Beauty Beat: Natural looks and Full Glam

Many makeup artists, including myself, are eager and ready to get people back out there, looking and feeling bomb. However, time management makes it imperative that we as artists budget our time in an effective manner. With that being said, the difference between a natural look and full glam is key when speaking to an artist and when conveying how the look should be. 

What many people don’t know is that the “natural” makeup, “no makeup” look is tedious but can be achieved in half the time a “full” glam session can take. Mind you, this in no way is meant to chastise anyone who doesn’t know what natural or full glam is, but it is meant to clarify taste and hopefully enlighten a few people.

When someone thinks of a full glam look, what may come to mind? Is it a full-cut crease with falsies, contour, highlight, and the works, maybe even drag makeup? Well, you would be correct for the most part, but drag is both feminine and masculine, and contour and highlight can be used for natural looks. In reality, full glam is any sort of makeup look that encompasses the entire face and eyes to accentuate the eyes, lips, and “feminine” aspects of the face. 

The eyes are a key point to a full glam look and are often enveloped in many shadows with techniques that take time such as cut creases or smokey and halo eyes. Just the eyes require upwards of four brushes depending on the techniques used. All this to say that a full glam look is really a time-consuming process and can eat at both the artist’s and the client’s time.

A natural look, in many cases, is a full serving of enhanced skin! Think Victoria’s Secret angels and foundation with strategically placed highlights to brighten the face while enticing the audience, or the clean makeup with a pop of color that Zendaya, Drew Barrymore, and Ariana Grande are known for. 

Yes, they can be glam, but the emphasis is on the skin and natural beauty of the person. With a focus on lips and facial features, the natural look can take just as much makeup as the full glam look, but instead of shadows, we focus on skin that looks and feels high definition as opposed to a sultry glam that glows, and we don’t skimp on lashes or sparkle. So where does the confusion come from?

Many makeup artists are trained or dabble in color theory and understand the importance all colors hold in all aspects of artistry. Be it nudes or bold hues, a good makeup artist can incorporate color when needed. 

When someone isn’t too familiar with color, or makeup in general, they can be misled by it. Someone who sees a neutral skin-hued halo eye or cut crease may feel that the look is natural, as the colors are blended seamlessly, when In reality, the look may have taken upwards of an hour and a half depending on face shape and products. You could end up asking for a natural look and find out it may be a grueling process, or ask for a soft glam and get an elevated natural look on your face. 

Makeup is meant to be fun and expressive. However, it is those blurred lines that can create a bit of confusion in the community.