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How to: Natural but Dramatic Makeup

Nov 25, 2011 / By Dacia Rivers

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A thin ring of eyeliner can make your eyes pop while keeping your makeup looking natural.

Photo: Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images

Going for a natural makeup look doesn't mean you can't add any drama to your face. You don't want to go out looking totally plain or, heaven forbid, washed out. But that doesn't mean you have to pile on the makeup until you look like you've got a pound of pancake on your skin either. Walk the line between natural and dramatic to get a look that lets your natural beauty shine through while providing a bit of drama and intrigue where it counts.

Start with a flawless face. If you have a bottle of magic fairy dust in your pocket, use that. Otherwise, apply concealer where you need extra help and paint a thin layer of foundation all over your face to even out your skin tone and make your mug look naturally perfect.

Give yourself a natural, but eye-catching, rosy glow by applying a bit of light pink blush right on the apples of your cheeks.

Dust a light bronzer right below your cheekbones, along your jawline and on the sides of your nose and forehead to give yourself a healthy, natural-looking bit of tan that'll take you from looking un-made-up to dramatically natural.

Rock the nude lip trend for a natural, but dramatically different, look. Paint an almost-nude shade onto your lips to tone them down but make them look more interesting than plain bare lips.

Add drama to an all-natural makeup look by using your eyes to stir up emotion. Use metallic eyeshadow in a neutral-ish shade, such as bronze or gold, to add shine and shimmer without straying too far from your natural look. Rim your eyes with eyeliner using a soft brush to add smoky drama but still keep things natural-looking. Paint on just one thin layer of mascara to pump up the drama with dark lashes, but avoid caking too much on to maintain that au natural feeling.

1.Concealer

3.Makeup brushes

5.Light bronzer

7.Neutral metallic eyeshadow

9.Mascara

2.Foundation

4.Pink blush

6.Almost-nude lipstick

8.Eyeliner