All-American Beauty: Get the Look

There is nothing more beautiful than radiant skin, rosy cheeks, a smoky metallic eye, honey-toned lips, and a messy ponytail to showcase the face. This simple beauty look is practical, timeless, and easy to wear all year round.

Flawless, fresh skin is the base upon which to build this All-American girl. Start off with a clean face with a soft covering of tinted moisturizer that has a luminating effect, which will give you a gorgeous glow.

A natural beauty look is never complete without some vibrant cheek color that makes you look like you’ve been lounging under the sun all afternoon. The Michael Kors models had a deep peach tint on their cheeks, with a tiny hint of shimmer. For darker skinned girls, try a brighter pink hue. Swipe the blush in an upwards motion onto the apples of your cheeks until you achieve an amplified color that really stands out. Extend the color all the way to your ear to create a naturally sharpened contour that adds definition to your face shape. And don’t just keep the blush on your cheeks - dab a lighter wash of peachy color on your forehead, nose, and chin to really bring a healthy flush to your entire face. But don’t go too heavy with the blush - you don’t want to end up looking sunburned.

For your eyes, skip the black, deep grays, or anything that can look harsh against your skin. At Michael Kors, eyes were made sultry with metal-inspired colors that blended flawlessly into the skin for a more subtle and natural look. Smudge a metallic bronze or gold shadow with your finger all around the crease of your eye.

Extend the smudge to the outer corners for a sexy cat-eye look that doesn’t look too sharp. Keep layering the color on for the intensity you want. Go with a darker bronze for night, but a lighter gold for day. Add a little black mascara, and your eyes will look magnificent.

For your lips, go for nearly bare route with see-through honey and sheer brown-pink hues that mimic the natural color of your lips. Make your lips look bee-stung with more light-reflecting gloss in the middle of the upper and lower lips.

For hair, the more unkempt, the better. Keep your hair pulled away from the face so as not to hide your just-spent-a-day-at-the-beach look. Pull all your hair back into a ponytail set at the middle of the back of your head. The trick is not to look too sleek or put together - think of how your hair looks windblown, or after a long run. To get that perfectly careless look for your ponytail, apply a volumizing or texturizing spray all over your hair, and use your hands to rumple it all up. Imperfection is what you're aiming for, so don’t be afraid to get messy.

The easiest way to get this look on your own is to keep from getting too technical. Use your hands to apply your make-up, rather than a brush, for a more organic, unfussy feel. A youthful glow is the ultimate definition of All-American beauty, so make sure it's your cheeks that stand out the most.

Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 by Stila - $32.00

A moisturizer, sunscreen, and luminizer all in one.


Eyeshadow in Rush by Urban Decay - $17.00

This bronze gold shimmer shadow is a universal color perfect for all skin tones.

Blush in Armour by Nars - $26.00

This peachy pink blush can be layered on for amplified cheek color and exaggerated contour.


Sheer Lipstick in Baby Lips by Laura Mercier - $20.00


Try this sheer warm pink color that pumps up the tone of any natural lip color.

Published May 27, 2010 on The Fashion Spot