The intersection of makeup and tomboy style has always been an interesting one to me. Some of you will say, "hey, tomboys don't wear makeup!", and others will admit to wearing makeup every single day. It's a spectrum like anything else. I wear makeup on occasion, but never feel like I know what the hell I'm doing, so I begged celebrity makeup artist Toby Fleischman, a true tomboy, to give some simple advice on how to navigate the overwhelming and complicated makeup world. She helps contemporary tomboy icons like Ellen Page, Carrie Brownstein, and Evan Rachel Wood look good on the red carpet and on magazine covers (she even made up my mug once!), so I figured she'd know what's up and help us out with some everyday makeup picks that actually make sense and don't cost an arm and a leg. Thank you so much Toby!
Five Makeup Products for Five Minutes of Your Day
By Toby Fleischman
I have a lot of friends who would happily and proudly consider themselves tomboys. I even have a few celebrity clients that would as well. While makeup can absolutely transform a face, it can also just be a simple and easy way to enhance one’s features. I get asked by a lot of girls who don’t necessarily want to be super “glam” what they should be using on their face to create a natural look for every day. The beauty world is enormous and can be more than a little overwhelming. So here are my favorite tips and product options for the the girl who just wants to look like themselves, only a little better.
SKINEven the most perfect skin can always benefit from a little evening out of tone and covering of typical areas that tend to hold redness like under the eyes and around the nose. There are great multitasking products on the market that can give you skin care properties like moisturizing and anti-aging benefits, combined with some pigmented color. There are tons of names for them these days: tinted moisturizers, BB creams, CC creams, even DD creams. Whatever you choose, it’s an easy way to take care of your skin, check off your daily sunscreen (many even include an SPF), and even out skin tone to create a more flawless complexion. Simply take a dime size amount in clean hands, rub together and apply all over your face as you would with a normal moisturizer. You don’t necessarily need any brushes or tools, just your fingers. Make sure to blend in the areas by your hairline, ears, and especially down the neck. Go ahead and use it under your eyes, and especially on your eyelids. If you need a little extra coverage for discoloration in this area, you might want to use a concealer on top of this step.
Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Perfector BB Cream ($14); Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12 hour primer ($35); Pür Minerals 4-in-1 Mineral Tinted Moisturizer ($34).
BROWSEyebrows are the frames of the face and just a little attention to them can really make a huge difference. At the most basic level, run a clean mascara wand through them just to brush them into their natural shape (you can snag one at any makeup counter). A spritz of hair spray on the brush before you comb through them will keep the hairs in place. But my No. 2 product for a clean brow is an eyebrow pencil. The ones I list here look great on most anyone, but the general rule of thumb is to choose a color one shade lighter than your eyebrow color. A couple of swipes in the the direction of your brows will really pop your eye without a lot of fuss.
Laura Mercier Eyebrow Pencil ($22).
EYESI will admit, mascara is my one desert island item; it just really makes everyone look better. You don’t have to be scared, I’m not talking about Kardashian lashes, just a coat or two of black mascara, or even brown if you really want more of a natural look, will make you appear more awake and refreshed. Use a waterproof formula if you tend to see it transfer around your eyes. I’m a huge drugstore mascara fan, it’s inexpensive and accessible.
CoverGirl Clump Crusher ($7); Maybelline Lash Discovery ($8); L'Oréal Volumious Mascara ($8).
FACEPut some life in your face with a little bronzer. Choose a matte bronzer (no shimmer) that has a warm tone to it. Take the fluffiest brush you have and gently apply it in the shape of the number 3 on the sides of your face, in your hairline (top of your head to eyebrow), in the shallow of your cheek under your cheekbone, and under your jaw line. Dust the lightest bit on the top of your cheeks and over the bridge of your nose. This will create dimension to your face and bring some color to the areas the sun would normally hit.
Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder ($52); CoverGirl Queen Collection Bronzer ($7); Physicians Formula Glow Boosting Pressed Bronzer ($15).
LIPSTake care of your kisser while bringing out the natural tones of your lips. The perfect lip color I always say is after you have been kissing for a long time. Bring out that flush with a tint or stain that also moisturizes. I love the products out now that adjust to the pH balance of your body and bring out the most personalized pout color. Or tinted lip balm in the chubby pencil size is a really easy way to quickly swipe on a light tint that lasts.
Tarte Lipsurgence Skintuitive Lip Tint ($24); Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm ($7); Revlon ColorBurst Balm Stain ($9).
[Editor's note: colors, tints, tones are all picked at random in order to provide a link to the actual product—not reflective of specific recommendations by Toby, as those would be based on personal preference and skin color, etc.]
Keep up with Toby on Instagram and Twitter.