How to: The No-Makeup-Makeup-Look

Scarlett Johansson is rocking quite a different look on this cover of Elle France, right. It's not just the dark hair that struck me, but the apparent absence of makeup. Now clearly there is some product there, and some retouching is always done, but the effect is that she's not wearing any makeup and it's an interesting style for a fashion magazine cover.

I'm already a big fan of the "no-makeup" makeup look. It's quick and easy to do every day and while I still love to play around with bright lips or heavily-lined eyes, I also like being able to fake a naked face. Here are a few of my favourite tips for how to manage the no-makeup look:

Start with great skin
Kind of an obvious one, but if you want to be minimal with base, you'll need to have your skin looking its best - a home facial followed by an enriching moisturiser is a good start to get your skin glowing.

Put down the foundation, pick up the concealer
You need to work with a light hand here, but once you find the right concealer for you, it can work miracles on under-eye circles or redness. Whether you like to apply it with a brush or your fingertip, make sure to blend it in with your fingertip using a gentle tapping motion - the warmth from your skin will ensure the edges blend in perfectly. If you can't say no to foundation entirely, try to minimise use to under your eyes and around your nose, blending it out with a damp sponge.

Add some glow
An illuminating makeup base or highlighter can help fake a glow if you need some help, without looking obvious on. Apply it to cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, browbones and the inner corners of the eye.

Go natural for cheeks
Cream blush patted into the apples of your cheeks gives a natural flush that seems to come from within.

Subtly enhance your eyes
Eyes can be tricky if you aren't naturally blessed with long full lashes. If you need a bit of help, try applying pencil liner right into the base of the lashes. Hold the pencil vertically instead of horizontally and gently smudge it in between lashes. It should help to make lashes look naturally full, without looking obvious. For lacklustre lashes, try getting them permed and tinted in a salon, or use a natural finish mascara, combed well through to remove any clumps.

Add just a touch of lip colour
If you want to add colour to your lips, try patting in a natural shade of lipstick with your fingertip, so there are no hard edges or defined lines.