If stepping into the streets with zero makeup gives you hives, but dramatic siren eyes and a perfectly painted pout isn’t your forte, you might want to try the popular ‘no makeup’ makeup look.
Yep. We’re talking about the modish look that celebrities and beauty vloggers rocked through quarantine and beyond. It involves using minimal products to achieve that barely-there but still effortlessly fly look in minimal time.
That said, here are some of the best and most budget-friendly picks to let your natural beauty shine through.
Repêchage Vita Cura B3 Lifting Mask, $95
Think of this hydrating mask as a facial in a packet. Loaded with superpower ingredients, the face-lifting formula creates an invisible film on your epidermis to instantly iron out fine lines, smile lines, and wrinkles and give you that temporarily sculpted look.
The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension + HA Spheres, $7
The Ordinary’s Vitamin C Suspension works wonders on the skin. Its hefty dose of radiance-enhancing ingredients (hyaluronic acid, L-ascorbic acid, and squalene) work tirelessly to hydrate, plump, and smooth the skin, while its antioxidants fight free radicals to give you a luminous, head-turning glow.
Black Girl Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $21
Let’s cut to the chase: SPF is non-negotiable. Yep, even if you are a hermit or reside in Yakutsk, Siberia, Russia, you can’t afford to skimp on this UVA and UVB damage-wrestling product. And if you have no idea which SPF to invest in, try this option from Black Girl Sunscreen.
Infused with natural, paraben- and phthalates-free ingredients, it douses your skin with moisture, leaving you feeling satisfyingly refreshed. It also goes on totally clear (white cast for who?) and provides adequate SPF 30 protection.
Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint, $30
As proud subscribers of the Navy, we trust every product Rihanna says is the sh*t – like this skin tint from Fenty. Unlike most tinting products that make you look like you just stepped out of the It movie, the blurring formula blends effortlessly into the skin, giving your complexion a natural blurred effect.
That’s not all…
The Eaze Drop is smudge-proof, sweat-proof, and transfer-resistant, so you don’t have to keep reapplying all day long. It also comes in 25 different shades and features a smooth, user-friendly texture that’s seamless to apply with your fingers or your go-to tint brush.
Danessa Myricks Dew Wet Hydrating & Highlighting Balm, $22
Like your favorite hood bakery’s crème pie, this barely-there highlighting balm from Danessa Myricks is creamy, ganache-y, and oh-so-divine. Loaded with jojoba oils that drench your face with moisture, enlarged pores, and dark spots don’t really stand a chance against it.
The formula is also highly photo-friendly since it doesn’t cake up or flake, so find a cute Insta backdrop and get ready to serve your audience with some serious ‘hot girl summer’ looks.
Glossier Boy Brow, $17
If a brow gel isn’t in your wheelhouse, you might have to reconsider because the Glossier Boy Brow gel doesn’t come to play.
Its cruelty-free formula applies seamlessly to your brows, imbues them with moisture, and neatly combs every strand into the desired look, including TikTok’s favorite, upswept brows.
Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist, $48
If you’re a staunch minimalist, you probably need a good ‘ol mist that doubles up as your setting spray and general plumping mist. And what’s better than one of the market’s best-selling mists – The Tatcha Luminous Face Mist? Nothing.
The seriously hydrating product not only works like an IRL Instagram filter but also delivers an instant boost of hydration, giving you a silky, plumpy, and glowy appearance in a matter of seconds. It also serves as the perfect handbag beauty pick and allows you to quickly retouch your makeup look anytime, anywhere.
Mented Cosmetics Long Live The Lash Mascara, $18
If clumpy mascara is the bane of your existence, you *need* to try this godsend Mented Cosmetics Long Live The Lash option.
It comes with a sturdy bamboo fiber brush that gives your teeny-tiny lashes a ton of lift and body and contains nourishing ingredients like almond and olive oil that go on effortlessly and stay on for hours, too.
The result? Sexy, smokey lashes that give off that foxy, movie-level look.
Rare Beauty With Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm, $16
When a lip shade stays put through a steak-filled lunch, several passionfruit Martinis, and all those 45-minute snack trips – you know it’s worth stocking up on.
However, getting the perfect nude lip can be daunting in a shade-limitive industry. Go too pale, and you risk looking too blanch. Veer too dark, and you’ll be channeling the evil dark queen.
Fortunately, there are brands like Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, which offer all their consumers (including dark-skinned queens) incredibly flattering nude lip balms that nourish your lips and give you a sensual, long-lasting, no-makeup makeup look.
Plus, the cushiony, non-greasy formula has a buildable lip color that blurs out smile lines without settling. Sexy pout, anyone?
