A Foundation-Free Casual Makeup Look

One of the only reasons I feel comfortable skipping foundation is if my concealer steps up and does a good enough job for me.

My skin is sensitive and looks uneven without a bit of “correction” in the form of concealer. My under eyes look dark, and I have redness around my nose and scarring around my mouth/chin. My skin is prone to hormonal breakouts and is, honestly, a little bit high maintenance if I’m being honest.

At the height of humidity, though, there is nothing as nice as the light feeling of a foundation-free makeup day. For this look, I used a few key products to let my skin shine but still feel professional and pulled together.

I started the look with Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer and mixed in the tiniest pump of Iconic London Radiance Booster in Champagne Glow. I applied this all over my face with my fingertips.

Then I hit the strategic areas with Sephora’s new Best Skin Ever Concealer (I’m shade 11.5): under the eyes, around the nose, around the mouth, and with a touch on the forehead. I blended it out with a damp Beauty Blender and set the under eyes with Laura Mercier’s Secret Brightening Powder for Under Eyes. The concealer is incredibly natural looking, and even though it says it’s full coverage on the packaging, it’s the farthest thing from a thick, heavy concealer. Like, for example, I find Tarte Shape Tape to be extremely full coverage, but Sephora Collection Best Skin Ever Concealer is much more medium-full, buildable, flexible coverage.

On a day I’m skipping foundation, I never use a full coverage concealer. It doesn’t look real!

For the eyes, I kept it easy with a wash of Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow in Nude Beach. I applied a little bit of eyeliner in a soft putty color to add depth to the lash line. I finished with a few coats of Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara. Have you tried this mascara? I don’t know why it doesn’t get more love–it’s fantastic for adding dramatic thickness and volume to the lashes!

For my brows, I filled them in with Fenty Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil and Styler in Dark Ash Blonde.

For the face, I applied Merit’s new Cream Bronzer in Clay to the edges of my face and worked it in towards the center. Then I applied a pop of color to my cheeks in, perhaps, the easiest-to-wear cream blush by Fenty Beauty in Petal Poppin’. If you want a long-lasting, cream blush in a color that goes with any lipstick and many skin tones, this one is for you. There are a lot of bright colors from the Fenty Cheeks Out blush collection, but Petal Poppin’ is the most subtle hint of warm pink.

Lastly, to bring everything together, I used a light dusting of Laura Mercier Blur Setting Powder all over my face. I’ve used this on full coverage makeup days, as well as on days where I’m only wearing a tiny bit of makeup and it somehow *does* blur everything out. It does not have a shimmery/glittery finish like some blurring products can have so it works for many people. You may know I don’t always prefer a loose powder but one this is so good that it is getting worked into my routine swiftly.

Lastly, I did a wash of gloss by Fenty in Cup Cakin’.

All of these products can be easily found at Sephora, and if you haven’t signed up to be a Beauty Insider yet – do it! It’s totally free and gets you a lot of perks!

Thanks to Sephora for partnering on this post!