If You Hate Foundation… Try This Instead | NO FOUNDATION MAKEUP

You might not need foundation. Today I'm going to show you this entire makeup look without it. If foundation never feels quite right on your skin, I want to show you a few techniques that will still have you looking polished, fresh, and put together without using it at all. Let's start with skincare because when you're not wearing foundation, your skin is the foundation. So how it's prepped will not only completely change how it looks, but also how it behaves throughout the day. I'm starting with Mimua's Volume Up Time Block Toning Essence. This is a bi-phase formula. You can see here that it has an oil and a water layer. So you want to give it a really good shake before applying it to the skin. The formula itself is very lightweight, but when you press it onto your face, it is super hydrating because it has both volume fill-in and beta-glucan in it. I find that this works especially well to hydrate and pump my under eyes before concealer. Like just look at this glow and that's just the essence by itself. Next, I'm going in with the Time Block Serum. This formula has 5% volume fill-in and 40% beta-glucan. So it really focuses on hydrating and giving the skin that fuller, more cushioned look. For those of you who haven't heard of volume fill-in, it's actually a really interesting ingredient, and it's getting a lot of attention online right now because of its, you know, skin plumping effect. It really plumps the skin. It's actually described as being a messenger that signals the skin to create and thicken its fat cells over time. I find that when you put it on, because it's so hydrating, you can see your skin look plumper like pretty much immediately. And then beta-glucan, of course, is incredibly soothing. It's actually even more hydrating than hyaluronic acid. So it's amazing for dry, sensitive, or that really easily irritated skin type. Then to seal everything in, I'm applying the Time Block Cream. This also contains 5% volume fill-in and 20% beta-glucan plus a blend of peptides. So it's a more comprehensive step that really helps support the skin and target signs of aging while locking in all of that hydration. This trio is my favorite kind of skincare prep to do when I'm not wearing foundation because it makes my skin look visibly healthier and just more cushiony. So thank you to Mimula for agreeing to sponsor this part of the video and for supporting the channel. You can find all of their shopping links in the description box below if you want to check them out. Now let's move into sun protection. I am using a tinted sunscreen and applying it directly on my face and then rubbing it in with my fingers. This is one of my favorite swaps if you don't like the feeling of foundation because you're getting your sun protection, which you should be wearing every single day anyway, but with just a touch of tint to very softly even out the skin. It takes the edge off of things like redness and discoloration. So your skin still looks exactly like your skin, just a little bit better. For brows, I'm going in with the Versed tinted brow gel. You guys know that this is one of my favorite products because it really bulks up and densifies the brows in just one step. Plus it is very affordable. It is a really affordable product that works really, really well. I sweep it through the hairs, building up the pigment as I go. If you end up touching the skin with it and leaving a bit of a mark on the skin, don't worry about it. You can just take a flat brush and clean it right up. For most people, myself included, this is really all that you need on natural makeup days. But if you don't have as much hair or you want a bit more structure, you can also go in with a pencil. This one is by the brand Make and I wanted to show it to you because it is super skinny. It is great for sketchy and fine hair like strokes and honestly, it's a little easier to control than a brow pen that does the same thing. My left brow is a bit thinner than my right, so I like to go in and lightly build it up, just adding a few strokes to balance out the shape. If you're more low maintenance and you're happy with your brows, the gel alone is perfect. You don't need to do anything else, but if you want a little more definition or symmetry, adding a skinny pencil like this can really help refine the shape and you can still do it quite quickly. Next, I'm doing something that I call micro editing and this is where we conceal only where we need to. If you have any dark spots, redness or breakouts, touch them up with a pot concealer. These formulas are denser than liquid, so they give you more targeted coverage exactly where you want it. It doesn't work well under the eyes as a heads up because it's a bit too thick for that area, but it does an amazing job on the face, much better than most of the liquid versions do. I'm using a small pencil brush. This is reference number three and I'm picking up a bit of product and stamping it directly onto any areas of discoloration. Think of it like a paint by number. You're just placing coverage exactly where you need it and nowhere else. Before I blend that out, I'm going to go in and color correct under my eyes with a peach corrector. You only really need to do this if your under eyes pull quite blue or purple. If you don't have a lot of discoloration there, a concealer on its own will be perfectly fine, but I definitely need it because if I apply concealer directly to that area, my under eyes will instantly look gray. Now, both corrector and concealer benefit from sitting on the skin for a few seconds before blending. It just helps them grip a little bit better and improves the coverage. So I'm going to go back to those micro edits and start blending them out by stippling. I like to press the brush into the product to blend, but I'll often go in with my fingertips as well. The warmth of your fingers can really help melt everything into the skin if you feel like it's not blending as seamlessly as maybe you'd like. If you want to sheer out the edges, use light sweeping motions, and if you want to build up the coverage, stick to more of a pressing or a stippling motion. Now that the under eyes have had a chance to dry down, I go in and stipple that as well to blend it out. You can see that the blue dark circle now blends much more seamlessly with the rest of my skin. So when I go in to brighten it with concealer, it won't turn gray anymore. I like to place concealer into the hollows, then softly connect it into the cheek and lift it slightly at the outer corners of the eye. This placement helps brighten the center of the face while also giving a subtle lifting effect. And just like before, I'm going to let that sit for a few seconds before blending it. While that sets, let's move into bronzer. One thing that I notice when I skip foundation is that the skin can look a little flat or a little washed out. So this is where we bring that dimension back in. Bronzer is the easiest way to do that. I'm using the Merit bronzer because it has a very sheer, almost watercolor-like formula. It lets your natural skin shine through, which makes it incredibly easy to blend and it keeps everything looking very soft and natural. I like to apply this to the forehead, the cheekbones, and along the jawline just to gently add structure back into the face. Then I go in with my N18 brush and I blend it out using pressing motion so it really melts into the skin rather than sitting on top. And now that my concealer has had a chance to dry down, I press and blend it in to brighten the rest of that under-eye hollow. As you can see, the skin looks great now. It looks really hydrated but also dimensional and fairly even all over. And all we did was skincare, sunscreen, and some micro editing. Let's have a little fun with the eyes next. On days like this, I don't want to have to deal with powders, so I like to go straight in with a cream shadow. They're incredibly easy to use and give you a beautiful result with very little effort. I'm starting with the shade Chestnut from Makeup by Mario and placing it right into the center of the crease, then blending it out using windshield wiper motions and a crease brush. Then I take that same shadow on a small pencil brush, I pick up a bit from the back of my hand and I apply it underneath the eyes. The reason that I love smoking out the lower lash line is because while I do have some fine lines there, I also have quite a bit of darkness. Concealer sits really unnaturally in these mobile lines, so instead I keep that eye area lighter with concealer and I use the shadow to my advantage. By placing a soft shadow underneath, you're actually putting that texture into the shadow, which helps visibly smooth the area out. It's a little trick that I've been using for the last couple of years and it works especially well if you have more textured under eyes like I do. Now you could stop here, add mascara and be done, but if you want a bit more dimension, I like to tap a soft ivory cream shadow onto the lid and blend it into the crease to meet that bronzier tone. That contrast between a deeper crease and a lighter lid is a really easy way to open up the eye. For liner, I am using the color dark brown from Mature Beauty. This is actually my brand that's launching this April and I am so excited to show you guys more. I'm so excited for you to try them. I am really proud of this formula. I really, really am. So I start by applying it into the waterline to really densify the lash line and then I take a little bit along the outer third of the eye and blend it out with its angled brush for that soft diffused shape. This formula is very creamy, very pigmented, so it glides on easily in the waterline, but it also blends out perfectly on the lid for that super sexy, you know, slightly smoky finish. It's so versatile. I can't say too much about it right now. I want to go on, but I can't, but you will learn a lot more in upcoming videos, so stay tuned for that. Now let's move into powder. I like to press powder into the areas that tend to have an unflattering amount of shine and for most people, that is the forehead, around the nose, the chin, and of course under the eyes to set everything in place and prevent it from creasing. Now, if you want to control oil, but still keep glow in the skin, you can absolutely have both. My skin leans a bit oilier, so I like to use an oil control powder first and then go back in and place a bit of controlled radiance with a luminizing powder second. For glow enhancing powders like this one, don't use a powder puff because it will deposit too much product. Instead, use a fluffy brush and lightly sweep it over the areas where you want that soft glow to come back. You can see as I apply it, the skin starts to come back to life. It's a really nice balance between looking polished and natural, but not looking greasy. Now let's move into cream blush. Cream blushes look gorgeous on mature skin because they give that soft lip from within, super healthy effect that feels very fresh and youthful. It really turns back the clock. What I like to do is pick up a small amount with my fingertips, place a few dabs onto the cheekbone and then blend it out with a diffuser brush. I recently switched to this brush for cream blush application because I was finding that some of my other blush brushes are actually leaving the product looking a bit patchy. This one really helps to airbrush it into the skin so it looks just totally seamless. As always, I'll leave everything that I used, including the brushes, listed in the description box below for you. Now you have to see this lipstick that I just found. I am working on a video about the most beautiful makeup in the world and while I was researching packaging, I came across this brand called Katkin on Amazon. It's actually very affordable. I originally bought it just for the packaging, if I'm being honest, because that's such beautiful packaging, but the color and the formula have completely won me over. This is a glossy balm and the shade is basically an amplified version of my natural lip color. It enhances what's already there in the most effortless way. Look at how pretty this is. I am in love with it. It's not too much, but it's also enough. You know what I mean? And you know I can't live without a lip liner, so I went into my collection and I found a similar tone. This one is Soar from MAC. I like to use it very strategically. I'll define the cupid's bow, the center of the bottom lip, just to give a bit more structure, but I'm not outlining the entire lip line because the overall look is so natural today. I want the lips to feel refined and defined, but still very soft and effortless. And finally, I'm finishing everything off with a touch of highlighter. I like to apply it to the high points of the face, so the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the brow bone, and a little bit in the inner corner just to brighten up the eyes. Then I curl my lashes, apply a generous coat of mascara, and finish everything off with a setting spray. The setting spray helps keep the blush, the bronzer, the shadows, and the brows on longer, but it also melts all of the powder products into the skin, so everything looks more seamless and natural overall. And this is the finished look. When I am not talking through each step, this takes me about 5 to 10 minutes and it wears beautifully throughout the day. I get so many compliments when I do my makeup like this. Now I want to show you two optional steps that are really fun to explore. If you have very thin lashes that don't show up very much, even when you have mascara on like me, this one can make a very big difference. These are the Velour Self Stick Lash Clusters and they go right underneath the lash line. They're incredibly easy to apply once you get the hang of it and they look very natural. My favorite style for daytime makeup is called the everyday natural, which makes sense. You can see the difference here with and without. It's an optional step, but once you get comfortable with it, it only takes about 2 to 3 minutes and it really elevates the overall look. Another optional step that's really fun, especially for spring and summer, is adding faux freckles. This freckle pen is from the brand Salty Face. All you have to do is press the brush into the skin wherever you want to freckle. I usually do about three at a time and then gently tap over them with your fingertip to soften and blend the pigment into the skin. I've tried quite a few freckle pens in my day and this one really gives a very, you know, nice natural result. If you're not sure about placement, that can always be tricky if you don't naturally have freckles. You can always look up reference photos on Pinterest and use those as guides, see which ones kind of call you. This step is definitely not for everyone. I totally get it, but I do find it so charming, especially for those like more relaxed, outdoorsy days, like being at the beach, or having a picnic. And I do think it gives a slightly more youthful look as well. I feel very youthful when I do my makeup like this. What do you guys think? Do you prefer it with the freckles or without? I won't be offended either way. Sometimes you just gotta take life less seriously, you know? Thank you so much for watching. If you want a more detailed step-by-step close-up tutorial on how to apply individual lash clusters, I've made a full video on that and you can find it right here. If you'd rather watch what YouTube recommends for you, you can find that right here. Either way, I'll see you over there.