Minimal Makeup Guide
Become a makeup minimalist with my magical guide to minimal makeup looks.
- 16th August 2023
- By Charlotte Tilbury
17 minute read
Become a makeup minimalist with my magical guide to minimal makeup looks.
17 minute read
Darlings, minimal makeup looks are a magical way to let your natural features shine. Makeup is a tool to help you look and feel like the most beautiful version of yourself, and by taking a less-is-more approach when applying makeup, you can enhance and accentuate the look of your facial framework to look effortlessly radiant.
Discover my guide to minimal makeup featuring understated makeup looks for you to try, the best products for creating a minimal makeup look, and tips and tricks for becoming a makeup minimalist.
Item 1 of 88
Item 2 of 88
Item 3 of 88
Item 4 of 88
Item 5 of 88
Item 6 of 88
Item 7 of 88
Item 8 of 88
Item 9 of 88
Item 10 of 88
Item 11 of 88
Item 12 of 88
Item 13 of 88
Item 14 of 88
Item 15 of 88
Item 16 of 88
Item 17 of 88
Item 18 of 88
Item 19 of 88
Item 20 of 88
Item 21 of 88
€49.00
Item 22 of 88
Item 23 of 88
Item 24 of 88
Item 25 of 88
Item 26 of 88
Item 27 of 88
Item 28 of 88
Item 29 of 88
Item 30 of 88
Item 31 of 88
Item 32 of 88
Item 33 of 88
€36.00
Item 34 of 88
Item 35 of 88
€53.00
Item 36 of 88
Item 37 of 88
Item 38 of 88
€26.00
Item 39 of 88
€26.00
Item 40 of 88
Item 41 of 88
Item 42 of 88
Item 43 of 88
Item 44 of 88
€26.00
Item 45 of 88
€36.00
Item 46 of 88
Item 47 of 88
Item 48 of 88
Item 49 of 88
€26.00
Item 50 of 88
Item 51 of 88
Item 52 of 88
Item 53 of 88
Item 54 of 88
Item 55 of 88
Item 56 of 88
Item 57 of 88
Item 58 of 88
Item 59 of 88
Item 60 of 88
Item 61 of 88
Item 62 of 88
Item 63 of 88
Item 64 of 88
Item 65 of 88
Item 66 of 88
Item 67 of 88
Item 68 of 88
Item 69 of 88
Item 70 of 88
Item 71 of 88
€31.00
Item 72 of 88
Item 73 of 88
Item 74 of 88
Item 75 of 88
Item 76 of 88
Item 77 of 88
Item 78 of 88
Item 79 of 88
Item 80 of 88
Item 81 of 88
Item 82 of 88
Item 83 of 88
Item 84 of 88
Item 85 of 88
Item 86 of 88
Item 87 of 88
Item 88 of 88
Minimal makeup is the understated use of makeup to create a light, next-to-nothing makeup look that looks natural and soft. Subtlety is the secret to a successful minimal makeup look; when you use a light hand to apply makeup and focus on the specific areas that you want to look lifted, enhanced or balanced, you can unlock beauty confidence by using a minimal amount of makeup.
Whether you’re wanting to dip a toe into wearing makeup or you are looking to wear less makeup, I’ve gathered my top tips and tricks for how to get the minimal makeup look. Before you apply your new look, discover my 6 expert tips on how to keep your makeup look minimal but magical.
First thing’s first, darlings, to create your minimal makeup look you’ll need the right makeup products. The best way to get the minimal makeup look is to choose light-coverage options with skin-like, natural finishes. Reach for a BB cream, tinted moisturiser or lightweight foundation to add subtle coverage to your complexion, as well as understated lip tints, blushes and bronzers to give the complexion warmth and the perfect mascara to enhance the look of your eyes.
Some of my favourite minimal makeup products include Hollywood Flawless Filter for a luminous complexion that looks flattering and filtered; Pillow Talk Lip & Cheek Glow for rosy, dewy-looking lips and cheeks; Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer for bronzed, sunlit skin and Full Fat Lashes! mascara for defined-looking lashes.
Your base makeup will look the most seamless when you are using your correct foundation shade. Once you’ve decided on the perfect foundation finish for your minimal makeup look, be sure to select a shade that harmonises with your natural skin tone and undertone. Foundation mistakes such as using a shade that’s too light or too warm can cause makeup to look unnatural, so in order to perfect the minimalist makeup aesthetic, your foundation shade should create an even-looking complexion that looks as close to undetectable on your skin as possible.
Tilbury Tip: Use my Pro Shade Match Tool to discover your perfect foundation shade.
Discover how to fix foundation mistakes
Discover my Pro Shade Match Tool*
*To learn more about how Charlotte Tilbury Beauty collects and processes your personal information, including the images you provide in the Pro Shade Match Tool, please see our Biometric Processing Notice and Privacy Policy. Your results may be affected by the quality of the image submitted i.e., lighting, or camera quality.
Cream products are gorgeous options for creating a minimal makeup look. Naturally, when using some powder makeup such as powder blushes, bronzers and setting powders, it can sometimes create a flat, powdery-looking finish. With creams on the other hand, you are able to work product into the skin for a more seamless, skin-like finish. Skin looks dewy and luminous when cream products are applied, creating a more natural look than mattifying powder products. By reaching for creamy, blendable formulas, you can apply a small amount of makeup and blend it effortlessly into the skin.
Tilbury Tip: If you prefer a powder formula or have oily skin, don’t worry darling - you can still create a minimal makeup look using my Charlotte Tilbury powder makeup icons! While some powder formulas dull and mattify the skin, my cheek makeup powders like Cheek to Chic blush, Airbrush Bronzer and Airbrush Flawless Finish powder are formulated to glide on and reduce shine where needed, while still allowing your natural radiance to shine through!
When applying makeup, it’s easy to be a little heavy-handed with your minimal makeup products. To get the minimal makeup look, always take a less-is-more approach to putting on your makeup, taking a small amount of product at a time and blending out bit by bit. Using less product will help to avoid makeup looking overdone and will carry through the minimal aesthetic. With minimal makeup, less is more, darlings! Try a single dot of blush on the cheeks, a couple of coats of mascara and spot concealing the areas you want to add coverage to create a flattering and understated minimal makeup look.
Tilbury Tip: My formulas are beautifully buildable, allowing you to apply little by little to achieve your desired finish.
Minimal makeup doesn’t mean you can’t apply your favourite eyeshadow formula or a kiss of lipstick, darlings. Instead of going without, reach for nudes and neutral shades that complement your skin tone and celebrate your natural beauty. This barely there makeup style is all about making a big difference with the smallest details; even the slightest amount of brown eyeshadow or eyeliner can make your eyes pop, and a nude lip liner can effortlessly define the look of your lips to make them appear fuller. Choose shades that closely match the tones in your complexion and lips to enhance the look of your gorgeous, natural features.
Darlings, minimal makeup isn’t about covering up or contouring away, it’s a celebration of what makes you, you! The best way to stylise your minimal makeup look is by putting the focus on whatever features you have been naturally blessed with. Whether you have fabulous freckles, big and bushy brows, beauty marks, fair eyelashes or a pronounced jawline, embrace your individuality and let these features shine!
Item 1 of 16
Item 2 of 16
Item 3 of 16
Item 4 of 16
Item 5 of 16
Item 6 of 16
Item 7 of 16
Item 8 of 16
Item 9 of 16
€19.00
Item 10 of 16
€19.00
Item 11 of 16
€19.00
Item 12 of 16
Item 13 of 16
Item 14 of 16
Item 15 of 16
Item 16 of 16
Begin your minimal makeup routine with a skin-perfecting primer that helps to smooth, even and blur the look of your complexion. A face primer is a great way to lift the look of your skin without adding extra coverage – they can even be worn without foundation as a minimalist’s dream makeup base. For glow-getters that love to look luminous, I recommend my Wonderglow primer for giving the complexion a gorgeous, soft-focus effect, or if you prefer a hydrating formula that blurs the appearance of pores, reach for Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer SPF50 to both prime and protect.
To create a flawless-looking base for your minimal makeup look, choose a light-coverage formula that softly diffuses the look of your skin and adds minimalist coverage. I love to use Hollywood Flawless Filter as an understated complexion perfector; it lights up the look of skin with Hollywood-inspired radiance while letting your natural skin tone peek through.
If you want to conceal the look of dark circles or blemishes, I suggest choosing a buildable medium-coverage concealer to keep your makeup looking minimal and natural. With Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer, add small dots of concealer anywhere that you’d like to build coverage, then blend well for a second-skin effect.
Tilbury Tip: The less foundation and concealer you apply, the more minimal your makeup look will be. If you’re looking to achieve a smoother, plumper-looking complexion with a lit-from-within glow, my award-winning face cream, Charlotte’s Magic Cream, might be the only thing you need to apply!
Discover my Pro Shade Match Tool*
*To learn more about how Charlotte Tilbury Beauty collects and processes your personal information, including the images you provide in the Pro Shade Match Tool, please see our Biometric Processing Notice and Privacy Policy. Your results may be affected by the quality of the image submitted i.e., lighting, or camera quality.
Rather than sculpting the look of your brows with tinted brow gel and eyebrow pencil, try a more natural brow look by using clear brow gel to brush up your natural brow hairs. By fixing your brows into place with a clear brow gel like Brow Fix, you can define the natural shape of your brows and add structure to your minimal makeup look while giving them a softer, fluffier effect that doesn’t look overly groomed. This eyebrow look will give your makeup a relaxed and effortless feel, embracing your natural beauty while locking brow hairs into place.
Mascara is the secret to eyes that mesmerise! Even minimal makeup looks benefit from a couple of coats of lacquered mascara – it makes lashes look longer and the eyes look more open and awake. For an everyday makeup look, I usually apply lashings and lashings of Full Fat Lashes mascara for glossy, fanned-out lashes, however, for a more subtle eye look, one or two coats will do. If you’re looking to apply only a small amount of mascara, I suggest focusing on the outer portion of the lashline for a fanned-out effect that helps the eyes appear lifted.
Tilbury Tip: Instead of a super-black mascara, try applying brown mascara for a more understated look. Discover Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes! in my berry-brown shade, Dream Pop, for beautiful, brown lashes!
You can use your favourite lip products to enhance your minimal makeup look, darlings! The most important thing is to keep your lips hydrated with a nourishing lip oil such as Charlotte’s Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir. The silky-smooth, roll-on formula gives your pout a glossy sheen, so once you’ve applied your lip oil to enrich your lips with magical moisture, you can leave your look as it is or reach for a lip liner, lipstick or lip gloss to create a minimal lipstick look.
When choosing your lip products, remember to select a nearly natural shade of lipstick that resembles your own personal lip colour. My go-to lip combination for a minimal makeup look is my Lip Cheat and Airbrush Flawless Lip Blur in Pillow Talk. First, I use Lip Cheat to shape up the look of the lips, creating a soft outline that makes lips appear fuller and wider. Then, I blot my liquid lipstick into the centre of the lips and blend out the edges with my finger for beautiful, blur-effect cloud lips.
Tilbury Tip: All of my Pillow Talk shades were created to give everyone, everywhere the dreamiest, nuanced, nude-pink lips that are universally flattering! Discover the perfect lip combination for your minimal makeup look in my Pillow Talk collection!
Lifting the look of your complexion with bronzer and blush is the key to ensuring your minimal makeup doesn’t look flat. Reaching for cream formulas such as Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer, Pillow Talk Lip & Cheek Glow and Beach Sticks will give your look a natural, healthy-looking glow. Applying a small amount of cream blush to the apples of the cheeks gives them a fresh, dewy look, and blending cream bronzer across the cheekbones, nose and forehead will mimic the natural beauty of a day in the sun. These cream products blend seamlessly into the skin for a minimalist-approved finish that gently warms the look of the face.
Finally, to refresh and revive your minimal makeup look, apply a hydrating face mist to give the complexion an instant, dewy-looking glow. Charlotte’s Magic Hydrator Mist is my oxygenating face mist that veils the skin with magical moisture. It douses the face with skincare benefits including pollution defence and hydrating hyaluronic acid, while leaving behind a gorgeous, radiant finish that illuminates the look of your complexion. For minimal makeup, your skin should look healthy and fresh-faced, and this magical mist delivers immediate moisture that works underneath and over the top of makeup.
Item 1 of 31
Item 2 of 31
Item 3 of 31
Item 4 of 31
Item 5 of 31
Item 6 of 31
Item 7 of 31
Item 8 of 31
Item 9 of 31
Item 10 of 31
Item 11 of 31
Item 12 of 31