You may have noticed on the 2011 Golden Globes red carpet that many of the actresses were sporting a more neutral look this year. Not so much of the big, bold makeup, but more of an “au naturel” visage. But you and I both know there was nothing natural about it.

Beautiful Anne Hathaway wore neutral makeup at the 2011 Golden Globes

Frequently I hear women saying they want to look natural, but what they really mean is neutral. Natural is how you look after 3 hours of gardening, neutral is polished and fresh, but without much color.
So here is how to get a look that is neutral (not natural) in 8 easy steps:

1.) It always starts with skin care. No look will be really fabulous without great skin underneath.
Make sure your skin is well cleansed and very hydrated. Slightly oily skin is fine, but dried out skin never looks good. Use a moisturizer that is right for your skin type.

2.) Make sure that the moisturizer, foundation and luminizer that you are using are lightweight formulations.

3.) Use a color correcting concealer under the eyes, the corners of the nose and under the lip to balance out any colors we don’t want to see. Pat concealer in with your fingers, so that it is super sheer. Use small amounts of concealer to balance out any blemishes, and run a narrow line of it down the bridge of the nose, blending it well, to create the illusion of light.

Golden Globes 2011 Olivia Wilde looked flawless in neutral makeup. And a little bit scary.

4.) The key to a neutral look is to really blend your foundation well. It needs to look like skin, so work small amounts in with a foundation brush or your fingers, until it almost disappears. Make sure your application is even.

5.) Use a cream blush. Cream blushes melt into the skin and create a flushed, rosy look, instead of sitting on the surface of the skin like powder blushes do. Use your foundation brush and blend the cream blush through the cheekbones and slightly into the apples of the cheeks. It will give you a fresh, dewy finish.

 Halle Berry’s smudgy chocolate eyeshadow at 2011 Golden Globes

6.) Smudge neutral eye shadows onto the lid. Try beiges, champagnes and chocolates to create a little dimension, without looking fiercely made up. use a neutral brown liner along the upper lash line, and create definition by running a little chocolate shadow through the lower lashline with a liner brush instead of traditional liner.
Add some neutral beige or champagne liner to the inner corner to waken the eye.

7.) Use a soft mascara. Don’t build giant, thick lashes, instead go for sleek, separated, lengthened lashes.
 False lashes on the outer corners of the eye were everywhere on the red carpet at the Golden Globes., providing a little accent and dimension to the eye, without overwhelming or dominating it.

Angelina Jolie in soft, neutral lipgloss at the 2011 Golden Globes

8.) Use a soft, kissable gloss with just a hint of color to flesh out the lip.