seems too harsh on your face.

START at the beginning of the eyebrow and draw a straight line up to the arch. Draw another straight line above and below the first line, all finishing at the top of the arch so it makes a kind of triangle shape. Make sure you are filling more above the first line than below to really uplift the brows and open up your face. Continue to methodically fill in the eyebrow in this way until you've got a nice soft upward line.



Up..

Now start at the end point of the first line and draw another line down towards the hairline. This line should be thinner than the first upward line but keep it nice and soft. Blend with a Qtip if needed. Repeat on the other side. Make sure there is a definite point, and it doesn't look too rounded.


...then down.

The best piece of eyebrow advice I've ever heard is "eyebrows are sisters, not twins"! So stop trying to make 'em identical and you'll end up with nicer eyebrows and a more natural face!



It's all coming together now!

Now take a white eyeshadow, not too shimmery, and lightly press into the inner corner of the eyes. I use Rimmel Glam'Eyes in "Glam Ice". This will open up your eyes and make your whole face look more awake. Something every mother, if not every woman, covets is an alert healthy glow, and this step really takes you there.

Next curl your eyelashes. This is imperative. Do this every day! It really opens up your eyes, and gives the face a boost. The older you are, the more important this becomes! Start at the base and work your way up along the length of the lashes until they are softly curled base to tip. Don't squeeze too hard or you'll lashes will shoot up in a weird 90 degree angle!

Now grab your mascara, I'm using Clinique High Impact in Black. Give the brush a little wipe with tissue and start at the base of the lashes. Wiggle the wand back in forth as you sweep up the lashes. I do this about four times, but I like a lotta mascara so aim for two to start and add more if you want! Then wipe all the mascara off of the brush and brush out any clumps you've left behind.

 Use a damp (NOT WET!) qtip/cotton bud and run it along the top of the lid next to the lash line to mop up any mascara smudges.

Finally spread a teeny bit of Vaseline/petroleum jelly or even a bit of lip balm between your fingertips and pat it into the apples of your cheeks, being careful not to smudge your blush around. This adds a natural youthful glow to the overall look, and who can argue with that?

Now you're done! I've done a before and after photo so you can see my makeup free face and the finished product. I think it's pretty without looking overdone and I basically use this every day. I can then add a bit more if I'm going out in the evening and it takes minimal extra time out of my day, but if I've got football practice that night instead I don't have to remove my face just for training.

I hope you find this useful! Please let me know how it goes and I'd love to hear any tips or tricks you have for a natural face!

(Ps... I took these photos very early in the morning so the light is a little weird- oops! Really need a photo lamp eh? x)