How do some women do it? Able to pull off the fresh faced, youthful look when going makeup free, rather than death warmed over. If you feel more scary than dewy when going out bare, try these tips on how to look better without makeup.

Whether you never wear makeup, occasionally go without, or wouldn’t be caught dead bare-faced, there are ways to improve your naked face game.

There are times when you simply have to leave the house before putting on your face. Running late, under the weather, fleeing a fire…some of us are hard pressed to go anywhere without at least a little eyeliner or mascara.

Then there are the women who pull it off with ease and actually look younger without makeup. What is their secret to going makeup free and how can the rest of us get in on it?

Looking great makeup-free boils down to a few simple tricks, some regular maintenance, and a dash of self-assurance.

6 Tips on How to Look Better Without Makeup

1. Skin Love: A well cared for complexion looks healthy and glowing. It is also low maintenance, which means you can skip the foundation. Exfoliate regularly to get rid of dry, dead skin cells, which cause lack luster skin and clogged pores. Always cleanse with the appropriate product for your skin type and remove makeup before bed. And maybe the most important step in radiant skin? Making sure it is getting adequate moisture with your choice of facial oils, lotions, or creams.

2. Protect and Prevent: Yes, this falls under the prevention category but is so important. Regular use of nontoxic sunscreen protects skin from lines, wrinkles, and brown spots, making it easier to go makeup free. (Check our sunscreen guide for top picks for face.)

3. Wow Brows: On fleek brows may be a trend, but they also help to frame the face. Plus, well groomed brows lend polish to your look.

4. Lash Out: Want to make eyes pop in an instant? Curl your lashes, stand back, and admire those peepers. Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler is a makeup artist favorite.

5. Mane Game: Good looking hair means you can get by with almost anything (or nothing) for the rest of your look. Don’t have time to coif? A sleek pony, cute headband, or pretty scarf can easily dress things up.

6. Own It: If you are going out makeup free, smile and radiate confidence. Nothing looks better than a woman who feels good about herself.

Still not comfy with a completely bare face? Go the “no makeup” makeup route for a fresh faced look that only looks bare.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

Related on EcoSalon

7 Natural Beauty Reasons You Should Wear Less Makeup

Dangerous Toxins In Personal Care Products Exposed in Online Cosmetics Database

Walmart Bans Toxic Chemicals From Cosmetics, Cleaning Products

Image of woman with no makeup via Shutterstock

The post 6 Tips on How to Look Better Without Makeup appeared first on EcoSalon.

How would you feel about ditching your blow dryer and skipping some salon visits? Thought so. Get ready to simplify your routine. Low maintenance beauty is the latest trend. And it’s one any woman can love.

Long, uber-sleek locks. Makeup contouring. Detailed manicures. All end up looking great but, let’s face it, take more than a little time to pull off. Now envision wash and go hair, natural nails, fresh faced makeup, and (possibly best of all) less waxing. Sound like your beauty ideal?

Don’t look now but low maintenance beauty happens to be on trend. One look at the seemingly makeup free faces and windblown locks of Stella McCartney’s spring line and you know carefree is a thing. Take a deep breath and get ready to downsize your beauty routine.

With the dawn of the LOB, those long silky waves have taken a backseat to more easy going hair. Worn just above the collarbone, the long bob is worn straight, wavy or curly. Add a dab of Rahua Finishing Treatment to protect and hydrate, and work your natural texture.

We’ve talked no-makeup makeup here before. A simple, clean look perfect for the new laid back beauty trend. Even more carefree? Think skincare over makeup. Fresh, healthy skin is where it’s at. Find what works for your skin type and use products free from harmful ingredients. Oh, and taking your makeup off before bed? Yep, it’s as important to clear skin as Mom told you.

Now about less waxing thing. The full bush Brazilian is the latest in bikini waxing. No, not a total ‘70s style bush, but a sort of mullet reversal, pube style. Think business in the back, party in the front. Waxers are also taking it easy on brows for a fuller Cara Delevingne look, or Brooke Shields if you are more of an ‘80s gal. Either way, yay to less waxing!

Even nails are getting a more natural makeover. Funky designs, bling, and French mani step aside. Nails are going nude. Natural hued polish is hot, as are unpolished nails buffed to perfection. All done on a shortish nail. Perfect for the look is Kure Bazaar Nail lacquer Corso 22*.

Related on EcoSalon

4 Bizarre Beauty Trends You May Not Totally Hate

7 Hair Rules All Dudes Should Follow

All Hail, Armpit Hair! Why We’re Happy ‘Hairy’ is On Trend

Image of woman with no makeup via Shutterstock

*DISCLAIMER: HELP SUPPORT ECOSALON! OUR SITE IS DEDICATED TO HELPING PEOPLE LIVE A CONSCIOUS LIFESTYLE. WE’VE PROVIDED AN AFFILIATE LINK ABOVE IN CASE YOU NEED TO PURCHASE THE PRODUCT.

The post Low Maintenance Beauty: A Trend We Don’t Hate appeared first on EcoSalon.

Why should you consider a makeup detox and focus on natural beauty instead?

You might be surprised to learn the only makeup I’ve worn over the past few years is chapstick. I decided to go on a full-blown hiatus from beauty products after completely losing myself under layers of foundation, concealers, eyeshadows and anything ending in “gloss.” I didn’t wear makeup out of self-consciousness – I enjoyed looking put together and ready to take on the day… only, I just looked that way.

Spending too much time in front of the mirror equaled neglecting other areas of my life that were way more important: Healthy eating, exercising, and that whole work thing. You’d be surprised at the amount of concealer you start using to hide chronic exhaustion. To save myself from myself, I decided to take natural beauty for a spin.

Here are 7 reasons you should do the same:

1. You’ll save oodles of time
And not just in the morning, either: You’ll spend your lunch breaks mindfully munching instead of inhaling your food to squeeze in a pre-meeting touchup. You won’t have to look at everything with a reflection to make sure your face is just right. You’ll also get to enjoy the summer without worrying if your face will melt off.

2. You’ll save oodles of money
The less makeup you use, the less you have to buy. Your bank account will finally come out of overdraft! (It’s tough not to foam at the mouth when a new mascara comes out though, so make sure not to make eye contact with the sales girl during your next trip to the drug store.)

3. You’ll be able to simplify your beauty routine
New products come out every 35 seconds, and the commercials are uber-enticing. They all act like buying their products will help to enhance your natural beauty, when in fact the opposite is true. A makeup hiatus will help you simplify your beauty routine and define what you really need versus what you’re influenced to need.

4. You’ll focus more on skin care
Ironically, many of us end up wearing makeup to cover up the breakouts and other skin irritations caused by the makeup itself. Once you let your skin breathe, you’ll focus more on how to enhance your natural beauty in healthier ways – a little moisturizer goes a long way. The more TLC you give your skin, the less makeup you’ll feel you need.

5. You’ll appreciate your natural beauty
There’s nothing more liberating than a clean face (seriously!). Once you take the time to focus on things that legitimately enhance your natural beauty – such as healthy eating, exercise, and ample time for de-stressing – not having to chisel makeup off every night before bed is just the cherry on top.

6. You’ll learn to have fun with it
Remember stealing your mom’s makeup and pretending to be a grown-up? Remember how you didn’t focus on how it made you look, but the fun of putting it on? You’ll find yourself experimenting with makeup because it’s fun to try new things – think Jenna Rink in “13 Going on 30” – and your inner 9-year-old will love you for it.

7. You’ll use it as a form of self-expression
You’ll stop thinking about what the latest beauty trends are and become your own trendsetter. Once your beauty habits are less about wearing makeup out of necessity and more about creatively expressing who you are, you’re officially showcasing your natural beauty.

How do you enhance your natural beauty?

Related on EcoSalon

6 All-Natural Summer Makeup Kit Musts

Empowering Women: Does Wearing Makeup Help or Hurt?

The Foundation of Using Foundation Makeup… Flawlessly

Image: Helga Weber

The post 7 Natural Beauty Reasons You Should Wear Less Makeup appeared first on EcoSalon.

My personal makeup regime goes something like this: wash face, apply toner, and apply sunscreen. If it’s daytime, I’m done. If it’s nighttime, I’ll go for some lipstick and mascara, possibly cover up if I’m feeling all fancy-like. Nine times out of 10, I’m likely to walk out of the house wearing nothing more than sunscreen. (Specifically, this one.) I work from home, so this is an easy decision. Still, when I heard that September 20 to September 27 was No Makeup Week, I was intrigued.

I’m not saying I’m proud that I tend to forgo makeup in the day to day. It invokes all sorts of weird feelings – do I think I’m “too pretty” for makeup? I don’t – I just don’t feel like putting it on. Or am I just lazy? Why do I love to write about and research green makeup, but I can’t be bothered to put on cover up? Oh man, my skin really needs cover up! (Rushes to mirror to examine skin, and then uses cupcakes to fill the void.)

See all the weird feelings makeup can inspire in one woman?

Curated by Rachel Rabbit White of RabbitWrite.com, No Makeup Week is a week long blogosphere project exploring women’s use and expectations of makeup. From September 20 to September 27, women of the world are encouraged to go without makeup and write about how it makes them feel. As Rachel writes, “The philosophy is this. Make-up is great. It is a powerful tool, a way to express yourself, your mood and interior life. But, when you can’t go without something, it loses its spark.”

Rachel cites a study revealing “8 out of 10 women prefer their female colleagues to wear makeup and the same number of women said they would rather employ a woman who wore makeup than one who didn’t. So when the world seems to look at makeup like a necessary mask, how does that make us feel about wearing it?” This completely rings true with me. I once had a friend/colleague tell me that I really needed to put on some mascara if I wanted to be taken seriously at work. And no, we weren’t working a runway.

And just how is the No Makeup Week going? Judging from the No Makeup Gallery, the site has amassed quite a collection of gorgeous women sending in pictures of their happy, bare faces. But comments on blogs reveal some more complicated emotions. As “Flackette Goes Retro” on Jezebel expressed, “I feel that makeup wearing is used symbolically, to show that you are “on”. We don’t tend to wear power suits or traditional corporate wear in my office, but some makeup, along with neat and polished hair, seems to transmit the message that you are together, organized, and ready to take on projects.”

Others expressed anger that someone would tell them not to wear makeup, causing “Daradoodle” to comment “I’m surprised by the [negative] way this post has been received. I didn’t read it, in the slightest, as criticizing women who wear makeup, but people seem to be up in arms about a post telling them not to.” “Lucysnowe” shared that she looks at makeup as “war paint and fashion.” “Hiding in Canada”threw out a simple “What the f*** is wrong with everybody?”

It brings to mind Mae West, American actress and sass sex symbol extraordinaire. As she famously expressed, “Kiss and make up – but too much makeup has ruined many a kiss.”

Which leads us to one, final question. How do you feel about makeup?

Image: littledebbie11

The post Would You Go a Week Without Makeup? appeared first on EcoSalon.