Faux Naturel

According to Revlon global artistic director Gucci Westman, “while it’s possible to look both natural and glamorous, it’s a lot of hard work. I think it’s a lot harder to do really good natural makeup than to do bold makeup. It’s challenging to subtly bring out the features without the face looking done.” Her beach-friendly technique is to use pore minimizer and concealer to even out the skin, then dust it with a water-resistant, non-shimmery bronzer. Instead of lipstick, she recommends lip stains, “which dry to a matte finish and really stay put even when you go swimming.” The eyes can be even more involved: “I’ll use a bit of brown eyeliner just underneath the lashes and smudge it with my finger to give the eyes some definition,” she says. “Then I’ll curl the lashes and apply one coat of mascara to the root, really lifting the lashes. I like to stop the application before I get to the tips—that way it’s less visible but it still looks like you have real length and definition to your lashes. To finish, I’ll put a little flesh-colored pencil on the inner lid, to make the eye look bigger and brighter.”

Makeup artist Terri Apanasewicz, who preps the likes of Adriana Lima for Victoria’s Secret swimwear shoots, swears by the magic of self-tanner: “Skin that has a healthy glow requires less makeup to enhance it,” she says. “And the more makeup you use, the more susceptible you are to the whims of weather, such as humidity and rain.” There are ways to give even non-waterproof makeup more staying power too: “If it’s very humid or rainy, cream products are always your best bet. And if it’s really hot, use blotting papers to soak up oil or perspiration before adding more powder to prevent caking."

For the full article from ELLE magazine, please visit  

Return to Home >