A Makeup Artist Tells Us How To Achieve The No-Makeup Look Like A Celeb

It seems like the greatest magic trick of all: you see a celeb strolling across the red carpet looking flawless, but you actually can’t detect the makeup they have on. Or, you come upon one of countless celebrity no-makeup selfies on Instagram and you think: at the very least she must have concealer on, right? 

While it’s possible that some celebrities simply are brave enough to show their bare faces in public, it’s certainly not the norm — especially in today’s “contour everything” society. Instead, no-makeup looks are increasingly popular because they give the illusion of a fresh, makeup-free appearance, while still providing enough coverage to make you feel confident if you’re not usually a wake-up-and-roll-out-the-door kind of person. But it can actually be even more difficult to perfect a natural makeup look than it can one with heavier, more dramatic application. Daria Kruchinina, celebrity makeup and natural brows artist, gives her best application and product tips and tells us how to achieve a no-makeup look like a celeb. 

“‘No makeup’ makeup is the beauty trend that has been desired for the past eight years, even though it’s not that easy to achieve it,” Kruchinina says. “The first step is skin prep. To provide the best result you have to clean your skin with makeup remover, water and toner. Some of Kruchinina’s go-to products include: 

1) La Mer – The Treatment Lotion

1) Biossance – Squalane + BHA Pore-Minimizing Toner

2) fresh – Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Toner

The second step is moisturizer, the base for any great look as it helps your skin to “hold” the makeup during the day (and sometimes night). I recommend applying the moisturizer following the massage lines – starting from the nose towards the temples, from the forehead down to the temples and from the chin up to the cheekbones.

My top three moisturizers are:

1) Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid

2) Dior – Dreamskin Skin Perfector

3) La Mer – The Moisturizing Soft Cream Moisturizer

“Don’t forget to moisturize the area under your eyes as well,” Kruchinina says. “If you tend to have oily skin just tap your T-zone with a paper towel after leaving the moisturizer on for 5-10 minutes.”

“Foundation is the next step,” Kruchinina says. “The goal with no makeup makeup is to leave your skin glowing and natural, so we choose light coverage foundation or bb cream, that could be applied with a beauty blender or silicone makeup brush.”

Try these for the best results:

1) Chanel – Foundation Water-Fresh Tint

2) Dior BACKSTAGE Face & Body Foundation

3)Hourglass – Ambient Soft Glow Foundation

“After applying foundation, you are all ready to emphasize your natural beauty,” Kruchinina says. “I highly recommend starting with the liquid highlighter like Charlotte Tilbury – Hollywood Flawless Filter. Apply it with your fingertips on the highest section of your cheekbones, the eyelid and under the brow. Be sure to blend it well! It will create a healthy glow effect, which we all love in the no makeup look.”

After that Kruchinina says you can choose your blush, preferably a liquid one for the softest look. “Apply it on the cheekbones, lifting in a diagonal direction, so it will slightly bend with the highlighter, and add a little bit on the eyelids and lips, so it will give you a complete look,” Kruchinina says. Here are some of the products Kruchinina recommends:

1) NARS – Liquid Blush

2) Chanel – N°1 DE CHANEL LIP AND CHEEK BALM

3) Bobbi Brown – POT ROUGE FOR LIPS & CHEEKS

“Next step is eye makeup and it’s better to choose liquid or creamy eyeshadows in mono colors that are close to the natural color of the shadows on your face, though it can have warmer or cooler undertones,” Kruchinina says. “Apply it on the eyelid and blend well, moving the shade to the temples to create the most natural foxy eye effect.”

For cool undertones Kruchinina loves:

1) Laura Mercier – Caviar Stick Eye Shadow Color: Caramel

2) Clinique – Chubby Stick™ Shadow Tint For Eyes Color: Lots o Latte

3) Bobbi Brown – LONG-WEAR CREAM SHADOW STICK Color:  nude beach

If you have warm or neutral  undertones, here are some great picks:

1) Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow Color: Chocolate Bronze

2) Bobbi Brown –  LONG-WEAR CREAM SHADOW STICK Taupe

3)  Bobbi Brown – LONG-WEAR CREAM SHADOW STICK Color:  shore

“When finished with eyeshadows, create the c-shape curl for your lashes with the lash curler and apply mascara in dark browns or classic black for the final touch,” Kruchinina says. The makeup artists opts for:

1) Chanel – Mascara NOIR ALLURE

2) Diorshow Iconic Mascara in brown or black

It’s best to skip heavier eyeliner or a cat’s eye if your goal is a more natural look. But Kruchinina cautions to never forget about eyebrows. “If you have natural medium or thick brows – just brush them up with tinted eyebrow gel (choose one shade lighter to look fresh and a bit younger) and add the clear one on top for better hold,” Kruchinina says. 

Some brow products Kruchinina loves: 

1) Hourglass  – Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel

2) Charlotte Tilbury – Legendary Brows Tinted Eyebrow Gel

3) MAKEUP BY MARIO – Master Hold Brow Gel (clear)

Last but not least: lip definition. “For the trendiest ‘no makeup’ look use a lip pencil in two shades: darker than your lip color and overdraw it in the cupid bow and corner of the lips, slightly blending to the middle of your lips,” Kruchinina says. “Apply a hint of the blush that you used to the center of the lips and blend two colors evenly.”

If it’s nighttime or you want to create a sexier look Kruchinina recommends adding Dior – Lip Glow Oil right in the middle of your lips.

“Want to make sure it will last all day long? Use Hourglass – Ambient Lighting Palette for the highlighted areas and spray it with the NYX – Makeup Setting Spray,” Kruchinina says. 

And voila — your makeup will be undetectable and your glowing natural beauty will have a chance to shine through.