Janetta Mackay: The real no make-up season is now

No makeup makeup at the Marc Jacobs Spring 2015 show in New York. Picture / AP Images.

No makeup as makeup has been the key pronouncement from international beauty experts for awhile now, but as with trends such as bleached brows, the proclamation initially drew not much more than a rolling of the eyes from me.

All very well for 16-year-old genetic freaks on the runway, I reckoned, noting with a little smugness that under questioning makeup artists had to confess to concealer in their kit to cover breakouts on their flawless canvases.

Actually, some of them admitted that the "no makeup" look takes quite a lot of time to master, starting with layers of skincare and a subtle build-up of luminosity to make skin look better than born with. A bit like tousled beachy hair, the air of effortless ease of having a "natural" makeup owes a fair amount to contrived casualness.

The look is certainly having a moment, as reinforced by the last round of international fashion weeks, where at show after show - with the odd glittery exception - models walked wearing little more than a dab of lip conditioner on the faces. Draw-on freckles a la Gisele - who adds her own pre photo-shoots for a youthful lift - were an optional extra.

In the last week, I have been talking to a couple of top makeup artists about how this look is filtering into a growing willingness among women to love the skin they are in. M.A.C.'s Australian senior artist Nicole Thompson and Bobbi Brown's director of artistry for Asia-Pacific Kai Vinson, both work the shows and help shape how their beauty brands advise counter artists and their customers.

Thompson, speaking in Sydney at a seasonal trends presentation attended by Viva, and Vinson, on a flying visit to New Zealand, both say the best approach is to focus on stepping up your skin care as the first step to baring more of your natural complexion. With proper preparation done, it is then easier - and quicker -- to wear less makeup.

This is a challenge to women like me, past the first flush of youth who like a bit of coverage, but who certainly don't want to look like they've caked the make-up on. It makes sense, however, to start with the skin, keep it in optimum condition, then add the face-base embellishment, strictly as needed.

Of course, there are plenty of artistry tricks to fix any flaws, and we'll be talking more about those in Viva's beauty pages in the weeks ahead, but for now summer is a great time to get used to wearing as little makeup as possible, so that when you do put it in on, it's fun and a quick fix, rather than something that masks your actual appearance.

* What do you think of the no makeup trend?
- VIVA