How to Do a Natural Makeup Look Step by Step

Step 1: Skincare Prep

Natural-looking makeup starts with well-prepped skin. Makeup always looks more natural on hydrated, smooth skin. Skip this step and even the lightest products will look patchy and emphasize dry spots or texture.

1. Cleanse: Wash your face with a gentle cleanser. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser are both excellent choices. Pat dry gently.
2. Moisturize: Apply a lightweight moisturizer suited to your skin type. For oily skin, use a gel moisturizer. For dry skin, use a cream. Let it absorb for two to three minutes.
3. SPF: Apply sunscreen. This is non-negotiable. Use a lightweight formula that works under makeup. CeraVe AM SPF 30 or Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 both work well. Wait one to two minutes before applying makeup.
4. Primer (optional): If you need your makeup to last all day, a primer helps. But for a truly natural look, moisturizer and SPF provide enough of a base. Skipping primer keeps the look lighter and more skin-like.

Step 2: The Base

The secret to a natural-looking base is using less product, not more. You want to even out your skin tone while letting your actual skin show through. Full-coverage foundation is the enemy of the natural look. Choose one of these options based on how much coverage you want.

Option A: Tinted Moisturizer (Most Natural)

The lightest option. A tinted moisturizer adds a hint of color while letting freckles, natural texture, and your skin's character show through. Apply with your fingers, spreading from the center of your face outward. This is the fastest and most natural-looking base.

Option B: Light-Coverage Foundation

If you want slightly more coverage for redness or uneven tone, a light-coverage foundation works well. The key is applying it with a damp beauty sponge, which sheers out the product and creates a skin-like finish rather than a mask-like one.

Application tip: Whatever base you choose, use your fingers or a damp sponge. Brushes deposit more product and create a more obvious, made-up finish. Fingers warm the product, helping it melt into the skin. A damp sponge sheers everything out for the most natural result.

Step 3: Concealer

Concealer is the workhorse of the natural makeup look. Instead of using foundation to cover everything, you keep the base light and use concealer only where you need it: under the eyes, on blemishes, and around the nose where redness tends to concentrate.

1. Choose a concealer one shade lighter than your skin for under-eye darkness.
2. Apply small dots in an inverted triangle under each eye. Blend outward with your ring finger (it applies the least pressure, which is gentle on delicate under-eye skin) or a damp sponge.
3. Dab a tiny amount directly on any blemishes or red spots. Pat gently to blend the edges without removing the coverage from the center of the blemish.
4. Less is more. Start with a small amount. You can always add more if needed.

Step 4: Brows

Well-groomed brows frame your face and make a bigger difference to your overall look than almost any other step. For a natural look, the goal is to fill in sparse areas and set your brows in place, not to draw on a completely new brow shape.

1. Brush your brows upward and outward with a clean spoolie brush (the mascara-wand-shaped brush).
2. If you have sparse areas, use a brow pencil in short, hair-like strokes to mimic natural brow hairs. Match the pencil to your brow color or go one shade lighter for a softer, more natural look.
3. Set with a clear or tinted brow gel, brushing hairs upward for a lifted, groomed effect.

Step 5: Cream Blush

Blush is the step that makes the biggest visible difference in a natural makeup look. It adds warmth and life to your face in a way that looks like you just came back from a walk outside. Cream blush gives a more natural, skin-like finish than powder blush because it blends seamlessly into the skin rather than sitting on top of it.

1. Smile gently. Apply cream blush to the apples of your cheeks (the round parts that pop up when you smile).
2. Blend upward toward your temples using your fingertips or a damp sponge.
3. Start with a small amount. Cream blush is more pigmented than it looks in the tube. You can always add more.
4. Choose a shade that mimics the color your cheeks naturally turn when you are flushed. For fair skin, try soft pink or peach. For medium skin, try warm rose or coral. For dark skin, try deep berry or plum.

Step 6: Eyes

For a natural eye look, less is more. You want your eyes to look awake, bright, and defined without obvious eyeshadow or heavy liner.

Mascara Only (The Simplest Approach)

1. Curl your lashes with an eyelash curler. Hold for 10 seconds at the base of the lashes. This step alone makes your eyes look significantly more open and awake.
2. Apply one coat of mascara, wiggling the wand from root to tip. One coat keeps it natural. Two coats move toward a more made-up look.
3. For the most natural look, use brown mascara instead of black. Brown defines without the harshness of black, especially for lighter hair and skin tones.

Adding Subtle Eye Definition (Optional)

If you want slightly more definition without obvious eyeshadow, try these options.

• Nude eyeshadow: Sweep a single matte shade close to your skin tone across the entire lid. This evens out lid discoloration without adding obvious color.
• Tight-lining: Run a brown or nude pencil liner along the upper waterline (the inner rim of your upper eyelid, between the lashes and the eyeball). This makes lashes look thicker at the root without any visible liner on the lid. It is the most natural way to add eye definition.
• Inner corner highlight: Dab a tiny bit of a champagne or light gold shimmer on the inner corner of each eye. This brightens the eye area and makes you look more awake.

Step 7: Lips

The natural lip look should enhance your natural lip color, not replace it. The goal is lips that look hydrated, slightly flushed, and healthy.

1. Start with a lip balm to hydrate and smooth. Let it absorb for a minute.
2. Apply a tinted lip balm or sheer lipstick in a shade close to your natural lip color. If you are not sure what shade to pick, choose a color that matches the inside of your lower lip when you pull it down slightly. That is your natural lip flush color.
3. Blot with a tissue for a more stain-like, subtle effect. Press your lips together to distribute the color evenly.

Step 8: Setting (Optional)

A truly natural look does not need setting powder. Powder absorbs oil and mattifies the skin, which can look dry and mask-like on certain skin types. If you have oily skin and need your makeup to last, here is how to set it naturally.

• Use a finely-milled translucent powder. Apply only to the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) where oil tends to appear.
• Use a large fluffy brush and tap off excess before applying. You want the lightest possible dusting.
• Alternatively, a setting spray mists over your makeup and locks it in without the matte effect of powder. Setting sprays maintain the dewy, skin-like finish that defines the natural look.

Complete Drugstore Product List

Here is everything you need to recreate the full natural makeup look with drugstore products. Total cost for the complete kit is under $75.

• Base: Colourpop Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer ($14) or Maybelline Fit Me Dewy ($9)
• Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind ($10)
• Brows: NYX Micro Brow Pencil ($10)
• Blush: e.l.f. Putty Blush ($7)
• Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational ($9)
• Lips: Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm ($6)
• Tool: Any damp beauty sponge ($5-8)

Total: approximately $60-$70 for a complete natural makeup kit that lasts months.

Pro Tips for a More Natural Finish

• Use your fingers. Fingers are the best blending tool for natural makeup. The warmth of your hands melts products into the skin for a seamless finish.
• Skip the contour. Contouring is for sculpted, editorial looks. For natural makeup, blush provides all the dimension you need.
• Match your metals. If you use any shimmer or highlighter, keep it subtle and match the undertone to your skin. Gold for warm undertones, champagne for neutral, silver for cool.
• Lips and cheeks should match. Using the same color family on your lips and cheeks creates a cohesive, natural look. Many cream blushes can be used on both lips and cheeks.
• Blot, do not layer. If you need to touch up during the day, blot excess oil with a tissue or blotting paper rather than adding more product on top. Layering creates a cakey, unnatural look.
• Practice the five-minute version. The fastest natural look is: tinted moisturizer, one swipe of cream blush, one coat of mascara, tinted lip balm. Four products, five minutes, and you look polished and put-together.

Frequently Asked Questions

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