The No-Makeup Makeup Look Is Still Too Much Makeup

If you Google no makeup makeup look, you will find photo examples that look something like this:

And to be clear, this is actually one of my favorite makeup looks. No contouring, no completely changing your face, just enhancing your natural features until everything looks a little fresher. Very chef’s kiss.

These photos also used to be the perfect example for making fun of dudes who looked at a woman wearing concealer, blush, brow gel, mascara, lipstick and probably six other things and said, “See, I like girls without makeup.”

I think that joke worked better a couple of years ago because, I feel like dudes have developed a slightly more trained eye. Whatever…

The point is that I have been making a little more skincare content lately.

So I started looking on Pinterest for photo inspiration, and I noticed something about all those beautiful girls taking photos that look very “I woke up like this.”

They are, in fact, very much groomed.

I know this because I have tested an absurd amount of beauty products every day for years, so when I see that perfectly rosy lip that looks like she was simply born with better circulation than the rest of us, I know that lip tint. In many cases, I literally own that lip tint.

Then I see girly pops comparing themselves to these photos and wondering why they cannot wake up looking like that, and the good news is that nobody does.

Nobody is waking up with perfectly brushed brows, naturally rosy lips, even glowy skin and lashes that somehow woke up separated and pointing in the correct direction. There is usually a little something happening, it is just much more subtle than the traditional no makeup makeup look.

So I made a three minute video where I disclose everything they are doing, everything I am doing, and exactly how I create that very specific version of “I woke up like this.”

I will leave every product I used in the video below so you can recreate it without having to conduct a forensic investigation on Pinterest.

Click the image to play

All the words that are underlined are clickable, but if you would rather skip the treasure hunt, you can also see the full product list HERE.

I started with the French lip tint, which I love because it does not peel or get patchy, and it is much softer than a lot of the lip stains that can start looking a little too serious very quickly. It does not have that strong chemical taste or feel either, so the result is much more natural and gives you that cherry lip that look like bitten lips.

Shade Amarante Noire, promo code BONNIEVFR15. Single HERE. Great combo value HERE.

For the glowy skin, I used the Rhode Glazing Milk, and the hydration is literally incredible. My skin has been sensitive lately and this has been doing sooooo well, which is exactly what I want when the goal is healthy skin.

Any traditional foundation is going to feel too thick for this particular look, so I used this tinted moisturizer instead code (BONNIEK20). It is expensive, but if you can splurge, I genuinely have not tried anything that looks this skinlike while still making everything look more even and put together. A more affordable alternative is this serum, which also helps even out the skin tone without adding any heaviness.

For the brows, I did not use a tint at all, because the second they start looking too filled in the whole illusion disappears. I used this brow serum just to shape them and keep the hairs looking naturally groomed.

The lashes are completely with no mascara, and I used this curler because it actually gets very close to my roots, which makes a much bigger difference than I expected. The reason I can skip mascara altogether is because I have been using this lash growth serum consistently and it has genuinely changed my lashes for the better. If you do not want to use prostaglandins because you have sensitive eyes, they also make a gentler version that may take a little longer to show results, which you can find HERE.

I finished the lashes with this lash finisher, which basically works like hairspray for your lashes, except thankfully it is actually made to go near your eyes. It keeps the curl in place without adding the obvious look of mascara.

To refresh my waves, I used this hair oil, while after the shower I normally start with this styling cream to give the hair a little shape before it dries. The goal with the hair is the same as the makeup, which is to look like I naturally woke up this.

And finally, I finished everything with my new favorite perfume. This is the oil version, and this is the spray which I will get after I finish the oil one.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to subscribe because I have a lot more beauty experiments and investigations coming.

With love,
Bonnie 🖤

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