Contrary to popular belief, achieving a fresh-faced, natural look is not as simple as it appears. It actually requires a considerable amount of work and the use of more makeup products than the finished result reveals. However, with a little time, patience, and practice, this technique can be easily incorporated into your daily routine and will allow your natural beauty to shine through.

I always like to start with a great primer. Primers prepare your skin for makeup application by absorbing excess oil, smoothing over blemishes and redness, and by making large pores less visible. My favorite primer is Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer, which is now also available in an oil-free formulation. It provides a lightweight base and offers environmental protection with vitamins and antioxidants. Also try Vincent Longo's Water Canvas Base for a breathable, flawless finish.

Next, use a foundation that evens out the skin tone but does not appear too heavy or cake on the skin. It is important to choose a foundation that suits your skin tone and type. While assisting Laura Mercier, it took me almost a year to master this concept. I finally fully understood what Laura had been teaching when I chose a foundation two shades darker than what I normally would have chosen for a well-tanned client. The finished result was amazing! The perfect foundation for you should seem to vanish into your skin, should make your skin color even from your hairline to your neckline, reduce unwanted redness, and match all visible skin, including arms, legs and shoulders. My favorite foundations are Laura Mercier's Oil-Free foundation, which, when used with a dampened sponge, is perfectly sheer; Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Glow Sheers, applied with your fingers; Chanel's Pro Lumiere, and Make Up Forever's Face & Body Liquid Make-up, which is best used with a foundation brush. Remember to always use your fingers to blend the edges.

Next, with a small brush, like Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage Brush, use a concealer to eliminate dark circles under your eyes, around the nose to hide redness, and on light spots on your face. I recommend Neutrogena's 3-in-1 concealer and for heavier coverage, I use Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage. The secret to applying concealer to the eye is to ONLY use it where it is needed, usually on the inner corner, dark circle and at the outer corner. Never over pack concealer under the eyes because it makes fine lines look much worse than they actually are. For the face, use the back of your hand as a palette which warms the concealer before application. Remove excess product from your brush before "building" coverage on pimples, sunspots, and red spots.

Now to add a bit of color:
With your ring finger, warm a sheer cream blush on the back of your hand, blending it on the apples of your cheeks. I like Ben Nye's Crème Colors in Bright Pink and Crème Cheek Rouge in Raspberry or Three Custom's Crème to Powder Blush in Pink or Rebecca's Favorite.
When your skin looks flawless, set the look by using a translucent powder, like Three Custom's Translucent Face Powder. Use a small powder brush to set the concealer and a big velour puff for the rest of your face. For a deeper blush, use a powder blush or bronzer after applying translucent powder. Remember, you cannot go back to creams once you powder your face because the pigments from creams and powders "stick" and are difficult to blend.

For eyes, use a gel liner with a flat brush, applying the liner at the underside root of your top lashes to darken the root and make the lashes look thicker. I use MAC Fluidline and Laura Mercier's Flat Eye Liner Brush.

For a finishing touch, use Neutrogena's MoistureShine Lip Soother with SPF 20.

I have been blessed to work with many gorgeous clients, and I use this technique frequently for a natural and beautiful look. Over Memorial Day weekend, I did Idina Menzel's makeup, (one of my favorite clients!), using this very method, keeping everything super clean and simple. The result was breath taking! -- Edited by ExpertMatin at 06/27/2008 9:41 AM PDT