With 20 years in the TV, film and fashion industry as a makeup artist and almost as long studying health and wellness, Aleph creator Emma discovered the double meaning of natural beauty.

On one hand, the movement is about subtly using makeup to make the most of one’s natural features and on the other, embracing natural products and ingredients to enhance your health and help the environment.

When you’ve been in the makeup business for a long time, Emma says you develop a certain intuition about people’s faces. It doesn’t matter if it’s a brand new face or one you’ve known for years - often it just takes one look to come up with simple, creative ways to make their inner beauty shine through.

That got us thinking - could there be a way to share Emma’s makeup artist’s intuition around? Sure, not everyone wants to make a profession out of it, but most of us do our own makeup every single day. Armed with gorgeous natural products and the right approach, it’s absolutely amazing what you can achieve without any formal training at all.

Here are our top six tips for simple, professional-looking makeup that enhances your own beauty rather than hiding it away.

 1) Subtlety is everything

Everyone has a different makeup style and different methods that make them feel comfortable. In our opinion, makeup should never be used as a mask.

There’s a lot of hype at the moment around Kardashian-esque ‘caking’ and contouring, but Emma has found that for most real women, heavy makeup is incredibly ageing (not to mention suffocating for your skin). It was this kind of insight that inspired Emma to perfect Aleph’s own lightweight and richly pigmented Concealer/Foundation formula for great coverage that doesn’t turn cakey.

When it comes to applying makeup, Emma likes to start by applying product sparingly, then layering where needed for coverage, intensity or colour. If you start seeing streaks, it’s likely you’ve used too much and need to pull back a little. No worries though, that’s what cleansers are for!

2) When it comes to tools, choose quality over quantity

It’s awesome to see so many makeup tools readily available now, but sometimes all the choice can be confusing and overwhelming. There seems to be a specific tool for every tiny makeup whim when in reality all you need is a few multi-purpose brushes that are cared for correctly.

Of course, our favourite tool is the Aleph Vegan Diffuser Brush. Designed to achieve a flawless, professional looking application, the Italian-made brush pairs with any Aleph product.

To keep your brushes in great condition and to avoid potential infections, make sure you wash them every day or at the very least two days. All your vegan brushes need to stay clean is your hand soap and a bit of warm water. This helps you avoid smearing unwanted colour all over your face and also helps to eradicate unwanted bacteria.

3) Colour is your friend

Image Credit - Into The Gloss

You can still make the most of gorgeous, bright colours without looking like a clown - it’s all in the way you approach them.

The key to mastering makeup colours lies in getting to know your own natural colouring. Do you have very fair skin or are you more olive-toned? Does dark lipstick with your brunette hair make you look sinister? It’s often a good idea to work with your natural lip, skin and eyebrow shades to find colours that blend well.

Eye colour, on the other hand, is definitely something you want to amp up and draw out no matter what yours is (they say the eyes are the windows to the soul after all). The simplest way to do this is through contrast - choosing colours that are opposite your eye on the colour wheel.

Blue or grey eyes look stunning with orange, peach or bronze tones around the eyes or even on the lips. Green eyes pop with plum and red-based shades, while brown eyes are the most versatile of all and can pair well with just about anything. When perfecting our collection of Cheek/Lip Tints, versatility, as well as variety, were key factors. From a deep, flushing berry to a sunrise-inspired shade of coral, there’s a colour to help any eye colour stand out.

4) Kill ruts with creativity

Image Credit - Into The Gloss

Ever feel like you’ve been doing your makeup the same way for a hundred years? Not to worry, most of us get stuck in a rut at one point or another - the key to fixing it is change.

Doing something as simple as changing the texture of your foundation or the shade of your eyeshadow can be enough to pop you out of your rut and give you a refreshed, more vibrant look.

Another favourite method of ours is to use your products in brand new ways. Like experimenting with your favourite lip colour around your eyes or on your cheeks. Not only are you breaking away from your same old routine, but you’re also downsizing your kit by minimising your product use. The more you re-use product means less wastage, a happier planet and an exciting new beauty regime.

5) Never neglect your eyebrows

Believe it or not, taking a few extra minutes out of your morning to take care of your eyebrows really can work wonders! By removing the odd stray hair here or there you can transform your entire face and all your expressions.

Search for an eyebrow powder or pencil to give you both shape and depth. Remember, be gentle. Heavy-handed eyebrow filling can add unwanted years to your look, so gradually adding shape and colour to your brows is best practice.

If you’re unsure how to make your eyebrows work for your face shape, find a brow specialist to help you create and discover that perfect arch!

6) Know your mattes and shimmers

Ladies - not all makeup textures are created equal. Both matte and shimmer effects can look stunning when used correctly, but it takes a little bit of thought and know-how to achieve the look you truly want.

The most important thing to remember is that shimmer reflects light and matte will absorb it. This makes anything matte perfect for contouring and shimmer ideal for highlighting - although this often requires a bit of restraint too.

Avoid using shimmer all over your eyelids as it can be dated and ageing. Instead, stick to areas you want to draw the most light to like the inner corners of the eye or a very small section of the eyelid. With a little bit of balance, you’ll be beautiful and glowing in no time.

See - not too tricky is it? With a little bit of wisdom, you can bring out your own natural beauty every day to feel confident, capable and gorgeous!