ISSA MAC Cosmetics Summer. . .heat proofing your makeup. . .

Photo courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

Barely there makeup down to a science--from glowing skin to groomed brows and tinted lips.

The emphasis on natural, barely there makeup is more evident than ever this year. Beauty experts and opinion makers are fixated on creating looks that highlight glowing skin. And were not talking about the overly “strobed” cheekbones of reality TV stars. The direction this season subscribes to the kind of glow that one gets post-workout or after a thorough facial. Think pinkish-gold flush. Dewy finish. Minimal coverage. And maybe, a show of adorable freckles.

Glowing Skin In Seconds. Start with MAC’s Strobe Tone Up Cushion Compact SPF 50. A spin off from the beauty label’s iconic Strobe Cream, this compact creates luminous radiant skin that easily glides onto skin. Fine pearl particles helps to achieve that glow from within. Use a sponge, brush or fingers when applying all over the face or on elevated parts. Top off your look with a spritz of MAC’s Prep and Prime Fix. This mother of all water mists now comes in two variants: Goldlite (for a bronzed finish) and Pinklite (for a subtle flush). Prep and Prime Fix is specifically formulated to hydrate and refresh skin, leaving a soft sheen. It may either be used alone or as a setting agent.

Photo courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

MAC Strobe Tone Up Cushion Compact

Photo courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

MAC Strobe Prep and Prime Fix Plus comes in Goldlite or Pinklite for a radiant, sheer finish

Brows For The Win. To compliment a look that celebrates skin that breathes, MAC makeup artists say, “eyebrows on-fleek are so last year.” For a while there, it felt like hyper-stenciled brows would be a beauty staple. It appears, however, as though women today are keen on celebrating their natural beauty and that would include brows that are less than perfect but well groomed. This is not to say that strays are not on-point. On the contrary, with this new direction, it is essential that one is able to keep brows shaped and in place.

We each have a distinct way of styling brows. Some like to fill them while others are partial to recreating texture. The Eyebrow Styler from MAC aids in precision application so that users are able to create hair-like strokes. A spoolie on the other end of the pencil makes it easy to groom and blend this long-wear formula. MAC’s Shape and Shade Tint, meanwhile, is a dual ended pen ideal for filling in brows. A sponge tip feature makes it easy to shape brows and keep them in place.

HOW TO PULL OFF GLOSSY EYELIDS & DEWY SKIN THIS SPRING!

Beauty tutorials are big on YouTube — a search for “makeup tutorial” and “hair tutorial” yields more than 5 million videos. In this weekly series, we put a mix of popular and under-the-radar tutorials to the test and show you what’s best.

The no-makeup makeup look has been dominating runways and fashion editorials for the past couple seasons now (and the dominant lazy part of me doesn't mind one bit), but there are situations that call for a little somethingto spruce up your look. While bold, dark lips are the hands-down easiest way to liven up a bare face, there's another easy trick to try that's perfect for spring: glossy eyelids. The key is creating a soft, dewy and seasonally appropriate shine that meshes with a fresh complexion — and doesn't make you look like you just stepped out of a wacky fashion editorial or music video. 

Backed by an electro-lounge-y soundtrack that evokes a W Hotel lobby or swanky spa reception area, this wordless and fairly straightforward video by easyNeon begins with a crucial step-by-step tutorial on how to fake a flawless makeup-free face. Then, after minimally defining the eyes (Eyeko mascara and a few individual lashes) and a layer of gothy, near-black lipgloss — the model has really steady hands, no liner! — the eye gloss happens. The model opts for a simple smooth balm — Lucas Papaw ointment in this case, but Vaseline would work, too — and dabs it on her eyelids with a finger.

The main lesson learned here? To pull off a spring-ready glossy eyelid, you first need to create a perfect, immaculate, no-makeup-looking foundation, which, ironically, requires quite a lil effort and a fair amount of beauty products. Check out the full list below, per easyNeon:

-Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation
-Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone
-Makeup Atelier Concealer
-Clarins Instant Concealer
-Chantecaille Talc free loose powder
-Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder
-Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector pressed in Moonstone
-Eyeko mascara
-Ardell individual false lashes (long and medium)
-Lucas Papaw ointment (for the glossy effect)
-Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick in Potion

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