paris fashion: 5 Easy Steps to a Natural Makeup Look

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5 Easy Steps to a Natural Makeup Look

Do you prefer a natural makeup look and only have 10 minutes to get ready? Here's a simple 5-step makeup tutorial that I personally do on a daily basis…

1. Give your cheeks a rosy glow - I rarely wear foundation or bronzer, so blush is a must. I use just enough to add a little color to my face.

2. Perk up the eyes - I also like to add a little color to my eyes and give them a pearlized effect. For this particular look, I used It Cosmetics Luxe High Performance Hydrating Eyeshadow Trio. I actually just use one of the colors instead of all three.

3. Apply eyeliner - Eyeliner opens up the eyes and adds a little dimension. I apply a thin line on the eyelid only.

4. A tad bit of mascara - Because my eyelashes are thin and sparse, I almost always wear mascara. I apply a little to the top lashes. For this look I used Maybelline's Volum' Express The Falsies mascara, which I really like because it does add volume and length. There's been so much talk about this mascara, so I just had to try it out for myself. I must say that it's lived up to the hype.

5. Top off the look with nude-colored lipstick - I've been using Rouge Hydra Nude smoothing cream lipstick by Clarins that keeps my lips feeling so soft. I recently just started using a lip brush to apply lipstick, and it makes a world of difference in terms of precision and creating a more defined lip line.

Speaking of brushes, I've been a painter for many years, so I know how important it is to use quality brushes. All of you professional makeup artists will probably agree. Up until now I've been using Sephora's brushes, which are pretty good, but the Kim makeup brushes I received to review for this tutorial are exceptional. One touch and you can tell that these are quality brushes. They just feel so soft...

I received the Taklon oval-shaped brush (F231) that can be used for concealer and general makeup, but I use it to apply blush; the medium shader eyeshadow brush (E112) for basic application; the flat lip brush (L312) for precise lining and contour of lip cream and gloss.

So now you're armed with a few ideas and tools to give you a natural makeup look. Do you have any tips to add?

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