Budget Favourites For A No-Makeup Look

041BEAUTY columnist Busisiwe Nxele talks us through some budget-friendly makeup bag must-haves she uses to create her day-to-day no-makeup look.

Growing up, I was obsessed with makeup! It started as a junior in high school when I “blossomed” and noticed my femininity (HEY I’m a girl!) after years of being told I looked like my dad – which in my adolescent insecure mind translated to “you look like a boy and therefore not the prettiest” I did everything within my tuck shop money budget to secure “makeup”.

Those days my make-up bag consisted of very black cheap eyeliner (even pencil crayons – cringe) and lip gloss! Ohh how I loved the lip gloss! Needless to say, I was one of the unpopular juniors with the prefects, constantly being told to wipe the lipgloss off and being sent to the bathroom to wash the eyeliner off my eyes! Those haters! Fast forward to my early twenties when I could finally afford to get all the bells and whistles of department store foundation, blush, Mac Ruby Woo lipstick and MASCARA! Life was a dream! Interestingly, the novelty of heavy makeup soon wore off as I added more years and products to my makeup bag. Could it have been that the more work and life, in general, demanded my time, the less time I had to sit in front of a mirror for a face beat? Perhaps the more I invested in my skin routine and glow the more I realized “actually, less is more for me” Could be both! I still love makeup and Ruby whoo retro red lipstick is still a superpower, but truth be told, aint nobody got time every day for all of that! That’s why I mastered the art of makeup, but “No makeup up look”. Now what does that even mean?

Now as the description states – it’s makeup, but the goal is to look like you don’t have makeup on. Don’t misunderstand, this is not some trickery to appear like you are all-natural, but the goal is a minimalist, less time, less product, less budget – but still flawless. It took some time to finally find the best products to capture all these elements, but I can confidently say I found what works perfectly for me. Now let me plug you into what’s in my makeup bag to achieve this look.

Step 1 MAC STROBE CREAM.

The description for Strobe cream on the South African Mac website reads “A moisturizer that boosts the look of dull skin and luminizes with iridescent particles” Sounds divine right? It sure is. I like to describe “strobe cream” as a liquid glow in a bottle. It comes in four different tinted shades to suit a variety of skin tones and leaves a luminous dewy glow on clean skin. My colour of choice is ‘gold pearls’, and it goes well with warmer, medium to darker skin tones. Once you apply the strobe cream you could be good to go without anything more – but we like a teeny bit more so step 2!

Step 2 Yardley cream blush – terracotta

Nothing warms your cheeks and creates that romantic lift to your face like a blush. My go-to blush for that effortless “less is more” look is a cream blush in the shade Terracotta by Yardley. Now this product glides smoothly into your skin and is easily absorbed. The shade Terracotta adds just the right hint of colour and it comes in an easy on-the-go compact packaging. It’s also easy on the budget retailing at about R160 rand at department stores and pharmacies plus it lasts.

Step 3. Maybelline great lash mascara (blackest black) 

The false lash look, minus the actual false lashes and admin thereof?? YES PLEASE. Now this classic mascara has a cult following and it’s not without reason. Yardley’s great lash mascara with its neon green and bright pink packaging is easily recognisable as a must-have for most mascara aficionados – it takes your lashes from half asleep to wide awake! It builds your lashes in one or two sweeps and you’re good to gorgeous!

Step 4 – Rimmel -brow this way sculpting kit 

Sure, my eyebrow game started with thinly drawn on barely there brows – like most of those who grew up in the 90s. I’m no longer there and thank goodness too because those straight lines were time-consuming. My more natural go-to aesthetic is lightly filling in the empty spaces of my natural brow line, a bit of a difficult feat to achieve if you’re still working with a brow pencil. Enter Rimmel Brow this way sculpting kit. This comes in a little compact, favouring an eyeshadow palette with 2 compartments, one powder, and one cream. And a mini eyebrow brush. This product is so easy and simple to use on your natural brows, one or two sweeps fill in the “gaps” and you can achieve fuller-looking, more lush eyebrows which instantly add dimension to your entire face. It’s also easy on the pocket and one of my must-haves for that minimalist makeup look.

Step 5 – Banana Deep Powder Revolution

My final sweep! Banana powder! I must confess that finishing powder is tricky for most medium to darker skin tones. The shades available in the market have not been very inclusive for many years. This is why I instantly fell in love when I discovered banana powder. This powder can be used to “bake” heavy foundation and contouring and also works perfectly as the final sweep for a “barely there” makeup look. In my routine, it removes excess shine without taking away from the glow of the initial strobe cream and blushes on my skin – but adds a deep yellow tone and matte yet not a dry look. My current favourite brand of banana powder is by cosmetics company “Revolution” in the shade ‘Deep’. The price of R159 is attainable and one tub can easily last you for over 3 months.

Step 6 – Essence Extreme shine volume Lipgloss Milky way 

My beloved! LIPGLOSS. I keep my lips moisturised and supple with regular DIY lip scrubs so it’s easy to just dab some lip gloss and call it a day! I do love a glassy shiny long-lasting lip gloss that doesn’t feel sticky and maintains moisture on my lips, the Essence Extreme Shine volume gloss is the hill I die on in this regard. Ohh..did I mention it? It’s R57…

 So, there you have it, six steps to a quick no fuss, not much time, easy-on-budget makeup (no makeup look) for the girl who simply aint got time for a daily face beat but still wants to look fresh as a daisy on a daily.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED

Mac Strobe cream (gold lite) – R650

Yardley cream blush – terracotta – R159.95

Banana Deep Powder Revolution – R158.35

Maybelline great lash mascara – R119.95

Rimmel -brow this way sculpting kit -R95

Essence Extreme shine volume Lip gloss Milky Way – R57.95

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