How to Apply Neutral Makeup for Special Occasions
Wear natural makeup when you want your own skin to show through., Wear neutral makeup to look completely polished for daytime., Understand that a neutral palette is flattering to most skin tones., Gather your facial cleanser, exfoliator, and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Wear natural makeup when you want your own skin to show through.
Natural makeup is sometimes confused for neutral makeup, but the two are quite different.
A natural look is casual, fresh, and dewy and is used to achieve a refreshed “just woke up” look.A casual look is achieved with minimal makeup.
Sheer or light foundation might be used so that the skin, freckles and all, still shows through.
Eye makeup is minimal, such a as a light shadow and just a bit of mascara, but no eyeliner.
Lips might have just a touch of sheer gloss in a natural tone. -
Step 2: Wear neutral makeup to look completely polished for daytime.
As opposed to a natural look created with minimal makeup, a neutral look is achieved with quite a bit of makeup.
Neutral makeup is more subtle than a dramatic night time look due to a neutral color palette, but is just as heavily made up.
It is perfect for daytime when bolder makeup colors might not be appropriate.
For a neutral look, the skin is still completely covered with concealer and foundation.
Full eye makeup is applied for a neutral look, including a base eyeshadow color, a highlight shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and false eyelashes, if desired.
The shadow, liner, and mascara should all be neutral colors.
Lips are done in a neutral color.
A nude lip is a popular neutral look.Neutral makeup creates a flawless look that is essential for looking good in photos. , Neutral colors can look flattering on a wide range of skin tones, from light to dark.
The difference is in the shade of the makeup color.
Lighter shades of a particular makeup color (such as light pink) are applied to lighter skin tones, while deeper shades of the same makeup color (such as dark pink) can be applied to darker skin tones. , No matter how good your makeup technique is, or how great the products you use are, your face and finished makeup will look best with proper skin care.This includes washing, exfoliating, and moisturizing. , Using your hands (wash your hands first) or a washcloth, wet your face and wash it with your preferred facial cleanser.
Gently massage the cleanser all over your face, including the forehead, cheeks, chin, and nose, working into a light lather.
Be careful around the eye area to avoid getting any cleanser in your eyes. , On damp skin, massage a gentle facial scrub on the forehead, cheeks, chin, and nose, being careful to avoid the eye area.
Exfoliation smooths out the skin by removing dead skin cells and flakiness, which will help your makeup go on more smoothly.Skip this step if you previously exfoliated your facial skin within the last 24-48 hours.
You shouldn’t need to exfoliate your skin more than twice each week.Individuals with sensitive skin might choose to skip this step.
Exfoliation can be harsh on sensitive skin so use a gentle, all-natural product if you want to exfoliate., Dab your preferred facial lotion on your forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, eyelids, and under eye area; then gently blend in until you cannot see the lotion anymore.
Allow your skin to fully absorb the moisturizer for about 10 minutes before beginning to apply any makeup.Moisturizer helps keep your skin looking youthful and healthy, and helps keep your makeup from caking.Moisturizing is the last step in prepping your skin for makeup application. , With your skin deeply clean and properly moisturized, you'll notice how fresh your face looks and feels.
It is now ready for foundation, concealer, and powder.
Your makeup will go on much smoother now that your skin has been properly prepped.
Use a full coverage foundation to achieve a flawless look.
Any freckles, moles, or discoloring you might have should barely show through, if at all, after applying foundation.
Choose a foundation in a shade that complements your natural skin tone to maintain a neutral look. , You can use a brush, sponge or your fingertips to apply the foundation.
Choose whichever option works best for you.
To apply the foundation, place small dots on your forehead, cheeks, chin, nose, eyelids, and under the eye area.
Gently blend in the foundation using a delicate, light touch to avoid inadvertently rubbing off any foundation.
You can use liquid or powder foundation, whichever you prefer.
Liquid foundation will provide more coverage, is easier to blend into your skin, and is good for achieving a polished, neutral daytime look.Dabbing a bit of foundation beneath the eye area helps minimize under eye darkness. , You can skip this step if the foundation has already sufficiently covered any dark circles under the eyes.
If you can still see some darkness, just apply a small amount of concealer with your fingertips and gently blend in. , Set your foundation with face powder.
Use a big powder brush to dust your entire face with the facial powder.
This will help set the foundation you have already applied to your skin and help it last longer.Most powders only come in neutral shades and will work perfectly for a neutral look.
Just select a powder that complements the color of your foundation, which should be a close match to your natural skin tone.
If you prefer, try using a small powder puff or sponge to lightly powder your eyelids and under eye areas rather than using the powder brush. , You will need eyeshadow, eyeliner, brow or eye pencil, mascara, brushes, and possibly tweezers. , Your brows frame your face and eyes, so it is important that they are not too busy.
Lightly pluck any stray hairs.
Avoid over plucking.
For help shaping your eyebrows to best frame your eyes, read Shape Your Eyebrows. , Use a slightly wet brow brush and a dark eyeshadow or pencil eyeliner to fill in any sparse areas of your eyebrows.
Finish the look by brushing the brows with a brow comb or brush to smooth all the hairs in the same direction. , Only two shades of eyeshadow are needed to create this neutral look; one light and one dark.
Select neutral colors for both shadows.
Since neutral colors work for almost any skin tone, you don’t have to worry about picking the wrong color.
Choose the neutral shades you like best.
For the lighter eyeshadow, examples of neutral tones include beige, taupe, and champagne.
For the darker shadow, dark brown or dark grey are both good neutral options.
A darker shade of the light eyeshadow color you selected would also work.
With an eyeshadow brush, apply the lighter shade all over your eyelid.
Use an angled or very thin brush to apply the darker shade to the eye crease only.
You can smudge your eye crease a little bit with your finger tip or smudging brush to blend. , You can use liquid liner, gel liner, or pencil eyeliner.
To create a soft, subtle line, draw a very thin line very close to your lash line. , Apply two or three coats of black or dark brown mascara on your upper lashes.
Black and dark brown mascara are both good options for all skin tones.
If you like, apply one coat of mascara on your lower lashes as well. , False eyelashes are best added after you have finished applying your eye makeup.
For step by step instructions on properly applying lashes, read Apply False Eyelashes.
Once the false lashes are applied, touch up your eyeliner, if needed, and apply additional mascara, if desired. , Adding subtle color to your cheekbones and lips can give you a healthy glow that is the perfect complement to your neutral makeup look. , Bolder blush colors are best saved for dramatic, evening looks.
Lighter colors are all you need to create a beautiful, neutral daytime look.
Lighter shades of pink or peach blush work best for creating a neutral look on fair or light skin tones.
Medium and dark skin tones can benefit from warmer colors, such as a peachy beige. , Using a round blush brush, make a pouty face and brush a bit of blush lightly across your cheekbones.
Applying blush across the cheekbones provides contouring for your face, while also giving you a lovely, healthy glow., Allow the lip balm to absorb into your lips for about 10 minutes before continuing to the next step.The lip balm will moisturize your lips and make it easier to apply lip gloss or lipstick in the next step.
It will also help your lip color last longer., Try a light pink, peach, or nude color if you have fair skin.
Medium and dark skin tones can wear a darker shade of pink or peach, but should avoid nude lipstick as it can wash you out.Bright or bold lip colors are better suited for evening looks so stick with lighter colors for your neutral daytime look.
You can first outline your lips with lip liner, if you prefer, to emphasize the lips more.
If using lip liner, choose a color that is a shade darker than your natural lip color or that is a shade darker than the color of the lipstick or lip gloss you are using., Be proud of your lovely new look.
You now know how to create a neutral makeup look that is light and pretty and perfect for daytime events and special occasions. -
Step 3: Understand that a neutral palette is flattering to most skin tones.
-
Step 4: Gather your facial cleanser
-
Step 5: exfoliator
-
Step 6: and moisturizer.
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Step 7: Wash your face with a gentle cleanser.
-
Step 8: Exfoliate your skin if it has been a few days since you last exfoliated.
-
Step 9: Moisturize your skin.
-
Step 10: Gather your foundation
-
Step 11: concealer
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Step 12: powder
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Step 13: brushes and/or sponges.
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Step 14: Apply foundation to your skin.
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Step 15: Dab concealer under the eyes.
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Step 16: Dust your face with facial powder.
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Step 17: Gather all of your eye makeup supplies.
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Step 18: Pluck the eyebrows
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Step 19: if needed.
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Step 20: Fill in your brows.
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Step 21: Apply eyeshadow on your eyelids.
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Step 22: Line your eyes with black eyeliner.
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Step 23: Brush mascara on your lashes.
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Step 24: Apply cosmetic eyelashes
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Step 25: if using.
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Step 26: Gather your blush
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Step 27: lip balm
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Step 28: lipstick or lip gloss
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Step 29: and brushes.
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Step 30: Choose a light blush color best suited to your skin tone.
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Step 31: Apply blush to your cheeks.
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Step 32: Moisturize your lips with lip balm.
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Step 33: Apply a light shade of lipstick or lip gloss to your lips.
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Step 34: Observe your finished look in the mirror.
Detailed Guide
Natural makeup is sometimes confused for neutral makeup, but the two are quite different.
A natural look is casual, fresh, and dewy and is used to achieve a refreshed “just woke up” look.A casual look is achieved with minimal makeup.
Sheer or light foundation might be used so that the skin, freckles and all, still shows through.
Eye makeup is minimal, such a as a light shadow and just a bit of mascara, but no eyeliner.
Lips might have just a touch of sheer gloss in a natural tone.
As opposed to a natural look created with minimal makeup, a neutral look is achieved with quite a bit of makeup.
Neutral makeup is more subtle than a dramatic night time look due to a neutral color palette, but is just as heavily made up.
It is perfect for daytime when bolder makeup colors might not be appropriate.
For a neutral look, the skin is still completely covered with concealer and foundation.
Full eye makeup is applied for a neutral look, including a base eyeshadow color, a highlight shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and false eyelashes, if desired.
The shadow, liner, and mascara should all be neutral colors.
Lips are done in a neutral color.
A nude lip is a popular neutral look.Neutral makeup creates a flawless look that is essential for looking good in photos. , Neutral colors can look flattering on a wide range of skin tones, from light to dark.
The difference is in the shade of the makeup color.
Lighter shades of a particular makeup color (such as light pink) are applied to lighter skin tones, while deeper shades of the same makeup color (such as dark pink) can be applied to darker skin tones. , No matter how good your makeup technique is, or how great the products you use are, your face and finished makeup will look best with proper skin care.This includes washing, exfoliating, and moisturizing. , Using your hands (wash your hands first) or a washcloth, wet your face and wash it with your preferred facial cleanser.
Gently massage the cleanser all over your face, including the forehead, cheeks, chin, and nose, working into a light lather.
Be careful around the eye area to avoid getting any cleanser in your eyes. , On damp skin, massage a gentle facial scrub on the forehead, cheeks, chin, and nose, being careful to avoid the eye area.
Exfoliation smooths out the skin by removing dead skin cells and flakiness, which will help your makeup go on more smoothly.Skip this step if you previously exfoliated your facial skin within the last 24-48 hours.
You shouldn’t need to exfoliate your skin more than twice each week.Individuals with sensitive skin might choose to skip this step.
Exfoliation can be harsh on sensitive skin so use a gentle, all-natural product if you want to exfoliate., Dab your preferred facial lotion on your forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, eyelids, and under eye area; then gently blend in until you cannot see the lotion anymore.
Allow your skin to fully absorb the moisturizer for about 10 minutes before beginning to apply any makeup.Moisturizer helps keep your skin looking youthful and healthy, and helps keep your makeup from caking.Moisturizing is the last step in prepping your skin for makeup application. , With your skin deeply clean and properly moisturized, you'll notice how fresh your face looks and feels.
It is now ready for foundation, concealer, and powder.
Your makeup will go on much smoother now that your skin has been properly prepped.
Use a full coverage foundation to achieve a flawless look.
Any freckles, moles, or discoloring you might have should barely show through, if at all, after applying foundation.
Choose a foundation in a shade that complements your natural skin tone to maintain a neutral look. , You can use a brush, sponge or your fingertips to apply the foundation.
Choose whichever option works best for you.
To apply the foundation, place small dots on your forehead, cheeks, chin, nose, eyelids, and under the eye area.
Gently blend in the foundation using a delicate, light touch to avoid inadvertently rubbing off any foundation.
You can use liquid or powder foundation, whichever you prefer.
Liquid foundation will provide more coverage, is easier to blend into your skin, and is good for achieving a polished, neutral daytime look.Dabbing a bit of foundation beneath the eye area helps minimize under eye darkness. , You can skip this step if the foundation has already sufficiently covered any dark circles under the eyes.
If you can still see some darkness, just apply a small amount of concealer with your fingertips and gently blend in. , Set your foundation with face powder.
Use a big powder brush to dust your entire face with the facial powder.
This will help set the foundation you have already applied to your skin and help it last longer.Most powders only come in neutral shades and will work perfectly for a neutral look.
Just select a powder that complements the color of your foundation, which should be a close match to your natural skin tone.
If you prefer, try using a small powder puff or sponge to lightly powder your eyelids and under eye areas rather than using the powder brush. , You will need eyeshadow, eyeliner, brow or eye pencil, mascara, brushes, and possibly tweezers. , Your brows frame your face and eyes, so it is important that they are not too busy.
Lightly pluck any stray hairs.
Avoid over plucking.
For help shaping your eyebrows to best frame your eyes, read Shape Your Eyebrows. , Use a slightly wet brow brush and a dark eyeshadow or pencil eyeliner to fill in any sparse areas of your eyebrows.
Finish the look by brushing the brows with a brow comb or brush to smooth all the hairs in the same direction. , Only two shades of eyeshadow are needed to create this neutral look; one light and one dark.
Select neutral colors for both shadows.
Since neutral colors work for almost any skin tone, you don’t have to worry about picking the wrong color.
Choose the neutral shades you like best.
For the lighter eyeshadow, examples of neutral tones include beige, taupe, and champagne.
For the darker shadow, dark brown or dark grey are both good neutral options.
A darker shade of the light eyeshadow color you selected would also work.
With an eyeshadow brush, apply the lighter shade all over your eyelid.
Use an angled or very thin brush to apply the darker shade to the eye crease only.
You can smudge your eye crease a little bit with your finger tip or smudging brush to blend. , You can use liquid liner, gel liner, or pencil eyeliner.
To create a soft, subtle line, draw a very thin line very close to your lash line. , Apply two or three coats of black or dark brown mascara on your upper lashes.
Black and dark brown mascara are both good options for all skin tones.
If you like, apply one coat of mascara on your lower lashes as well. , False eyelashes are best added after you have finished applying your eye makeup.
For step by step instructions on properly applying lashes, read Apply False Eyelashes.
Once the false lashes are applied, touch up your eyeliner, if needed, and apply additional mascara, if desired. , Adding subtle color to your cheekbones and lips can give you a healthy glow that is the perfect complement to your neutral makeup look. , Bolder blush colors are best saved for dramatic, evening looks.
Lighter colors are all you need to create a beautiful, neutral daytime look.
Lighter shades of pink or peach blush work best for creating a neutral look on fair or light skin tones.
Medium and dark skin tones can benefit from warmer colors, such as a peachy beige. , Using a round blush brush, make a pouty face and brush a bit of blush lightly across your cheekbones.
Applying blush across the cheekbones provides contouring for your face, while also giving you a lovely, healthy glow., Allow the lip balm to absorb into your lips for about 10 minutes before continuing to the next step.The lip balm will moisturize your lips and make it easier to apply lip gloss or lipstick in the next step.
It will also help your lip color last longer., Try a light pink, peach, or nude color if you have fair skin.
Medium and dark skin tones can wear a darker shade of pink or peach, but should avoid nude lipstick as it can wash you out.Bright or bold lip colors are better suited for evening looks so stick with lighter colors for your neutral daytime look.
You can first outline your lips with lip liner, if you prefer, to emphasize the lips more.
If using lip liner, choose a color that is a shade darker than your natural lip color or that is a shade darker than the color of the lipstick or lip gloss you are using., Be proud of your lovely new look.
You now know how to create a neutral makeup look that is light and pretty and perfect for daytime events and special occasions.
About the Author
Charles Hughes
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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