Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic

Welcome to our new weekly column on the YOU magazine website, www.you.co.uk  Below you will find the current question and our advice, with a list of where to source the products mentioned.  To look at past columns, click here. And for lots more solutions to your beauty dilemmas, visit Q&A, just click here.

December 13th, 2009: Natural Beauty

Q How can I look naturally beautiful? I look terrible without makeup and I do all the right things like cleansing and moisturising. What can I do? Vanessa Hudgens looks great without makeup and I'd like to know the secrets.

A Let’s get one thing straight:  Vanessa Hudgens (the High School Musical star who you mention) is twenty-one.  And the chances are that even with the advantage of youth, whenever you’ve seen a photo of her, she’s actually wearing make-up.  Probably quite a lot.  We once did an interview with some wet-behind-the-ears (male) TV researchers who were very disparaging about make-up, and commented:  ‘Well, you two don’t wear it.’  But we were.  And we do.  Foundation, concealer, blusher, eyeshadow, lip pencil, mascara – the lot.  And the truth is that it’s make-up that takes you from OK to beautiful.

We say:  well done on cleansing and moisturising and getting the basics right.  But we also think that what you need is a make-up lesson, at which you specify that you want a really natural look.  If you’re anywhere near London, the two top destinations are Cosmetics a la Carte (020-7235 0596/www.cosmeticsalacarte.com), based in Knightsbridge, and Jenny Jordan, who’s in Primrose Hill (020-7483 2222).  Neither is cheap:  a proper make-up lesson will cost you £180/175, but saving up and learning to do your make-up beautifully and naturally far, far outweighs spending the money at Primark or Zara, because you wear your face every day. 

Way beyond your league?  Then we suggest you get yourself along to a Laura Mercier counter, or a Bobbi Brown counter, at a department store near you.  These two brands can give you a free makeover (honestly, you needn’t feel guilt-tripped into buying anything), and again, if you specify you want something really natural, that’s what they’ll do.  (Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown are both brands we revere for making women look exactly like themselves – just that bit prettier;  for locations call 0800 074 6905.)

And as a last piece of advice, here’s a shortlist of some products which we think help achieve a very natural-looking result, for not very much money.

•  MyFace Mymix Foundation, £12.99 for 35 ml – a lovely natural-looking sheer make-up which is easy to choose because it steers you in the right direction with Fair, Medium, or Medium/Dark
•  Maybelline Define-a-Lash Mascara, £7.99 – the comb-like wand guarantees clump-proof lashes
•  Aveda Lip Shine, £11.26 – a truly translucent tinted gloss, which is petrochemical-free, so it doesn’t just look natural – it truly is…
•  Scarlett & Crimson Stacks of Beauty, £5 – stackable lip gloss, blush and cream eyeshadow, in very wearable, barely-there neutrals that can be blended with a finger
•  Skin Wisdom Instant Benefits Visibly Radiant Tinted Moisturiser, £4.88 – a really affordable tinted moisturiser which scored well with our testers for Beauty Bible Beauty Steals, softening into skin to give a radiant but not shiny finish.

The bottom line:  keep up the good skincare work, but remember that almost anyone who you think looks ‘naturally gorgeous’ on TV or in print has almost certainly spent a couple of hours with a make-up artist first.  There’s no need for you to take that long (a couple of minutes can make a huge difference) – but truly, make-up is truly the Eighth Wonder of the World, we believe…

We . . .
W7 Paintbox, £9.77.  Any beauty-hound will love this (though in particular, we’re giving it to the teens on our Christmas list):  a sleek black palette featuring no less than 77 different shades of eyeshadow, from classic neutrals to bold blues and on-trend purples.  (Ideal, too, for checking out whether new shades suit you, before you swing for the season’s latest pink/lime/turquoise eyeshadows). So we say:  buy at least two, and keep one yourself. (That’s what we’re doing.)  W7 Paintbox, £9.77, is available online from www.magicmakeup.co.uk.

Where to find products:

MyFace Mymix Foundation, £12.99 for 35 ml, is available online from www.boots.com

Maybelline Define-a-Lash Mascara, £7.99, is available online from www.boots.com

Aveda Lip Shine, £11.26, is available online from www.aveda.co.uk

Scarlett & Crimson Stacks of Beauty, £5, is available online from www.boots.com

Skin Wisdom Instant Benefits Visibly Radiant Tinted Moisturiser, £4.88, is available only available in Tesco stores

W7 Paintbox, £9.77, is available online from www.magicmakeup.co.uk

Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic Archive

December 6th, 2009 - Make-up Makeover
November 29th, 2009 - Camouflaging Small Scars
November 22nd, 2009 - Waterproof Mascara
November 15th, 2009 - Postnatal Hair Loss
November 8th, 2009 - Splitting Nails
November 1st, 2009 - Under Eye Lines
October 25th, 2009 - Facial Cleansers
October 18th, 2009 - Winter Colours
October 11th, 2009 - Omega-3 and probiotic supplements
October 4th, 2009 - Winter Skincare
September 27th, 2009 - Jawline
September 13th, 2009 - Thread Veins
September 6th, 2009 - Thread Veins
August 30th, 2009 - Vitamin C and Skincare
August 23rd, 2009 - Beat Stings and Itches
August 15th, 2009 - Sunscreens
August 9th, 2009 - Good Skin Care
August 2nd, 2009 - Lash Conditioners
July 26th, 2009 - Spa Treatments
July 19th, 2009 - Organic Tinted Moisturiser
July 12th, 2009 - Hair Protection
July 5th, 2009 - Cellulite
June 28th, 2009 - Sexy Summer Scents
June 21st, 2009 - Eyeliner Tricks
June 14th, 2009 - Natural Suncare
June 7th, 2009 - Anti Ageing Skin Care
May 31st, 2009 - Natural Nail Polishes
May 24th, 2009 - Body Polishing
May 17th, 2009 - Rosacea
May 10th, 2009 - Manky Feet
May 3rd, 2009 - Makeup Makeover
April 26th, 2009 - Facial Hair Removal
April 19th, 2009 - Teen Skin
April 12th, 2009 - Swimmers Hair
April 5th, 2009 - Make-up For Damaged Skin
March 29th, 2009 - Are Sunbeds Safe?
March 22nd, 2009 - Weak, Flaking Nails
March 15th, 2009 - Puffy Eyes
March 8th, 2009 - Camouflaging Red Cheeks
March 1st, 2009 - Hair Colouring in Pregnancy
February 22nd, 2009 - Thinning Eyebrows
February 15th, 2009 - Acne