Let’s face it. Most of us don’t find ourselves tweeting “I woke up like this.” Preparing to face the day, and dawning your war paint of makeup and Prada armor takes some time. But when you leave your home in the morning to go about your daily conquering, you don’t want to look like it did. A clean, natural look can be created with relative ease. To get the most out of what you have, consider these tips and techniques for a subtle style that still stands out:

Choose Your Focus

The key to a flattering, natural look is to work with what you’ve already got. Upstage your best features, and downplay your least favorite. To do so, consider your face a blank canvas awaiting the chance to become art. And all good works of art have a focal point, a specific feature that draws the eye of the viewer. When glimpsing your face, where do your eyes naturally go first? Is it the eyes? Mouth? Jawline? Cheekbones? Decide upon your focal point, and use that as the focus of your masterpiece.

Pick Your Products

To say that each face is unique is not just cliche, it is a frustrating reality. There is no one-size-fits-all in makeup. Every skin tone is slightly different. Some people have dry skin, others oily, and what works for your sister could break you out in hives in a matter of seconds. Picking the right products involves knowing your skin well and a little trial and error.

To choose the most accurate color for foundation and powder products for your skin tone, don’t hold the product up to your face. The skin on the inside of your wrist is a more accurate representation of your true skin tone, so use that spot to choose the right color. Finding the right shade is only half of the challenge, though. For natural-looking makeup, the texture and finish of the foundation and powder must also be considered. Many products create a finished look that is too shiny or that looks like plastic. Amway offers a line of Artistry foundations and powders specially engineered to perfect your natural skin rather than cover it up. They imitate the appearance of radiant skin without creating the dreaded clown makeup line at the jaw and neck. In other words, it blends.

Apply Techniques

After you’ve decided on the features to highlight and selected the products that work best for your specific needs, it’s time to channel your inner Michelangelo. Ironically, the goal of the natural look is to make it appear like you are not wearing any makeup, so keep it simple. The more steps involved in creating a look, the more likely it is to look unnatural. Always begin with a clean and moisturized face. For those with oily skin, a mattifying moisturizer is a must. And don’t skip the primer.

The queen bee of natural makeup techniques is contouring. This technique involves applying a foundation that is true to your skin tone in addition to a foundation that is two shades darker and one that is two shades lighter. To contour, you apply the foundation as you normally would, then use the darker foundation to map the contours of your face. Line the cheekbones, jawline, nose and temples, and then blend with a dampened beauty sponge. Apply the lighter foundation under the eyes, and then blend in the same fashion. Dust your face with a translucent loose powder, and you are good to go.

Finally, the secret weapon in your beauty arsenal is the eyebrow pencil. Defining your brows is the simplest and most effective means of supercharging your natural assets. The most difficult step is finding the right shade for your brow, but it really is just a matter of holding the product up to your face. Some prefer the powder kits to a standard pencil, but the instructions are the same. Trace what’s already there, and don’t go overboard. Remember: You want on fleek eyebrows, not paint-by-numbers.