To Go Bold or Natural?

When thinking of what makeup I want to wear on any given day, I usually try to follow the simple rule of allowing only one stand-out feature and keeping the rest fairly natural in order to avoid looking like a drag queen. Questions I ask myself most mornings are:

Should I go for a bold lip or a natural lip?

...a bold cheek or a natural cheek?

...bold eyes or natural eyes?

Here are some great bold and natural options I'm currently loving...

:Lipstick:

Bold: MAC Girl About Town

Natural: MAC Blankety

:Lipgloss:

Bold: NARS Strawberry Fields

Natural: Barry M #2 Toffee

Left to right:

MAC Blankety

MAC Girl About Town

Barry M #2 Toffee

NARS Strawberry Fields

I like to pair bold lips with neutral eye makeup or a simple cat-eye. Natural lips are great for any look, and they're usually the best complement to smoky or dramatic eye makeup.

:Eyeshadow:

Bold: MAC Birds and Berries (LE)

Natural: Wet 'n' Wild Nutty

Wet 'n' Wild Nutty (left) and MAC Birds and Berries

Natural eyes are great for daytime but can be easily made nighttime appropriate by adding heavier or winged out eyeliner. Bold colors are great for going out and can be worn sparingly by only applying to the lower lash line, for example, to spruce up a boring neutral eye look.

:Highlight:

Bold: MAC MSF Soft & Gentle

Natural: Dior Shimmer Star in Amber Diamond

For me, I make the decision for either a bold or natural highlight based almost solely on my mood, although I do prefer bolder highlights for nighttime.

:Blush:

Bold: MAC Salsarose (pro)

Natural: Korres #15 Natural

Left to right:

Dior Amber Diamond

MAC Soft & Gentle

Korres Natural

MAC Salsarose

Natural blush is appropriate almost anytime and suits almost any look. Bold blush is a great way to make your face look fresh and awake when the rest of your makeup may look drab or too natural. For example, when used very, very sparingly on only the apples of the cheeks, Salsarose imparts the most natural looking I-just-went-for-a-little-run flush.

What are your go-to bold or natural lip, eye, and cheek products?