How to do barefaced beauty even if you have troublesome skin

Winter can be comforting for those of us who like to wear foundation to hide troublesome skin, but as the weather warms up we may want to ditch our higher coverage in favour of sheer to medium coverage. Spring is traditionally the time when the new collections favour pastel and sorbet shades, and ‘no-makeup’ looks.

But what to do when you don’t feel confident enough to ditch the foundation? Can you still be a barefaced beauty for the Spring and Summer months? The answer is yes. If you’d like your makeup to have a lighter touch, then follow my guidelines below for a easy ‘no-makeup’ look.

Prepare your canvas before applying

Troublesome or blemish-prone skin can be exacerbated in hot weather due to sweating and using an SPF. Choose a calming moisturiser and a perfume-free SPF. I’ve enjoyed using Pai and Ultrasun recently.

Be selective in your coverage

You may think that you need a full face of thick foundation to cover troublesome skin, but even if you have severe acne, a selective approach can work really well. First, apply a sheer foundation all over, then go in with a colour correcting concealer only in the places you need it. Makeup artists will often work on specific areas of the face and neutralise any redness on cheeks or nose with a yellow-toned product such as ReCover Correct & Conceal Red, or darkness from undereye shadows with a peachy-toned product. This technique will avoid a ‘mask’ type of look.

For more on neutralising the purplish tones in acne, our advice on the subject.

Beware the bronzer if you have blemishes

Many of us feel that a sweep of powder bronzer will help to give a glow and even out our look. Be careful with this approach if you have raised skin, spots or acne, as bronzer can ‘cling’ on to blemished areas and make them more noticeable. The same advice goes for shimmery power highlighters; again the iridescent formulations can make blemishes stand out as they highlight the area of raised skin. Stick to a non-shimmery powder or cream blush product to give your face a little lift.

Textures are as important as tones

We developed ReCover Correct & Conceal Red when cosmetic formulations had made a real leap in technology and we were able to make a super light texture. This light texture, combined with a high level of pigments gives excellent coverage in just a tiny amount. Avoiding dense textures in the Summer months can give your makeup look a more natural ‘barefaced’ finish. Always remember to blend your products outwards, with either fingertips or a fine soft brush, to give a seamless finish.

These are top tips for creating a natural Spring/Summer barefaced look. Now just add your favourite eye makeup plus a pop of lip colour and you’ll be Ibiza party-ready in a flash.

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