The Key To Looking Amazing Without Makeup

I wear makeup pretty much every day. Not because I'm particularly shy of going out without it, but because I think it's really important to look put together at work. It's much easier to gain people's respect in the workplace when your hair, makeup and wardrobe immediately project the respect you have for yourself. Also, because makeup is a lot of fun for me. I often see makeup in movies or magazines that I try to tone down and adapt on my own face.

Love this look on Mila Kunis

My every day makeup:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC20 (in winter)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus

MAC Taupe eyebrow pencil

MAC Bronzer in Golden

MAC Sunkissed Blush

MAC Zoomlash in Zoomblack

With summer coming up though, there is going to be a lot more opportunity to go barefaced. I don't ever want to be one of those girls who wears a full face of makeup to the beach. So with that in mind, I found some pictures of celebrities looking flipping amazing without any makeup on Buzzfeed.

Beyonce

Demi Lovato

Emanuelle Chriqui

Heidi i-can-do-no-wrong Klum

Leighton Meister

Maria Menunous

Marion Cotillard

all images via Buzzfeed

There are two things that all these women have in common: fantastic eyebrows and flawless skin. Get these two things right and you never have to be worried about going barefaced again.

Eyebrows

I can never stress enough the importance of beautifully shaped eyebrows. My eyebrows are the absolute bane of my existence- I have to fill them in every single day as they grown in wonky directions and are quite sparse in some places. Never be tempted to go too thin on your eyebrows. Once you do, it's actually surprisingly difficult to grow them back. The best way to ensure great brows is to get them professionally shaped. I don't like waxing for brows- it's not really precise enough and it tends to stretch the skin over a long period of time. I love threading. It's super super precise and gives you a really clean finish. I still haven't found my trusted Threading Expert in Cape Town, so if you can suggest someone I'd really appreciate it.

I suggest using a pencil in a neutral brown shade to fill our eyebrows in. Even if you're blonde, eyebrows one or two shades darker than your hair make sense. When picking out an eyebrow pencil, look for something with absolutely no red tone and no sparkle. MAC's Taupe is a really great one and works on almost anybody.

Perfect Skin

I know this might sound like a tall order, but what I really mean is "well looked after skin". Skin that is cared for and invested in makes all the difference when going barefaced. If there's one thing you're going to spend money on in your youth, let it be your skin. Dull skin doesn't even look that great with makeup on, but nourished, hydrated skin looks incredible with just a little mascara to frame the eyes.

I absolutely swear by QMS. The products are on the pricey side, but the results are absolutely worth it. And realistically; would you rather spend money now preventing or spend double the money years from now, curing?

To brighten your skin I suggest MAC strobe cream. I've loved this product for years! It works as a primer and is loaded with Vitamin C to wake up and brighten dull skin. It contains teeny tiny iridescent particles and can be worn under makeup to enhance your look.

And of course, as we all know: SUNSCREEN