There’s a lot to learn about makeup and beauty out there—even we’ll admit that it can be overwhelming at times. Whether you’re a veteran who executes a killer smoky eye on the regular or a beginner who struggles with foundation application, these 20 makeup tricks are absolutely key.
- Tired of your foundation looking cakey and unnatural? To get fresh-faced, flawless skin, put foundation all over your face, and then uses a tissue to wipe it off of your cheeks. This makes it easier to layer your blush on without it looking fake. It brings life b
![3]()
ack to your cheeks and realness back to your skin.
- When you’ve got naturally long, lush lashes, you don’t need a ton of other makeup to stand out. To get an enviable fringe, first be sure your mascara is no more than a month old—fresh mascara glides on easier and won’t flake. Wiggle mascara in at the base of the lash and sweep outward and upward.
- Mastering a multi-use product will not only give you a pretty look, it will also help save you time and money on your makeup routine. Everyone should have a great fuchsia cheek color that they can pop on their lips and cheeks. Whether you’re fair or have a darker skin tone. Choose a creamy, opaque pink with a bit of gold in it to brighten the face. Mix it with some moisturizer and blend on your cheeks.
- Dark circles can make you look tired. To get a wide-awake look, try this tip from makeup artist Bobbi Brown: Prepare the under eye area with a hydrating, fast-absorbing eye cream, which will allow products to go on smoothly. Apply a corrector to cover the purple or green tones in the skin, and then follow with a concealer that is one to two shades lighter than your foundation. Finally, set the under eye area with a pale yellow powder to help it last longer and prevent creasing.
- There’s nothing more seductive—or feminine—than a bold red pout. A hot, red lip is an essential part of every girl’s bag of tricks. Start with a very sharp lip liner, in the same color as your chosen lipstick. As you apply, smile a little so the lips are tight and the liner goes on easier. Fill in the lips using the side of the liner, then take a lip brush and apply the lipstick for precision. If you make a mistake, take a little concealer on a small brush and ‘erase’ it.
- Liquid liner is one of the trickiest products to master, but once you learn the right way to do it, you can create chic eye makeup looks in a flash. An easy way to test out liquid liner is to first use a taupe eyeliner pencil to lightly trace a line just above your upper lashline. This trick lets you make sure the lines are even and accurate before next applying the liquid liner directly on top of the ‘practice’ line.
- You don’t have to be born with killer cheekbones when you can just fake it with this sculpting tip: Sweep a sheer shimmer powder along the top of your cheekbones and just under your temples. Next, pucker up to find the hollows of your cheeks. Dust a deep nude blush in the sunken area just under the cheekbone. Smile and apply a peachy blush using the “cinnamon bun method”—use circular motions, starting at the apple of the cheek and slowly make larger circles with the brush.
- To score a red carpet-worthy smoky eye, start by lining the inner rim of your lower lashlines, working the eyeliner into the lashes. Close your eyes and line the upper lashlines, pushing the liner into the lashes so there’s no gap between your lashes and the line. Use your fingertip to smudge it in, then sweep eyeshadow across your lids and up into your creases, blending outwards and upwards towards (but not to!) your temple.
- A bold brow is an easy way to create an attention-grabbing makeup look. Comb your brows with a spoolie brush or clean mascara wand to see how they lay naturally. Using a soft, slightly waxy brow pencil, shape the brow by using the thinner side of the tip. Then, take the flatter angle of the pencil and fill in the brow using short strokes that look similar to hair. Finish by blending a shimmery highlighter just below the brow bone to add brightness and lift.
- For multi-dimensional skin that’s neither too matte nor too dewy apply highlighter before foundation. With full coverage foundation, it can tend to look a little dull or matte as the day progresses. Having the highlighter underneath gives that glow.