Taking it Back a Notch: Natural Sunday Beauty

Today's post is not so much a tutorial, but more so ramblings on my thoughts of natural beauty. I don't necessarily think that natural beauty equates to a bare, makeup-less face (not that there's anything wrong with not wearing makeup), but it's certainly not the dreaded "cake face". Makeup is such a personal thing and it's not for me to decide what is "natural" and what is not. But today's Sunday face is most definitely pared down compared to my usual makeup looks and it feels so refreshing to look and feel like myself.

As I have mentioned in past posts, my skin has been the most intolerant and angry with cystic acne (literally bringing me back to my "high school" skin) which I find incredibly discouraging. I put a lot of research into the products I use and I actually don't remember the last time I slept with makeup on. Even with a strict skin care regime, I guess I have genetics and/or hormones and/or stress to blame for my shitty skin. After watching a ton of Lisa Eldridge Youtube videos over the weekend (her channel found here), there was one in particular that really stuck with me. In her video about acne/blemish covering makeup (found here)  she beautifully explains her philosophy of "troubled" skin, which I think is actually quite a refreshing way to look at things. Her philosophy on acne is that she thinks more about the lovely skin in between the spots rather than focusing on the blemishes themselves. So instead of caking your face with layers and layers of heavy makeup to cover up 4 or 5 blemishes, think about the surrounding skin that doesn't have problems. Therefore, her advice is to use a sheer base to let your lovely healthy skin shine through, and only add layers of makeup directly to the spots.

This has helped to reshape my philosophy on how I see skin problems, and how we all tend to assume that people can only see our imperfections (when in reality, we have 95% perfect skin and 5% acne/rosacea/other issues).

When I woke up this morning, I decided to give it a go by slapping on a thin layer of Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation to put her philosophy to the test. I'm happy with the results and I feel very much like myself. I kept the rest of my makeup very minimal (though it looks like a lot of products) all in the name of subtly enhancing what I've got. I'm all about the groomed brows, fluttery lashes and a pink flush for a simple weekend-appropriate look. Paring things down once in a while is a good way to start fresh and see a slightly enhanced version of yourself.

I'm not quite ready to go bare-faced for an entire day, but this is definitely a push in the right direction to minimal makeup. I don't know if I'll ever master a 3-product face, but you never know! Do you like to take your makeup down a notch every now and then? What is your "natural" makeup look? Please let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.