About 2 to 3 years ago, we saw the advent of all things loud and high in shock factor – think fluorescent pink lipstick, bright orange eyeshadow, and glitter for days, made famous by the likes of queens of unorthodox fashion like Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.
As the end of the decade drew near, these queens have also seemed to have taken a drastic nod in favor of subtlety. Lady Gaga seems to have liberated herself from the wacky makeup and elaborate costumes the she has going on, and reverted to her native blonde hair, complete with minimal makeup… as has Nicki Minaj.
Loud seems to not be the new proud anymore, and less just seems to be more these days. Entering the new year, I expect the ‘in’ look to be even more subdued – and here’s how to achieve that.
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Baring it All
The first step to looking great with minimal fuss is of course, having immaculate skin. That means skin you can comfortable walk out of the house with sans concealer or even foundation.
The texture, tone and the tenderness of your skin will dictate how well you rock that no-makeup look.
For a smoother skin texture that will look flawless under any light or angle, invest in an exfoliating cleanser not too harsh on the skin, and exfoliate regularly. Doing away with all the dead skin cells with exfoliation reveals a glow and suppleness, that also can be supercharged with the right products.
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Much Ado A-Brow It
The eyebrows have finally gotten the recognition they truly deserve; they are very much on the maintenance list of the beauty-savvy these days.
A pair of perfectly groomed brows can frame your face and accentuate your features, so if they are overplucked or sparse, it’s best to speed up the growth and volume of your brows with a serum (that also works on your lashes).
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Beneath the Arch
Now that your brows are perfectly sculpted and volumized, the next step to bare-faced perfection is to make sure there are no dark eye circles, wrinkles or eyebags around your eyes.
Makeup is usually your answer to these pesky eye problems, but remember – we’re talking minimal to no makeup here.
Other than clocking your beauty sleep hours, your pre-bedtime beauty routine plays a very pivotal part in keeping eye circles and eye bags out of sight too.
If eye creams are part of your nightly beauty routine, make sure you’re using a product with enzymes to encourage cell turnover and collagen production, so that they can work on the discoloration and the puffiness while you’re asleep.
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Getting Lippy
As earlier mentioned, loud and colorful makeup are now a thing of 2016 (that’s like, ages ago), and in the place of hot pink or baby blue lipstick, we have nudes. All different shades of it.
With no audacious colors to up the beauty ante, all you have right now is probably a couple of mild colored lipstick and your lips in all their natural glory. If they happen to be stained, chapped and devoid of volume, that’s not going to do your bare face any favors.
A pair of lips without loud lipstick can also be the center of attraction, with the right volume, texture and shape. Plump up your lips by constantly moisturizing them with Vitamin-rich products containing breakthrough anti-aging ingredients like Alguronic Acid, for that dewy youthful finish.
With flawless glass-like skin, perfectly arched eyebrows, luminous eyes, and pouty bee-stung lips, makeup should probably be the last thing on your mind!
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