7 Steps to Summer 2009's Naturally Pretty Makeup

Summer 2009 makeup tends towards pretty colors. Gone are the boring nudes. What are they compared to this season's dramatic eyes and glorious bursts of color? Summer 2009's color is a far cry from the nudes of past seasons.

How do you wean yourself off nudes and add some pretty color to your face without looking like a clown? Too much color, done incorrectly, can look garish, not gorgeous.

Go for that naturally pretty look. A bright, radiant look befitting a bride. Or the high school cheer leader.

Wear pink!

There are several ways to wear makeup this season.

You can focus on the eyes with dramatic eyes in pretty colors, but with the rest of your face pale, or in neutral tones.

You can focus on the lips for a sexy pout, lots of lashes, but the rest of the face relatively bare.

Or you could go for a pretty pink on cheeks, eyes and lips for all over glow.

Pink bridges the gap between color and nudes. It gives you a believable rosy glow that is radiant and pretty. Yet it does not try to hide the fact that you are wearing some makeup, albeit light makeup.

Here's how you can get that pretty pink all over look in just 7 steps:

1. Start with great skin. Or at least, the illusion of great skin by applying foundation or tinted moisturizer to even your skin tone. Pick one that matches your skin exactly. Dot it onto your forehead, nose, cheeks and chin and blend in thoroughly with your finger tips for a dewy finish.

2. Take a large blusher brush and pick up a baby pink cheek color if you are fair, a medium rose if you have medium to dark skin or fuchsia if you have ebony skin. Dust the blush on your cheeks. The dust the remaining blush on the brush lightly across your forehead, nose and chin for all over radiance.

3. Apply a pink eyeshadow on your entire eyelid with an eyeshadow blush. Pink a pink that is a shade brighter or darker than your blush.

4. With your eyeshadow brush, apply a lilac or mauve eyeshadow (violet if you have ebony skin) in the crease of the eyelid and the outer corner of your eyes.

5. Line the upper lash line and outer edge of the lower lash line with black khol.

6. Line the inner corners of the eyes with white shimmer eyeshadow. Dip a clean eyeliner brush in water, then run it over the eyeshadow and use that to paint the inner corners of your eyes.

7. Use a lip brush and paint baby pink lipstick on your lips if you are fair. If you have medium to dark skin, paint on a rose pink lipstick. If your skin is really dark, then use a fuchsia lipstick.

That's it. You've got a pretty in pink look that is perfect for a summer romance.