Going make-up free can have its benefits. Not only can it save a lot of time in the morning, but you could also save yourself money in the long run. On top of that, taking a break from make-up now and again can be good for our skin.
But what if you don’t feel pretty without make-up? Some of us rely on cosmetics to hide the blemishes on our face and bring colour to our skin. There's no denying that make-up is an easy fix, but there are many other ways to improve your beauty naturally. By taking these measures, you could build the confidence to go make-up free more often. Here are just several ways to look beautiful without make-up.
Get your beauty sleep
Many of us look and feel better after a good night's sleep. A full sleep cycle helps the skin to heal and can even diminish small lines and wrinkles. You'll also wake up looking rosier-cheeked – after a poor night’s sleep, it’s more common to look pale and puffy because the body hasn’t finished flushing toxins out of the skin. As for dreaded bags under the eyes, these tend to more of a result of how we sleep rather than how much sleep we get – if you sleep on your front, you may be more susceptible to eye bags.
Stay hydrated
Water helps with circulation, allowing nutrients to get to the skin more quickly and helping toxins to get flushed out. If you’re dehydrated, your skin is more likely to look pale as a result. Make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day to help preserve that natural glow. Good sleep and hydration are the most important things for bringing colour to your face and could be enough that you never need to wear foundation again.
Fix up your diet
Certain nutrients are essential to your skin’s health. These include vitamins and healthy fats. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables will ensure that you’re getting the nutrients you need. Foods like fish and walnuts are also great for the skin due to their content of omega-3, which helps the skin to retain water and remain rosy. Meanwhile, you should try to eat sugary foods in moderation – consuming too much sugar can contribute to spots and acne, while also making other forms of skin inflammation worse.
Moisturise
Moisturiser helps to keep the skin soft and will prevent wrinkles in the long run. As we get older, the skin produces less natural oils, causing the skin to become dryer and less elastic. Moisturiser is the best replacement for our skin’s oils. Even if you’re still young and not worried about wrinkles yet, moisturiser will still stop your skin from drying out.
Cleanse and exfoliate
Cleaning your face can help to prevent pores from getting clogged up, which will prevent spots. However, you can take things one step further by also exfoliating – this involves removing dead skin cells by scrubbing your face. Brushes and facial scrubs are the most common way to exfoliate. Get into a habit of using these as you wash.
Try different spot treatments
If you’ve got existing spots that you want to get rid of, it could be worth trying a few extra skin products. Tea tree and witch hazel are just two ingredients commonly used to reduce existing spots. This is much healthier than covering up your spots with concealer, which can often just make them worse by clogging up pores further.
Accessorise your face
Makeup can be a means of accentuating certain facial features, however, you can also do this with accessories. Facial piercings like nose rings can be great ways to do this. Wearing a trendy pair of glasses could also be a simple trick for drawing attention to the eyes. If you’re the type of person that likes to vary up their makeup as a way of constantly trying new looks, you could try opting for different accessories as an alternative.
Focus on your hair
The right hairstyle can also be important for accentuating your facial features. A clean and tidy hairstyle will help to frame your face. Certain hairstyles can work better on certain face shapes, which is something to bear in mind.
Look after your smile
Smiling gives off a sense of warmth and is the easiest thing you can do to improve your beauty. Just as some people don’t like going without make-up because they don’t like their skin, some people hate smiling because they’re embarrassed about their teeth. There are lots of ways to improve your teeth from using whitening toothpaste to getting braces. The important thing is to prevent further damage to your teeth – drinking less sugary drinks, quitting smoking and brushing teeth regularly are just a few things you can do to preserve a shiny smile.
Become more body positive
How we perceive our own beauty can affect the way others perceive us. If you’re comfortable without make-up, you’ll smile more and behave more confidently, which is all essential to how attractive you are. Learning to love yourself without make-up is easier said than done. Some people find it easier to gradually reduce the amount of make-up they wear until they become more comfortable with a minimal look - if you wear make-up every day, you may have programmed yourself to believe that your make-up look is your natural look, which is not healthy. It’s also important to not compare yourself to others and realise that you may have features that other people are jealous of. Focus on these positive features rather than the features you aren’t so proud of.
