The Minimal Sunday Face

Work week makeup, to me, says polished, perfected, and defined, with an emphasis on powder formulas and all things non-sheeny (well, I say that- more often I’m the girl sweating on the tube, feverishly trying to apply the basics of a presentable face, whilst balancing bags and mirrors- nice).

As a result of trying to achieve this perfected self, I’ve been known to go a little OTT in the everyday make-up department. Foundation, concealer, winged eyeliner and blush have been the basics of my everyday routine, so it has now become my mission to scale down the cake face, leave the slicks of lipstick and inches of eyeliner behind, and venture into dangerous territory- the minimal face. cue TERROR.

Now, I’m not going to completely forgo everyday makeup (believe me- nobody needs to see that), but I am going to attempt to employ Lisa Eldridge’s mantra- let small touches do more (that makeup Goddess!). We’re going to start safe, on a Sunday, when little makeup is more standard in my mind- baby steps people ;)

I’ll start off with a bit of a cheat- good old sunscreen. If we’re not going to layer up on the primers and the highlighters, I say let an SPF do all the work. A fine layer of the stuff all over will protect your skin and provide a GLOW to shadowy areas- my choice of late has been La Roche Posay SPF 50.

Beginning with the base- the rather brilliant Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla. Buffed into problem areas, this will even out skintone while still retaining freshness in the skin. Next- colour. While I do have a lot of redness in my cheeks, and I like that look- au natural it leans to the sweaty betty side of things. Day to day, I correct it by sweeping a lighter toned blusher over the area. I find Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Murano to be sheer enough for a totally natural application. Base luminous and veiled in tint, the third and final step in my minimal face is some eye action- CK ONE mascara adds a fluttery definition that is a whole world away from the claggy spiky lashes often present in the work week.

So, here we have my first tentative steps towards minimal makeup. 3 products- a light coverage on the skin, a little colour on the cheeks and the merest definition for the lashes- done in 5 mins tops. Time to brave the public and head out for what Sunday’s really about- food and a much needed relax. Next up, my pick of the skincare-makeup hybrids for next-level ‘minimal face’- all done in the name of research, you understand ;)