Products I Use To Create A Minimal Makeup Look

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more details.

Hi, everybody! How often do you put on a minimal makeup look? I don't go full glam every day. My go-to look on a regular basis, when I'm sitting around working on the blog and taking care of stuff around the house, is minimalist. It's amazing, though, just how many products it takes in order to create the perfect minimalist makeup look. It's not as simple as smearing on a little lip gloss and being done with it, at least not for me. Skin tone still needs to be evened out, and a bit of color added to my pale skin. It reminds me of a popular quote:

The best thing is to look natural, 

but it takes makeup to look natural.

-Calvin Klein

Today, I thought I'd share with you my best products for minimal makeup. These are the products I use on a regular basis when I want a minimal-but-definitely-there look - polished, put together, but not overly made up. The nice thing is that many of them are products that could absolutely be used to put together a more glammed-up look as well, so they may be items (or similar to items) you already have in your makeup collection. Below, I present each of my current favorite products for creating a minimal makeup look and describe how I use them to achieve the desired effect.

Tarte Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush - As I described in this post, one way to make your foundation look more natural (and thus, minimal) on the skin is to apply it with a foundation brush, as opposed to a beauty blender or other type of foundation sponge. The Tarte Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush is a killer brush, and what I like about it for minimal looks is that it is good for applying a nice, thin layer of foundation. And it blends foundation like a dream! About two pumps of foundation plus this brush = an even, minimal skin finish.

NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder in Translucent Crystal - Rather than "baking" or applying a heavy layer of powder over my foundation, I've really taken to using a very light dusting of this finely-milled NARS powder and leaving it at that. I used to be afraid that if I didn't use enough powder, I'd get too oily and in fact that was true in my younger days. But my face has become far less oily as I've aged. I much prefer a less-powdered look on me these days, and I think it looks more minimal and skin-like. You can tell from the picture below that I use this product daily.

Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Contour Powder in Light - I know that "contour powder" and "minimal makeup" don't seem to go together, and indeed a major contouring routine isn't really in order if you're looking for a minimal look. But there is something magical about the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Contour Powder. It is light and blendable, and I find that a little of this powder under my cheekbones is essential on minimal makeup days, to add some subtle definition and structure to my face. Ultimately, it makes my cheekbones stand out, rather than looking like I'm wearing contour powder. A great product, and it comes in deeper shades for deeper skin tones.

Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow Peach-Infused Highlighting Palette - I was late on the bandwagon for the Too Faced peach products, and despite thinking this palette was pretty, I resisted buying it because I was worried that the bronzer shade (it comes with a bronzer, blush, and highlighter) was way too dark for me. Turns out that it is a bit on the dark side for my skin tone, but if I use a light touch, I'm usually ok. What I really like about this palette for the purposes of a minimal look is the peachy blush and soft white highlighter. Both come off very naturally on my skin, and as long as I use a light touch, they work beautifully on a minimal face. Plus they smell nice.

IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Essentials Matte Luxe Transforming Eyeshadow Palette - This is one of the best neutral eyeshadow palettes I've come across, and it contains virtually everything one needs for a complete, neutral/minimal eye look, including two nude crease shades, a deeper outer-corner brown, and a black shade that can be placed lightly along the lash line in lieu of eyeliner. One of the best features of this palette is the "Transforming Hello Light" shimmer shade, which can be used in combination with any of the remaining matte shades to turn them into a shimmer. Totally versatile and the perfect palette for a minimal look.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin - This eyeshadow is a little gem. It is a subtle, shimmery champagne color that makes the eyes pop when placed on the lid. I like to pat it on the lid with my fingers after the rest of my eyeshadow is applied. Very pretty.

CHANEL Rouge Coco Gloss in 712 Melted Honey - When I first got this lip gloss, I was worried that it was actually TOO minimal and wasn't pigmented enough to be noticed. But the very first time I wore it, a perfect stranger complimented me on it and wanted to know what lip product I was wearing. That was that, and my new favorite minimal lip gloss was chosen!

Want to see the finished look? Here is the final, un-retouched result after I used all these wonderful minimal makeup products.

That's the end, friends! I hope you get some use out of this post on the products I use to create a minimal makeup look! What are your favorite products to use on your minimal makeup days? Let me know in the comments below. I'm always up for trying the products you suggest.

If you liked this post, please share it and follow me by email or on Bloglovin' (or both!). Also, make sure you are following me on Twitter and Instagram.