As if you needed anyone to tell you that the less face makeup you wear, the more beautiful you’ll ultimately look. Still, though, many women have flaws they’d rather see covered up, but if you can manage to minimize the undesirables while still retaining a natural look, all the more power to you.

Here’s a few reasons why:

“The more skin you can see, the better,” makeup artist Sandy Linter told Allure.com. “As long as it is well-hydrated, fresh skin looks much more youthful than an obviously covered complexion.”

Even if you’re not yet worried about aging, you still might care about the way you look in photographs. As you may know by looking at photos of people who obviously over-did it, there’s nothing like a camera flash to expose (and immortalize) your penchant for pancake makeup.

So lighten up, go for a tinted moisturizer whenever you can, sweep on only as much translucent powder as you really need and remember – less is really more.