Whether you call it everyday makeup, no makeup makeup, or clean girl makeup, they all have one goal in common: a minimalist makeup routine. Don’t be fooled either, because you can still get glammed up with a small amount of products. The key here is multi use makeup, or makeup you can use for multiple things. We’ve put together four different minimalist makeup routines ranging from all-in-one to full glam.
Woke Up Like This Makeup Routine
This routine is the most minimal, using all-in-one palettes or stacks for the entire face. Yes, even lip liner and on the eyes! For this look, you can skip mascara and just curl the lashes (if desired) for a little extra oomph. Our favorites for this makeup look include the viral Make Up For Ever HD Skin All-In-One Face Palette or the customizable Makeup Stacks from Trinny London. And, you really only need one brush to achieve this simple makeup look.
Minimalist Makeup Routine – 5 (ish) Products
1. Grab your favorite skin tint or cream stick and skip the concealer. We love the Summer Fridays Skin Tint and the MERIT Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick.
2. Enhance the cheeks! MERIT Flush Balm in shade ‘Terracotta’ is the perfect blush/bronzer shade. It adds just enough color and subtle warmth to the face. And, bonus points! It can be used on the eyes, too.
3. A brow gel with fibers is the best way to not only set brows for the day, but fill in as well. A top performer for this is the NYX Thick It Stick It! Brow Mascara. It features up to 16 hours of hold while plant-origin fibers thicken brows.
4. To really pull the look together, use a mascara that offers natural, wispy lashes with no smudging. MERIT Clean Lash is one of the best for this.
5. For lips, keep it simple. Use a lip oil (we love the MERIT Gelee formula!) for moisture and color. You can even use a lip liner like the Tower 28 OneLiner that can be used on lips, cheeks, or eyes.
6. (Optional) Use a setting powder or spray if you have oily skin.
Summer Fridays Sheer Skin Tint :
MERIT Minimalist Complexion Stick:
MERIT Flush Balm Cream Blush:
NYX Thick it Stick It! Brow Mascara:
MERIT Clean Lash Mascara:
Tower 28 OneLiner Pencil:
MERIT Shade Slick Gelee Lip Oil:
Minimal Makeup But Make It Glam
Go ahead, ask to yourself, ‘how can minimalist makeup be glam?’ Because the phrases are at opposite ends of the spectrum. However, with the right multi-use products, you can achieve a more glam makeup look with just a few products (ok, more than a few. Maybe like 8-10).
- Start with a 2-in-1 foundation that has a cream and powder housed in one convenient palette: Patrick Ta Major Skin.
- For concealer, you could either skip it all together, use an eye brightener, or a medium/full coverage concealer.
- Rare Beauty Positive Light Under Eye Brightener is a favorite thanks to its lightweight, brightening properties. When it comes to more coverage, Kulfi Mani Match is A+.
- DIBS Desert Island Duo is our pick for cheek enhancers. It’s ultra convenient since it is a dual ended blush and bronzer.
- Start with a brow gel, like Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter, to fluff and hold brows in place. Then, fill in any sparse areas with a brow pencil. Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat is great because it can also be used as an eyeliner!
- When it comes to eyeshadow, simple is best. Check out our favorite one & done eyeshadows in this article.
- Skip the falsies and coat lashes with Lancome Lash Idole Mascara.
- Enhance lips with a comfortable, balmy lipstick like MERIT Signature Lip.
- (Optional) Use a setting powder or spray if you have oily skin.
Patrick Ta Major Skin Creme Foundation + Powder:
Rare Beauty Positive Light Under Eye Brightener:
Kulfi Main Match Crease-Proof Concealer:
DIBS Desert Island Duo Blush/Bronzer Cream Stick:
Benefit 24-HR Brow Setter Clear Eyebrow Gel:
Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat Refillable Brow Pencil:
MILABU PICKS – Best One & Done Eyeshadows:
Lancome Lash Idole Lash-Lifting & Volumizing Mascara:
MERIT Beauty Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick:
The Clean Girl Makeup Routine
If you’ve been on TikTok or Instagram over the past few months, you’ve seen the rise of what’s known as the ‘clean girl aesthetic.’ Think sleek and simple – minimalistic and effortless. When it comes to the complexion, less is more and glowy is better. Here’s our picks to achieve the ultimate clean girl no makeup makeup look.
- Begin with an illuminator for dewy, glowy skin. Saie Glowy Super Gel and L’OREAL Lumi Glotion are two great options for this.
- Skip the foundation and use concealer only where needed. Winky Lux Peeper Perfect or NYX Bare With Me work great both under eyes and on spots, and can even be used all over for a light coverage. For the most minimalist makeup, skip concealer altogether and use an eye brightener.
- Here’s the best 3-in-1 product: Persona Cosmetics Blush in ‘Teddy.’ This particular shade is the perfect in-between blush/bronzer shade and can be worn on the eyes.
- Use a tinted brow gel like Benefit Gimme Brow to add fullness while achieving a feathered look.
- For mascara, wispy lashes are the goal. Use a lengthening formula like MERIT Clean Lash that doesn’t add too much volume. If you want more volume, check out Lancome Lash Idole.
- Lips are personal, but we love the NARS Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balms. Bonus points – they can also be used as blush!
- (Optional) Use a setting powder or spray if you have oily skin.
Saie Glowy Super Gel Dewy Highlighter:
L’Oreal True Match Lumi Glotion:
Winky Lux Peeper Perfect Concealer:
NYX Bare With Me Concealer Serum:
Persona DreamStick Cream Blush:
Benefit Gimme Brow+ Tinted Brow Gel:
MERIT Clean Lash Mascara:
NARS Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balm:
Setting Powder & Sprays
Kosas Cloud Set Baked Setting & Smoothing Powder:
Make Up For Ever HD Skin Matte Velvet Longwear Powder:
caliray Surfproof Hydrating Setting Spray:
Patrick Starrr ONE/SIZE On ‘Til Dawn Setting Spray:
Brushes
MERIT Brush No. 1 Tapered Blending Brush:
Price: $32.00
Makeup By Mario F1 Makeup Brush:
Price: $30.00
Patrick Ta Dual-Ended Complexion Brush:
Price: $45.00
IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Brush:
Price: $50.00
Make Up For Ever Highlighter Brush 152:
Price: $37.00
e.l.f. Cosmetics Complexion Duo Brush:
Price: $8.00
What Are Milabu Picks?
Milabu Picks are makeup products that lead the industry in their price categories (i.e. value, pro-grade, luxury) and product type. These products are reviewed and chosen by the Milabu team on a yearly basis. Many of these makeup products exceed the industry standard favorites, and some of them are, to this day, the industry standard leading the makeup industry.
Edited by Maddie