I love makeup. Adore it. Can’t get enough of it. Don’t leave the house without it. But sometimes after the primer, foundation, concealer, powder, bronzer, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss, my skin begins to feel a bit…suffocated. Sometimes, when it’s quiet, I can hear my pores screaming. Friends, it’s not intentional, but I am on my way to being a victim of cake face.

In simple terms cake face is the act of putting way to much makeup on, but in reality it’s a lot more complicated than that. We look at the poor misguided souls on Snog, Marry, Avoid and assume that all women with cake face have an inner voice assuring them that orange is defs the new natural, so we belittle them and dismiss them as being shallow. However cake face is probably better described as being masked confidence.

The problem with linking self esteem to the over-application of makeup is that it’s often approached with a few token phrases. They go something like, “Don’t do it guys! You don’t need makeup! Let your natural beauty shine through! Be confident! Beauty comes from the inside! Other vague inspirational declarations!” But when you have acne or dark circles under your eyes or any number of ailments on your face you’d rather conceal, caking on the foundation tends to be an accidental natural progression.

On that note, being confident in your own skin is super important, and beauty does come from the inside. But I can’t tell you how to find it. There is no miracle cure for self esteem. What I can tell you though is this: if you want to kick your cake face habit, but you’re not brave enough to go completely without makeup (or even if you’re not a victim, but just want to let your skin breathe for a little while) here are three excellent lightweight beauty products that will make you feel like you have something on, but not too much.

Dove Essential Nutrients Tinted Moisturiser RRP$9.99

There are some tinted moisturisers out there that are having a slight identity crisis and seem to think they’re actually foundation. Not this one though. It feels just the slightest bit thicker than a moisturiser, doesn’t give you an annoying neckline if you don’t blend it properly, and will leave you with a beautiful natural glow. Added bonus: SPF15.

Maybelline Define-A-Lash Lengthening Mascara RRP$19.25

The rubbery little brush on this mascara makes it almost impossible to put too much on. This mascara will cling onto your eyelashes for dear life, elongate them, and won’t clump.

Maybelline Fit Me Bronzer RRP$14.95

Bronzer is one of the hardest products to get right. Too little and you can’t see it, too much and it looks like dirt. This bronzer, however, is one of the most natural looking ones I’ve ever used, because it’s more peach than brown, and has only the slightest shimmer to it (you know how some bronzers feel like you’re applying glitter to your cheek bones? Not this one).

Images: primped, cdn2, coolspotters, lipsicosmetics