How To Prep Skin For Makeup

As any makeup artist will tell you, the key to applying makeup flawlessly is all in the skin prep. Clean and hydrated skin makes the perfect canvas for your complexion products and can make a huge difference in how your makeup sets and looks on the skin. We recently introduced a few new non-comedogenic skincare-meets-makeup products to our lineup (more on those later), but in order to achieve your desired look, you should know how to prepare your skin first.

Step 1: Cleanse

Every routine starts with clean skin. Super Amino Gel Cleanser offers a super gentle-yet-effective cleanse and contains a blend of 11 Amino Acids to replenish and protect the skin barrier. It also contains Maris Sal, a salt that is derived from the Dead Sea of Jordan, which has essential minerals that keep skin looking radiant and fresh, while simultaneously soothing it. A combination of vitamin E, sodium PCA, and sodium lactate helps the skin both attract and retain moisture to keep the skin hydrated through the day and night, and helps balance skin’s pH so you can ensure your skin is clean and ready to go.

Step 2: Treat

Powered by a Vitamin C and Peptide blend, our Light Aura multitasking eye cream is all you need for a brighter, firmer look. Its intensely moisturizing formula also includes Caffeine to help de-puff, Allantoin and Vitamin E to soothe, and natural optics to softly illuminate all skin tones. Apply gently around the eye area morning or night.

Pro Tip: Want to take your skin prep a step further? At night, exfoliate using either our Overtime Mask, a physical exfoliant, or our Soft Reset AHA Exfoliating Solution, a chemical exfoliant, to wake up to brighter and smoother skin.

Step 3: Hydrate

This ever-important step sets the base for your makeup routine, so it’s important to find a moisturizer that infuses hydration into your skin throughout the day so it doesn’t become dry. Cloud Dew Gel Cream is an ultra-lightweight moisturizer that not only contains Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid to attract moisture, but it also utilizes the power of amino acids to repair and protect the skin barrier. Its formula is also packed with Ceramides, Minerals, and Amino Acids — plus super-potent Antioxidants and brightening Pineapple Enzymes help to visibly improve skin tone and texture.

Step 4: Protect

The last step in your daytime skin care routine should always be to protect your skin with SPF. Some sunscreen formulations can interfere with base makeup, but luckily, ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen works as sun protection and layers really nicely with makeup. It glides over the skin like a serum and works double duty to protect your skin with loads of skincare benefits thanks to hydrating and plumping Squalane and its signature skin-protecting Antioxidant Complex.

Our Skincare-Meets-Makeup Routine

Now that your skin is prepped and looking radiant and glowy, it’s time to apply your makeup.

Apply Sheer Skin Tint for sheer coverage that hydrates skin and evens complexion. It comes in 10 flexible shades so you can find your perfect match, and features a natural, satin finish that looks like your skin — just a little better. (Make sure you take advantage of our Shade Finder to pick out your perfect match.) It contains Tiger Grass (also known as Centella Asiatica) helps soothe the skin and reduce redness. A blend of Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid help attract and retain moisture in the skin barrier to maintain a dewy finish while you wear it. And finally, an emollient mixture of Squalane, Vitamin E, and Safflower and Avocado Oils work to lock in hydration and help the product easily glide onto the skin.

For sheer, natural, all-over color on your cheeks and lips, swipe on our Blush Balm Stick. The three universally-flattering shades give a sheer wash of color.

Heat Wave, a vibrant deep red;

Pink Skies, a sunset-inspired pink;

Warm Desert, a sun-kissed terracotta

These multi-sticks are also formulated with Hyaluronic Acid and Glycerin to help draw in hydration and give your skin a plump and youthful glow.

After applying the rest of your makeup products, finish off with your favorite shade of our award-winning Lip Butter Balm, which nourishes and hydrates lips with Shea and Murumuru Seed Butters and leaves lips with a glossy — but never sticky — sheen thanks to the Vegan Waxes in the formula. Any of the shades — Vanilla, Vanilla Beige, Brown Sugar or Poppy — can be worn alone or put on top of your favorite lip liner or lipstick.

Makeup application doesn’t have to be complicated. Just start with a prep routine to give yourself a fresh canvas — the rest is up to your imagination.