Hello everyone,

Hope you are all doing great. This is my first post as a Guest Blogger for 'The Face Palette' and I feel very happy writing here since makeup is something that I am extremely and exceptionally passionate about and talking about it is just pure joy! I always look forward to days when I join my friends who are equally passionate about makeup, to go out with them to do makeup shopping, discuss about brands, new product launches, reviews and what better than to discuss with a bunch of you lovely readers. Generally I prefer to wear quite neutral makeup, especially during the day and I am a big fan of the 'No Makeup' makeup look.

This is my go to look or a look when I have hardly any time to get ready. It’s all about having that flawless face but making your skin look like skin but better with minimal products. This look is perfect for college, office, beach, gym or even running errands. To achieve this look you need to have the following products. In this post I am going to give you a drugstore and a high end option. So let’s get started.

1) Moisturiser - The 'no- makeup' makeup look is all about flawless skin. Step number one for a flawless skin is to make sure your skin is moisturized before you start applying your makeup. Even if you are running late don’t miss this step. It is very important to keep your skin hydrated.

2) Tinted moisturizer- Tinted moisturizer is a product with a barely there coverage, easy to blend and can be applied with your fingers for a flawless finish. You can use a beauty blender or any makeup sponge for a more sheer finish. I’ve been using NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer from the past four years. I love it because it gives me a light to medium coverage with SPF of 30 and its hydrating too. I use the shade St. Mortiz which is comparable to NC40 from MAC. You can also find Tinted Moisturisers from brands such as Bobbi Brown and MAC. The drugstore option would be Neutrogena healthy skin enhancer. In India, Lotus Herbals does a good tinted moisturiser as a drugstore option. But if you are in a place where it is hard to find a good tinted moisturizer make your own. Just mix your favorite foundation with your moisturizer and apply. Voila, you just made a DIY tinted moisturizer!!

3) Concealer- It is a must have in every girls purse to cover up those dark circles and any imperfections. This step gives your face that wide awake and youthful appearance. I use the Maybelline instant age rewind concealer in the shade medium from the drugstore. You can easily get L'Oreal True Match and Maybelline Fit Me concealer in many drugstores. The high end option would be urban decay naked skin concealer in the shade medium too. You can also get other alternative concealers in the market. From MAC you can choose Select Cover up concealer if you have dry skin or Pro long wear concealer if you have oily skin.

4) Setting powder- Setting the whole face with powder is required to keep the base in place. But if you have dry skin like me go ahead and set just the under eyes and leave out the rest. I use NARS loose setting powder to set my base. The drugstore option would be Maybelline Fit Me setting powder. You can use any other loose setting powders available in the market. You can easily find NYX, B&D, Ben Nye and Kryolan in the market that will work great as well.

5) Eyebrow pencil- This is a product you need if you have sparse brows. Honestly, I skip this step because I have full brows and I like to keep it natural. But if you have thinner brows fill them in but it should look natural at the same time. The high end option is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer. Other brands that do high end brow definers are MAC, Bobbi Brown, Givenchy, Ciate. As for the drugstore option is L'Oreal Paris Brow Definer. You can also get brow definers from brands like NYX, Colorbar, LA Girl, Makeup Revolution, Sleek etc.

6) Eyeliner- I just line my upper and lower waterline with a brown or black pencil preferably water proof. To make your eyes look bigger use a nude pencil on the lower water line. I use the urban decay Perversion eyeliner and MAC Teddy. You can also get good pencils from Estee Lauder and Bobbi Brown. A drugstore option would be Milani eyeliner pencils. There are several eyeliner brands in India such as Maybelline Colossal range, AVON, L'Oreal Infallible range, Faces eye pencils etc.

7) Eye lash curler- Curling my eyelashes is my favorite part because it makes my eyes look like I am wearing false lashes. It makes a huge difference in your eye look. I use the Shiseido lash curler. One of the best eyelash curler in the market, but a high end product is from Shu Uemura. However, as drugstore options Revlon lash curler, NYX, Colorbar, Inglot and Vega are good drug store alternatives.

8) Mascara- A single coat of mascara on the top and bottom lashes after curling them makes it look amazing and makes your eyes look instantly awake rather than a droopy look. As for high end brands, Benefit does some amazing mascaras. Their Roller Lash mascara is what I use. Alternative options from high end include YSL Baby doll, Benefit They're Real, Too Faced Better than Sex mascara (That is the name, yeah!), Lancome Hypnose mascara. Drugstore option is L’Oreal Telescopic or Carbon Black mascara, Maybelline Colossal or Falsies, Max Factor False Lash Effect, Rimmel Scandal eyes.

9) Lipstick- For lips I usually prefer something which looks like my lips but better kind of shade. I usually gravitate towards MAC Velvet Teddy or MAC Crème in your Coffee which are more on the neutral end. The drugstore option would be Maybelline Color Sensational creamy matte lipstick in Nude Nuance. You can also get Sugar Cosmetics Lip Crayon in Holly Golightly.

10) Setting spray- To add a final touch to the whole look, spray your whole face with a setting spray which locks all the makeup in place plus pulls the whole look together giving you a more natural finish. I use Smashbox Primer Water or MAC Fix Plus. Urban Decay does very good setting sprays from high end. Drugstore option is NYX Setting Spray or L'Oreal Infallible Pro Mist. Makeup Revolution Pro Fix, Freedom, MUA Pro Base, Colorbar Skin Stay The Day Finishing Mist and LA Girl are other drugstore alternative options available in India.

I hope you guys found this post helpful. Please feel free to leave me any questions/ comments regarding the same and I would be happy to answer them for you.

Lots of love,

Prima