There are stores upon stores full of makeup products that promise beauty solutions for every issue that exists. Walk into any Sephora store and you will be spoilt for choice with the myriad of options available in every category of makeup and skincare products; highlighters, foundations, blush, eye shadow, concealers, powders, sprays, lotions, the list is seemingly endless. Lately, the hottest trend is wearing makeup that supposedly like you are not wearing any makeup at all. 

I personally adore the nude, natural look, and find it infinitely preferable over the dramatic cakiness of full coverage makeup. Don’t get me wrong, I love a bold red lip and winged cat eyeliner, but when it comes to your complexion, nothing beats the effect achieved when your base skin still looks like natural skin. 

Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with a genetically flawless complexion and we mere mortals have to resort to the support of foundation, concealer, and powder, to achieve the beautiful skin look we all crave. In the quest to achieve flawless skin, the first thing is to take care of the skin itself and develop skincare habits that will beautify your skin inside and out.

But while you wait for your clear skin regime to start showing results, here are a few tips and tricks for faking flawless-looking skin. Fake it till you make it baby… oh Yeah!

1. Get Out Of The Makeup Routine Rut
Don’t think of makeup as a one size fits all kind of solution and don’t follow the same makeup routine every day. Depending on what your day looks like, where you’ll be going, indoors or outdoors, the weather, and even what your skin looks and feels like on a certain day, red, sunburnt, pale, spotty, oily, puffy, or itchy, your makeup should cater to all that. Just like all these factors don’t remain the same day in and day out, your makeup should cater to your needs accordingly. 

Just like you swap out your lipstick and eyeshadow to complement what you’re wearing, similarly you should use a different selection of makeup products with different coverage levels for example, or longer-lasting ability, or added SPF… make sure you think about what your skin needs on that day. 

2. Don’t Skip On Skincare.
The best way to make your face look like you have a gorgeous complexion is to actually have clear and healthy skin. This is only achieved by prepping your skin and taking good care of it even when you’re not going out and about. Exfoliate and moisturize your skin regularly. If you have clear skin, you don’t need to use primers before applying makeup, but if you don’t, mattifying, oil-blocking primers are a good option to get a flawless finish. 

3. There Is More Than One Perfect Shade For Foundation
To determine which foundation shade is best for you, swatch samples of foundation on your cheek and neck. Always choose the one which appears to vanish and merge with your skin. However, getting more than one shade of foundation is a better idea. Our skin is not uniformly coloured, so having a slight variation in your foundation options will allow for them to blend in seamlessly and give a more natural-looking finish.

4. Glow naturally
always be mindful of where you use highlighter. Contrary to popular belief, too much highlighter just doesn’t look great. The right amount of highlighter is just a little on the bridge of the nose where the eyebrows meet, a dab on the cheeks, and then just a smidge on the jawline for a fresh look.

5. A Good Concealer Is a Good Investment
When it comes to makeup, you can skimp on some products but concealer is not one of them. Cheap concealers will not conceal properly. You can use a good concealer to cover up acne, dark circles, freckles, dark spots, scars and any other blemish. You can also use it in lieu of foundation if used sparingly. Use a BB cream all over your face and just use full coverage concealer in problem areas. Select a more peachy shade of concealer for pale skin tones and a more gold or orange concealer for olive to deep skin tones.