A Full Face of Makeup Has Never Been My Thing—Here's How I Look Put-Together With Zero Effort (2024)

Saie

Glowy Super Gel Starglow

On days I need a little more pick me up, I'll smoosh on the Saie Glowy Super Gel in either shade, pearlescent Starglow or golden hour-esque, bronzy Sunglow. A lightweight luminiser, it doesn't dry down to a glitter finish (my pet peeve when it comes to highlighters and illuminators) but imbues skin with subtle plumpness, even brightness and a can't-put-your-finger-on-it glow. Muddle with your moisturiser for a more natural finish or, as I like to do on holiday, dab it on the high points of the face only. Cheekbones, cupid's bow, tip of the nose—you know the drill.

Kosas

Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer

Sit at a table of zealous beauty editors and the Kosas Revealer Concealer will come up at least once. In fact, a couple of swipes under each eye mimics a solid eight hours of sleep. Not kidding. Caffeine and pink algae brighten any dark smudges that have crept in during the working week while aenica calms and hyaluronic acid and peptides hydrate and smooth away any fine, dehydration lines.

Makeup By Mario

Surrealskin™ Awakening Concealer

This concealer has more coverage than the Kosas Revealer and is reserved for days I know I'll be photographed or won't have time for touch-ups. Created by celebrity make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic, the formula contains microscopic powder particles to help keep it crease-free all day long. But it doesn't look cakey or dry. More like your skin on its brightest, most even day. If the price is making you wince, know that a little goes a long way. Especially if, like me, you prefer a natural finish.

Hourglass

Veil Hydrating Skin Tint

Rifle through my makeup bag and you'll spot a lot of Hourglass products. The brand is elegant and thoughtful and the formulations even more so. This lightweight, moisturising skin tint melts into skin without disappearing entirely, instead leaving slightly plumper, definitely dewier skin behind. The coverage is sheer enough to see your skin through (something I love) but, layered with concealer, could be bumped up to a light to medium coverage.

YSL

Yves Saint Laurent Nu Bare Look Tint

The first day I wore this skin tint, I received more compliments on my skin than any other day in my life. Balmier than the Hourglass skin tint, it feels bouncy on the skin, like a pigmented gel rather than a moisturiser. For me, it's a medium coverage base option but, for others used to high coverage foundations and concealers, you might find it light. Playing with how you apply it can help it work for whatever you need it for. Fingers and hands for a softer daytime finish and a brush or beauty blender for events and evenings. A versatile gem.

MERIT Beauty

Bronze Balm

For a product to establish itself in my routine it has to be two things: easy to use and easy to travel with. This Merit cream bronzing stick ticks both those boxes with bells on. It sculpts the face without looking like glaring, obvious contour, while also adding enough colour to create a holiday-reminiscent glow. Plus, the handy, oval-shape makes it a doddle to carve out the area just below your bone structure. Simply sweep the bullet under (or on) both cheekbones, below the chin, down the nose and across the forehead, then take a fluffy brush and, using small circles, buff it out in a matter of seconds. Your face, defined.

Westman Atelier

Baby Cheeks Blush Stick Petal

If I could spend five minutes stuck in an elevator with a make-up artist (the dreams of a beauty journalist, eh), it would be Gucci Westman. A pioneer of subtle, polished make-up that makes skin come alive, she counts Demi Moore, Julianne Moore and Cameron Diaz among her close friends and longtime clients. Her make-up and, in particular, this blusher, is some of the very best in the business. Creamy and understated but, crucially, also able to be built up for a more dramatic or glamorous finish. If I wear nothing else—not a scrap of makeup—I will swipe this blusher quickly across my nose and cheeks. Then, I take a large (larger than you'd think) fluffy brush and, in small circles, blend it out towards my temples. My face looks instantly revived, full of life without harsh lines or strong demarcations between skin and make-up.

Surratt

Relevée Lash Curler

My lashes are short and straight and, without adequate encouragement, will stay that way no matter how many layers of curling mascara I lash on. An eyelash curler has become a non-negotiable. The extent to which it opens up the eye and face is, in my opinion, unparalleled. Plus, it means that the mascara I choose can focus on lengthening rather than lengthening and lifting.

19/99 Beauty

Beauty Lash-Tint Mascara

A hyper-natural mascara, 19/99's formula subtly defines each eyelash without adding heft, something that makes it perfect for both the top and bottom lashes. No smudging, no flaking, just healthy, gently elongated eyelashes. The dream.

Blink Brow Bar

Iconic Tubing Mascara

If you haven't tried a tubing mascara, I implore you to try this one. It's by the clever clogs over at Blink Brow Bar London and it raced into my regular rotation from the first moment I tried it. Each stroke of the wand leaves a small tube of mascara around each eyelash that quickly builds to incredible lengths. It doesn't smudge, never clumps and makes spider lashes a thing of the past.

Merit Beauty

Brow 1980

This volumizing pomade adds colour, depth and subtle volume to even the sparsest and finest of eyebrows. It's non-stick, non-tacky and brushes pigment onto eyebrows quickly and efficiently. Two sweeps in the morning and I'm good to go for the rest of the day.