Minimalist makeup is like skincare-plus. It enhances your features and helps smooth imperfections, while letting your natural face shine through. The products tend to be creamy instead of liquid. Dewy instead of matte. To achieve a minimalist makeup look, you barely need more than a face oil, concealer, mascara, and lipstick — and maybe a swipe of highlighter on your cheeks and eyes. Millennial favorite Glossier helped propel this glowing version of the no-makeup-makeup look to popularity, with products like Haloscope highlighter and Lidstar eye “glow.” Unfortunately, Glossier’s products don’t all rank high on EWG’s Skindeep Database, and their founder, Emily Weiss, believes that Glossier’s customers don’t care about ingredients if they’re happy with the results. Well, some of us do.
Many women turn to minimalist makeup because they want skincare first and makeup second. They want to feature, not hide, their healthy, happy skin and unique beauty with a little help from a few products. If you care not just about the finished “natural” look — but also about what ingredients goes into that look — there are safe brands out there that put an emphasis on transparency and using natural ingredients. One of my favorites is RMS Beauty, which creates high-end minimalist makeup without the potentially harmful ingredients.
On days I want something in between a bare face and a full face, these are the products I turn to from RMS. Most of them come in frosted glass pots, which make for a luxurious-feeling collection in my vanity. You can buy each from Credo Beauty, the Sephora of clean beauty.
Best RMS Beauty Products
RMS Beauty Buriti Bronzer: If you have fair skin, this cream bronzer will make you look like you just spent a few hours by the pool, and you don’t have to risk the sun damage. For darker complexions it will probably perform more like a highlighter. Buriti oil can nourish the skin and make it supple, and the bronzer blends in smoothly. While it looks sparkly in the pot, it has no glitter to it when applied. (1 from EWG)
RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek: Like Glossier’s Cloud Paint, this product does double duty. Not only do I use it as a lip color and blush, but I’ve used it to make my eyes pop when I’m in a pinch. The Beloved shade is a true red that has blue tones that brighten my smile. As a lip product, it’s moisturizing. (1 on EWG)
RMS Beauty Eye Polish: While you can use the RMS bronzer on your eyes, the eye polishes offer more pigment and dimension. The Lucky shade has peach undertones that will bring out the specks in your eyes. You also can’t mess up the application, just swipe some on. (1 on EWG)
RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up: This concealer and foundation duo has a coconut oil base. It provides medium coverage (a little more than Glossier’s Stretch concealer) and moisturizes the skin. Hopefully the brand will also add more shades soon, since the current offering is limited and not as inclusive as it should be. (1 on EWG)
RMS Beauty Luminizer X Quad: This combo includes RMS’s cult-classic Living Luminizer, as well as three other shades. The Champagne Rosé shade is one of my favorites. I put it on my cheeks and my eyes and feel subtly glamorous, if that’s even possible. (1 on EWG)