Bare-Faced & Beautiful

In an age of chalky foundations and fire engine red lipstick, seeing someone with a bare face can be refreshing.  That's why I was delighted to read in the latest issue of W Magazine that when it comes to makeup, less will be more this season.  

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I'll be the first to admit I don't have flawless skin.  Going completely makeup free would scare me (and probably others, too!).  I love a dark cat eye as much as the next girl, but I do like to tone down my makeup most days when I'm working or going to school.  Here are the products I swear by when creating a natural look:

1. Dior Foundation with SPF/2. YSL Touche Eclat Highlighter Pen/3. Skin Ceuticals Clarifying Cleanser/
4. Chanel Glossimier Lipgloss 5. Bare Minerals Vanilla Sugar Eyeshadow 6. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara/

There are a few tricks you can incoporate in to your beauty routine that will give you a flawless finish:

1.) Exfoliate your skin with a deep cleanser.  This will help slough off dead skin and provide a clean surface for makeup application.  Having pretty bad acne in my teens, my dermatologist got me hooked on the SkinCeuticals line back in highschool.  To this day, I still use the Clarifying Cleanser.  It's a wonder product.

2.)  Illuminate the face with a highlighter.  This will awaken your face, diminish under-eye shadows, and help contour your nose and cheekbones. Artists have long understood the importance of luminosity, and it's high time we understood it in our beauty routines, too!  I swear by Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat.  I'm so excited to hear YSL will be releasing the Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation next month.  If it's anything like the highlighter, I'll be hooked.

I also like to add a swipe of eyeshadow in a natural shade.  This gives me a hint of color.  My favorite is vanilla sugar by Bare Minerals.  Swipe on mascara and a little lipgloss, and you're ready for your day!