My everyday no-makeup makeup look

When I'm rushing out of the house, I need a quick and easy makeup look that is not too over-the-top. This look takes about 10 minutes, and, by using only drugstore products, most of which are under £5, it's not an expensive look either. I don't use powder for this look - to give a natural sheen and try and make my skin look far better than it actually is! If you want to add powder feel free to do so - equally you could build on this look by adding more layers of foundation and heavier eye make-up for a simple evening look. 

The method: 

The tools

So these are the brushes I used - 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (*)

Real Techniques Blush Brush (*)

Eco-tools concealer brush (*)

Model's Own eye brushes - part of a 5 piece set (*)

Step 1: Prep your face

It's always good to keep your lips in good condition - mine chap so easily and using a lip balm before applying lipsticks or other lip products helps to protect them. I was pleasantly surprised with this recent purchase (technically not a purchase - free when I re-purchased my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer) - the Collection 2000 Mardi Gras Lip Balm in Green Apple flavour. Not only does it smell heavenly but it definitely improves the condition of my lips. It's £1.99 from Superdrug (buy here) and really, in my opinion, worth it. 

Priming the face is also important - if you're doing a full day of work or school, your make-up needs to stay put. Again, I was pleasantly surprised with this product. Primers now are so expensive but this one is basically like a moisturiser and only £3.49 from here. Obviously, it's not the best primer ever but if you're on a budget, it'll do. It's also not a matte formula primer, which means that the skin can still look dewy.

Step 2: Foundation 

So, for this look I use two foundations. The 17 sheer moisture foundation was, again, extremely cheap and sadly now discontinued (but you can still buy it on Ebay here). It again makes the face look more dewy, although I would not use it by itself. Use a pea-sized squirt for the cheeks and chin and another squirt for the forehead. Blend in with either the face brush, as I did, or press your fingers together to warm them and then use your fingers to blend in the foundation (warming the fingers makes the foundation go over the face more smoothly and also makes it hold to your face better). 

You could leave this underlayer for a couple of minutes to sink in or add on the next foundation - my favourite drug store foundation in shade 115 - Maybelline's 'Fit Me' foundation (which can be bought here). Again use pea sized amounts and either use the face brush or your fingers as before to blend into the skin.

Step 3: Concealer and eyebrows

 So my favourite concealer is and always has been the Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch brightening concealer (*) - especially for this kind of look - it's light and not such a heavy concealer - good for this kind of dewy look. If you are having a break-out, don't panic - the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (*) is a heavier duty concealer that would still work. Conceal wherever you want using this concealer - including under eyes.

Step 4: Eyebrows, adding blush and highlighting the face

For my eyebrows, I used the brown of this palette - the third colour down. I just quickly brushed it through my brows using an eye brush to define my eyebrows. I tend to have eyebrows that are quite patchy and so just popping a little eyeshadow through the brow evens them out and makes them, to my eye, look far better. This palette is only £3.99 from Superdrug and a really good purchase - I use the highlighter in my tutorial later. You can buy it here - the palette I used was the Midtown Mauve, but there are a variety of colours in different palettes. 

Before highlighting the face, I use a beautiful blush from Collection 2000 and apply with the Real Techniques Blush Brush. The blush is such a beautiful colour (04 Trouble, can be bought here) that it almost acts as a blush and foundation at the same time, especially if used quite liberally. However I prefer for this look to use the highlighter from the palette above (top right). It's a sort of highlighter cream, so it applies really easily, and I just sweep it across my high cheekbones and under the arch of my eyebrow but it works anywhere on the face - including on or around the nose. I then blend in with the foundation brush. 

Step 5: Mascara and eyes

In the pictures I chose to use no eyeshadow. I find I have a love-hate relationship with it and if I don't have the time I just don't bother with it. If I wanted to wear eyeshadow I would follow this method - using the lightest colour of the palette I would use an eyeshadow brush to put it in the corner of my eye. I then use the brown colour (third down) in the corner of my eye and blend from the outside of the eye in. If I was using eyeliner also I would use the No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil in Brown (*) (I don't tend to use black eyeshadow unless I'm doing winged eyeliner as I've got really shaky hands and it always goes astray!). 

To finish the look I use whatever mascara I can get my hands on. At the moment I'm really liking the Revlon Lash Potion Mascara (*) in Blackest Black. 

Step 6: Lips

To finish the look completely I tend to use nude or pale pink lip pens and sticks. They're quick and easy and just make the look a whole lot classier. My favourite at the moment to quickly whip on is the Revlon Colourburst Balm Stain (*) in 001 Honey Douce. It's a really moisturising formula, and can be topped up quickly and easily. It's also a dupe for the Clarins chubby sticks, and really in my opinion it's just as good. It also winds up so there's actually a large amount of lipstick for the price. 

So there we go - that's my quick make-up look. I know that it seems like a long post but really the look only takes about 10 minutes and all of the products used are high-street brands, all of which are extremely cheap. The look can also be built on with other layers of foundation, can be added to with a strong eye look, etc. This is just a really good base, or a stand alone, little effort no-makeup makeup look on its own. Hope you enjoyed this post, would love to hear your opinions.