Flawless Skin Guide

What it truly means to flaunt naked skin. We speak to industry insiders to gove you this definitive guide on how you can rock the flawless ‘dewy’ look.

In recent years, images of heavily made up celebrities have given way to makeup-free faces. It seems that the trend is headed towards less concealing, less colours on the eyes and lips and more towards natural, flawless skin. Celebrities are now flaunting their nude faces, letting their ‘real skin’ shine through.

The coveted beauty feature to own now is not a pair of smokey eyes but a hint of dewy skin at all the right places. So how does one attain that flawless, ‘nude’ look that is so coveted yet so difficult to attain?

Here are some of the secrets that celebrities, makeup artists and aesthetic doctors having been using to help their clients attain that sought after complexion.

A GOOD BASE

Let’s be honest here, makeup can conceal some flaws but nothing beats having a good skin. The trend is to invest more time and effort to clearing up complexion woes, and less time on concealing them. Simple tricks to clear blemishes and close up pores include chemical peels (the new retinol peel is a great add-on that does double duty rejuvenating and exfoliating skin), aquadermabrasion therapies and skin-clearing skincare such as Flawless and Clear Bliss.

Flawless keeps clogged pores at bay

Clear Bliss calms and treats breakouts

To take skin to the next level, Dr Low Chai Ling recommends BB Aquatouch laser that brings dull skin exfoliation and skin renewal to a new level. This skin refining laser gives a “photoshop” effect to skin. Downtime? Skin may look slightly pink for a day and you may feel some roughness for the next three days as skin exfoliation is boosted. On the fourth day, you can give your skin a gentle scrub to unveil soft, smooth supple skin, according to Dr Low.

OPTIMAL HYDRATION

Close pores and refine skin to achieve a flawless complexion

Everyone wants dewy skin but what not everyone knows is that healthy water levels in your skin cells is vital for achieving the dewy complexion. Having good hydration of your skin also means your skin is plump and supple, making it an optimal base for any foundation or highlighters which you may want to apply later. Another point to understand is that hydrating the skin is not the same as putting oil on the skin, and that every skin type has their preferred type of hydration. For combination skins, Dr Chua Han Boon of SW1 Clinic recommends an oil-free option such as Pure Gold. This aqueous primer will infuse skin with optimal hydration without clogging pores. For normal skin types, consider a more long lasting option with Pink Sake, a cream based vitamin booster. Dry skins may benefit from a deeper skin hydrator such as Rose Gold that gives round the clock moisturizing effects.

Read More: Is the Way You Sleep Aging You?

Rose Gold serum, sw1shop.com

Another effective way to ensure skin is optimally watered include putting on skin plumping sheet masks such as Water Infusion masks available from SW1 Clinic at night, according to Dr Chua. You can clearly feel the difference in your skin after a 10 minute masking. This is especially useful before a big event if time permits.

START CLEAN

Choose a cleansing micellar water with exfoliating properties and sweep it across your face with a cotton pad, which provides additional ingredients to clear pores. We recommend Reset, a soft micellar water that will ensure your makeup and debris is effectively removed but your skin stays supple and hydrated after.

Reset facial mist, sw1shop.com

GREAT COVER

You cannot escape from using a good foundation if you want to achieve a flawless complexion. The foundation you choose needs to be as close to your skin colour as possible. Asian skins will benefit from yellow-based foundations such as Hera’s HD Perfect foundation, created for Asian skin types, while Caucasian skins can opt for a pink based foundation such as LancômeTeint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation.

Another way is to go for a stick foundation that is hydrating as well. Draw six lines across your face from the center outward, then buff and blend the formula into your skin with a makeup brush, according to Monica, a makeup artist based in Korea.

Image result for Son & Park Glow Ring Foundation

Son & Park Glow Ring Foundation, sokoglam.com

HIGHLIGHTING AND STROBING

When it comes to highlighting and strobing the face, the key is a gentle touch and to blend, blend, blend. The worse beauty crime is to apply too much highlighter and to forget to blend. You will come out looking like a unicorn instead. Take a cream-based highlighter and dot it on the high points of your face—the cheekbones, cupid’s bow, and one long streak on the bridge of the nose—then blend.

Wander Beauty Catch the Light Highlighter, net-a-porter.com

NATURAL LIPS AND CHEEKS

Natural cheeks and lips gives a “natural” effect

You want too add just enough colour to denote health. One easy trick is to pick a colorful lip and cheek tint duo and blend a little onto the apple of each cheek. Apply the rest on the center of the lips, then press your lips together to create a bright stain.

By Terry Aqua Tiny Lip & Cheek Duo, barneys.com