I wear a bit of undereye concealer to tone down my dark circles, some eyeliner, mascara, brow pencil, and tinted lip balm/sheer lipstick. I'm 40. I've never owned foundation and I never think blush looks natural on me. I keep my brows groomed which goes a long way to looking put together. I spend more time and $$$ on a skin care regimen so that I can avoid having to wear too much make-up. FWIW I get a lot of compliments on how put together I always look so I must not look that terrible without a full face of make-up.

All this is to say, go for it OP! Especially if you are switching work environments, so you'll be around a bunch of new people who aren't used to seeing you completely done up.

IMO good skin is a must. I'm in my mid 40s but with great skin and I wear:

1) good sunscreen with a drop of the cover fx custom cover drops - makes a light tinted moisturizing sunscreen
2) laura mercier caviar stick instead of liner & mascara. I like fiber mascara because it's gentle and natural
3) becca blush & brozer or highlighter - I really like their palettes like Après Ski Glow Collection
4) lips: clarins lip oils or perfectors are great - very moisturizing with a hint of color

I wear a tinted moisturizer, neutral eyeliner, mascara, and an eye tint (Becca makes one) rather than eyeshadow. I don't wear blush. I wear a tinted lip balm rather than lipstick. I still feel like my face is "done," and the eye makeup I do wear makes my eyes look more awake, but it's a pretty minimal look.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've always never worn makeup. I use chapstick and sunscreen. That's it.

Cool - why did you answer this thread then? That's not was the OP was asking.

Dp. To offer the perspective that a little goes a long way and you don't need to smear pancake batter and paint on your face to look pulled together. Just a guess.

Possibly, but for me to take them seriously I need a picture. As a Fed I work/meet with many women who could be makeup free PP. they may be proud of their lack of makeup, but that doesn't mean they look good/professional.

I usually use

sheer tinted moisturizer (True Botanicals sheer spf coverage tint)
cheek stain (Benefit benetint in Rose [very dark in bottle but use sparingly and it's blendable, quick, and dries looking like a very natural flush])
mascara (Two Faced Better than Sex) OR eyeliner (Sephora brand pencil and liquid in brown shades)
lip stain (Benefit benetint in Rose, MILK Makeup oil lip stain [LOVE this stuff - hydrating stain that is buildable] OR a bold lip (Sephora brand lip products, usually matte style in that little test tube type packaging)

Usually if I wear only mascara I wear a bold lip, and if I wear eyeliner I wear a natural looking lip stain. Picking one feature (lips or eyes) to emphasize can keep the makeup low key but still be fun. Bold lips are also something that aren't "natural" per se, but you can have fun with and not be concerned with people going "wait, I thought those red lips were her natural lips??" that way you might be concerned about re: eye makeup.

I know some above said liquid liner never looks natural - I use liquid liner because pencil just creases/smudges off me, and also I get a pretty thin line with liquid that I can never achieve with pencil. So it looks more like my lashes are thicker than that my eyes are "lined." That said I sometimes do a winged liquid line which isn't "natural" I guess, but is fun.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been doing eye pencil without mascara my whole life. I don’t like the sticky-lash feeling. Have I been looking like an idiot this whole time? (I have dark eyes and thick eyebrows, but normal dark lashes.)

You look fine. The mascara harpies are usually the ones with short, thin, light lashes and small eyes. They look like death without mascara.

Mascara never looks natural. Ever.

eyeliner is the absolute least natural product ever. so whatever your view of mascara, don't use an eyeliner without it. it's ugly and weird.

Honey, this is makeup we are talking about. Mascara is not a natural product. Lipstick is not a natural product. Foundation is not a natural product.

You really have issues. Your bottle blond hair and mascara do not look natural no matter how hard you try.

all makeup producers are unnatural but at least he mimic something real, unlike eyeliner. that's just the very definition of looking done.

and no, I don't color my hair blonde. I am an ash blonde and cover my grays with my exact natural shade. contrary to your theory, I have large almond-shaped hazel eyes and the only makeup I wear is mascara.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been doing eye pencil without mascara my whole life. I don’t like the sticky-lash feeling. Have I been looking like an idiot this whole time? (I have dark eyes and thick eyebrows, but normal dark lashes.)

You look fine. The mascara harpies are usually the ones with short, thin, light lashes and small eyes. They look like death without mascara.

Mascara never looks natural. Ever.

eyeliner is the absolute least natural product ever. so whatever your view of mascara, don't use an eyeliner without it. it's ugly and weird.

Honey, this is makeup we are talking about. Mascara is not a natural product. Lipstick is not a natural product. Foundation is not a natural product.

You really have issues. Your bottle blond hair and mascara do not look natural no matter how hard you try.

I get 1-to-1 lash extensions. My natural lashes are very dark and reasonably thick, but super short. The extensions are not artificially long, just long enough to look like I'm naturally blessed. Brow gel, tinted moisturizer, tinted chap stick, that's it. Maybe some Nars blush in deep throat if I'm looking pale.

I would pay for lash extensions over professional mani/pedis, eyebrow grooming, etc. They are my #1.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to experiment with my makeup and love trying out different bold looks. However, as an RN in a hospital, I would look a litt!e silly wearing a full face. I use a tinted moisturizer, a lipstain and tinted lip balm, and mascara. It took awhile to feel comfortable being more bare faced, but I'm happy I did it

I gained a new confidence and appreciation for my natural look. I've always been fortunate to have great skin.

That said, I never leave the house without mascara on. I have soft brown eyelashes and I hate how washed out I look without mascara on.

OP here - what tinted moisturizer do you use? I've been thinking about using that too ... but I have darker olive skin, so it is so hard to find the right color match.

NP- try Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those obsessing about unnatural eyeliner might need to be introduced to some different types of eyeliner and different techniques. Tightlined eyes without mascara and maybe a bit of highlighter in the corners of the eyes and brow bones is an easy, bright, natural look

Lady the only one obsessing is you and your insistence that only wearing eyeline looks natural. In no way shape or form does tightlining your eyes look natural.

My tightlining post was my first - I think there are a number of us eyeliner fans! Maybe you have been tightlining wrong? Google “tightline before and after” there are lots of pictures of how it looks (I only do my top lashes). Totally get it if you don’t like the look or want to do it but it is a way to apply eyeliner in a more natural looking way and to me, looks lesss “done” than mascara (though I also like wearing mascara sometimes)

Anonymous wrote:Those obsessing about unnatural eyeliner might need to be introduced to some different types of eyeliner and different techniques. Tightlined eyes without mascara and maybe a bit of highlighter in the corners of the eyes and brow bones is an easy, bright, natural look

Lady the only one obsessing is you and your insistence that only wearing eyeline looks natural. In no way shape or form does tightlining your eyes look natural.

Maybe it's because I look younger than I am (30) or that I always feel a little judged in my field (mostly older men) that I have always worn makeup to work. I would feel extremely underdressed without it, and would look even younger. I've also mostly been in client-facing roles, and I do think most women look better with makeup, so why not wear it? Shallow or not, it's true.

Anonymous wrote:And men who do not cover their imperfect skin with makeup? Do they look unpolished and lacking in self care, too?

My redness/blemishes are very closely tied to my hormones/cycle. So most men probably don't have the same skin issues women do.

Anonymous wrote:Those obsessing about unnatural eyeliner might need to be introduced to some different types of eyeliner and different techniques. Tightlined eyes without mascara and maybe a bit of highlighter in the corners of the eyes and brow bones is an easy, bright, natural look

please post your pictures so that we can judge for ourselves. thanks!

Get a tinted moisturizer. That helps conceal just a little without being caked. I have a powder foundation I put on after most of the time, but it's fine without it too.

Then do mascara and a lip color. Done. If you feel fancy, add blush or eyeliner or both.