Pamela Anderson attended the recent Paris fashion shows barefaced and makeup free – and, according to actress Jamie Lee Curtis, started the ‘natural beauty revolution’.
Wake up & go – no makeup required. From brows to lips, skin to eyes, here’s how to do the ‘Natural Beauty Revolution’
As I’ve got older, my relationship with makeup is definitely changing – and while a little lip-gloss still goes a long way, I don’t have the time to spend hours a la my pre-kid days. Saying that, I also don’t have the confidence for an entirely make-up free face. Well, imagine waking up with a face that’s ready to go. I’m talking beautifully defined lips, perfect brows, a smooth complexion and a sun-kissed glow – the kind of look that might take a little while to create which is all good when you’re not rushing to get the kids to school, running late for a meeting or trying not to look quite as jaded at the gym. And for hiding a late night or bout of insomnia (something I know far too much about)
Well it’s all possible – honestly – with the help of a few little treatments guaranteed to make you smile when you check the mirror first thing (hooray!). So yes, we too can go makeup free with a little helping hand from our go-to shortcuts to looking (and feeling) great ALL the time
Flawless Lips
Over the years my lips have become so much paler and less defined – without some kind of lip colour/liner I look really washed out. Well imagine my delight when I was introduced to the joy that is lip blush. I have to be honest I was always a little scared of the idea of lip blushing – imagining it to result in those very fake looking lips that aren’t my idea of beautiful. But how wrong I was. After a consultation with Patsy (of brows by Patsy at L’Esprit Medical Center), whose own lovely lipblushed lips quickly dispelled my worries, I understood that lip blush is actually just a way of bringing colour and definition back to your own lip shape using semi-permanent make up. Basically, pigmented ink is deposited by a fine needle – this is a cosmetic tattoo much like microblading only for your lips.
Patsy helped me choose a natural lip colour and two sessions later, I have lovely natural looking lips that look as good au naturel as they do with a little bit of gloss when I feel like it. Oh and they’ll last around 3 years – perfect!
Instagram: @browsbypatsy
Bright Eyes
While 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep may be the best thing to have your peepers looking perfect and sparkly, for most of us this is almost impossible to achieve. Plus, unless you’re my 11 year old son, we aren’t born with beautiful long, thick lashes. Enter Classic Eyelash Extensions at Snob Salon. Eyelash extensions aren’t a new phenomenon but the trick is to find somewhere that does them really well so that you aren’t left with what looks like spiders hanging off your face. Get them done and then enjoy all the compliments (you’ll need to have them refreshed around every 3 weeks..). If you spend your life in/under the water then you’ll want to consider something a little lower maintenance (eyelash extensions need to be carefully looked after). Choose a lash lift and tint – essentially a perm and colour to curl your lashes up and give them that ‘lick of mascara’ look – the team at Snob can do it all.
Instagram: @snob.ae
Beautiful Brows
Immaculate brows make a huge difference to the overall look of your face. Whether you’ve over-plucked, lost your hair or you need help creating the perfect pair, the very brilliant Patsy (of lip blush fame – see above) is the person to visit. An expert in microblading – a semi-permanent tattooing procedure that uses hair-like strokes to fill in the brows – Patsy will customize the brow shape and colour to suit your face, leaving you with perfectly groomed eyebrows that’ll last up to three years (when you’ll just need to get them topped up). So worth the initial investment!
Instagram: @browsbypatsy
Glowing Skin
Genetics are a huge factor and beauty products can help – but for a fresh face and healthy skin it’s worth getting expert help. Known as ‘Dubai’s Skincare Guru’, Rebecca Treston at Hortman Clinics is a specialist in advanced laser therapies, treating everyone from royalty to super models. Lasers can treat everything from sun damage to rosacea, wrinkles and scars – these aren’t facials that’ll leave you feeling relaxed but they will help get your glow on. Get on her waiting list pronto.
Instagram: @rebeccatreston
Healthy Hair
Sun-damaged, straw-like hair is definitely not a good look – and the faff of washing, styling etc every morning is just not possible. Smooth, healthy strands courtesy of a few treatments will elevate your look and just make you feel a whole lot better about yourself too. Willow Lane Beauty Salon in JLT is an absolute fave for all things hair – from colour to cuts and treatments too. Their new Davines Oi Liquid Luster is an in-salon and at home care treatment which leaves your hair six times shinier and is the perfect base for a bouncy, beautiful blowdry. Oh and invest in a Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer – not only will it cut your drying time in half but also save it from being over-heated/processed but it has negative ions that help reduce static for an ultra smooth finish.
Instagram: @willowlanedubai @dyson_arabia
Immaculate Nails
There’s nothing like a fresh mani to make you look put together – but who has time for one of those every week?! And so many of the longer-lasting manicures result in damaged nails and harsh removal techniques. Well there’s a new (ish) method called ‘builder gel’ in town that’s formulated to strengthen weak and brittle nails. When builder gel polish is applied, it leaves a strong but flexible layer behind that keeps your natural nails protected. The application is quick and results are long plus the whole process is far less damaging than acrylics, gel or dip powder – hooray!! We love the iridescent finish and are regulars at the very gorgeous Snob Salons in Jumeirah and Arjan, little havens for all your beauty needs.
Read More: With beauty sorted, get your workout style up to speed with our fave activewear brands
Instagram: @snob.ae
words by Kaya
featured image by Gabriel Silvério on Unsplash
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