We've all seen women who just plaster their makeup on, looking more like a mannequin than an actual person. If you would rather have a natural beauty, you don't need to go completely bare, it's all in how you choose and apply your makeup. Here you'll learn a few tips to keep your face glowing and lovely without resorting to heavy handed techniques. The trick is to keep it light and to highlight just one area of your face, your eyes or your mouth.

Coverage

When it comes to concealer and foundation, many women tend to cake it on in an attempt to hide blemishes. That tends to result in the cracked face issues that occur a little later in the day. By using the following tips, you can make your face look natural while still covering up those spots and blemishes.

- Opt for tinted moisturizer, it blends and evens out the skin while moisturizing and is so thin that it's literally unnoticeable.

- For heavier coverage, use concealer chosen to blend with your skin to dot over spots and then finish the face with a tinted moisturizer for a lighter look.

- Concealers with yellow undertones tend to hide blemishes best.

Eyes

Your eyes are one of the first things people notice, so the last thing you want is for them to focus on how much makeup you're using!

- For long lashes, consider using clear mascara to give them volume without adding too much.

- Use foundation lightly applied to your lids for a natural boost. This also brightens the eyes and lays an even foundation for any shadow you wish to apply.

- Choose eye shadows that enhance your eye color, blue or green eyes look smoking with pink or brown shadows and brown eyes work well with darker plum shades.

- When using eyeliner, stay away from black and unnatural shades. Opt for brown or charcoal grey instead and blend slightly to create a natural line.

Lips

Lips don't have to be bright to be noticeable. If you want your mouth to stand out, but still aim to use natural looking makeup, leave your eyes simple and focus the color on your mouth.

- Avoid glittery or super glossy lipstick, which looks very made up.

- To choose the appropriate color, bite your lips gently to see what color comes up. Match the lipstick color to this.

- Make your color last longer with a clear lip gloss to set it.

- For days when you want your eyes to be the focus, stick to just a transparent gloss for your lips and let your natural color shine.

Cheeks

Blush should give the impression that you've just jogged half a mile, with a natural glow spreading over the cheekbones. Be sure you choose the right colors and don't overdo it, the attention should be drawn to your eyes or lips, not your cheekbones.

- Check your cheek color after a bit of exercise to choose the right blush. Alternatively, you can just pinch them to bring up the color, but this won't tell you where the blush should be applied.

- Apply blush in the same areas that you naturally color when exercising for a truly natural looking makeup.

- Keep it light. You just want a dusting of color, nothing too obvious.

Natural looking makeup lets you look your best without making it appear that you've had help. People will be impressed at how fresh your face looks. Even with a very little amount of makeup, you'll feel beautiful and ready to face the world.