About a zillion years ago when I was just a girl who locked herself in the bathroom to practice makeup skills on herself there was a line called Ultima II. This brand was absolutely beyond. It was the first “prestige” brand I ever purchased makeup from. In fact my hero Kevyn Aucoin was the Creative Director for the line in 1993 and helped launch The Nakeds. It was truly the first time that any brand offered shades of foundation that weren’t pink based along with very neutral lips, eyes and cheeks rather than bright, shimmery or pastel. The line really influenced mega brands Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier and others that came later. And of course Kevyn Aucoin cosmetics has the most amazing array of shades and formulas.
I still love the look of a neutral face with creamy perfect skin, peachy or caramel nude lips and that hint of nude brown on the eyes. Most people don’t think they can make this look work for them, but really it’s just about finding the right shades for you. Case in point – J Lo, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, The Olsens and Kim Kardashian. Here are some tips to get the look.
Foundation – The key to pulling off this entire look is creating a flawless canvas. Blend your foundation well and conceal any dark circles or blemishes and blend well!
Blush – Instead of going strictly brown use a bronzer on cheeks, then top it with a hint of peach tone blush to give the face a little bit of glow.
Eyes – Try a medium brown or bronze tone blended with a creamy vanilla shade so that eyes look subtle not harsh. Use a brown or black liner as desired and blend well. And always be sure that you have filled in your brows to help frame the face.
Lips – Finding the right shade is essential. Very few people can pull off a straight beige or tan shade. Light skin tones should choose beige shades with a hint of pink, medium skin tones should choose beige tones with a bit of peach and darker skin tones look best with a mauve/ nude shade that is sheer not matte or opaque.
You will most likely have to test out a few colors to find the perfect match. If you can’t test it – don’t buy it!
Sources: Top photos dianeaiello.com, Matt Priestley, Model Jeanne- Ford other photos becomegorgeous.com,
