No Makeup Makeup Is a Lie

By a Pro Makeup Artist w/ 20+ yrs experience.

There’s something about the phrase no makeup makeup that’s always made me laugh a little…and kind of agitated. It’s like when someone posts a selfie with the caption just woke up like this - but you know they strategically positioned themselves in the best lighting, smoothed out their skin with a filter, and probably dabbed a little lip balm on for that natural glow. I’m not hating….it’s just facts.

The most effortless beauty looks are likely to be the most calculated. And as a makeup artist, I can tell you firsthand that achieving the illusion of bare skin takes just as much work (if not more) than a full beat. Now let me add a little clause here - it does depend on the persons natural skin - does she already have clear, smooth and even skin? Well, then it probably won’t take as much work and products, but I’m referring to the rest of us…the ones with dark circles, hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone and the list goes on.

If I think back to working on models with skin to die for - I still spent a significant amount of time to make them look like they looked flawlessly bare. Now imagine trying to create that look on someone (such as myself) with not so clear skin, uneven pigmentation, and so on. Even when it looks like nothing, trust me - it’s something.

The idea of no makeup makeup comes down to the belief that beauty should be natural and easy, as if waking up with poreless, radiant skin is just a genetic blessing some people have and others don’t. And yes…some people have incredible skin (good for them), but for the rest of us? That dewy, fresh-faced glow is a combination of expensive skincare, precise application, and a little concealer strategically placed and blended to look like it’s not there.