Whether you are 16, or 60, the desire to look our best is something that holds true for us all. This is especially true in today’s digital age, where we are seen more now than ever. Online beauty gurus make look getting glammed up so easy, but we all know it’s just not that simple. Getting comfortable with makeup can take years of practice, and it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Cut down your trial-and-error with these professional beauty secrets that your mother didn’t tell you. 

1. Keeping Things in Order

It is wisest to start from the top of your face and work your way down. This keeps fallout from being a concern and makes any cleanup easy. 

The best order of doing your makeup in is to:

• Prime and complete your forehead area.

• Then, shape and fill in your brows. 

• Do your eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. 

• Prime and complete the rest of your face with foundation and concealer.  

• Bronzer, blush, powder, and highlight (in that order). 

• Line your lips and then fill them in with your chosen product. 

Even if you use an airbrush system, doing things in the right order can allow you to correct mistakes as you go along, rather than having to re-do certain features all over again. Remember, lighter colors are easier to correct than dark ones. You can always go back and touch up your mascara or lipstick a lot easier than correcting the blend on your face. 

2. Hands Off

There are a variety of choices for makeup applicators nowadays, but none should be our fingertips. Oil and bacteria from hands can cause horrible breakouts, and you are also more likely to become ill this way.  If you must use your hands, make sure they are as clean as possible by using antibacterial soap and/or hand sanitizer.

Try out some different applicators to find your preference. A few options include:

• Brushes – Use the best quality that you can afford for a comfortable and smooth result.  

• Sponges – They come in many forms that blend makeup well, such as a wedge or conical shape.  

• Silicone – This is a fairly new type of teardrop-shaped applicator that is squishy.  

Another way of keeping your hands away from your skin is to use an airbrush system. The OGLF (Our Good Living Formula) website has the rundown on several available kits and their perks. Airbrushing uses a soft spraying action to apply a thin, but solid layer of foundation without touching the face.

3. Lash Out

One of the most sought-after goals when it comes to beauty is to get those ever-coveted, alluring eyelashes. Nowadays, false eyelashes are very commonly used. Although, they can take some time to perfect and are not for everyone. 

If you prefer your natural lashes, do not neglect your eyelash curler. Bringing your top lashes upward gives them a much longer and noticeable appearance. Make sure you use the curler before mascara! Otherwise, you can pull out your lashes completely. To give the curl more power, heat the tool (of course, not too warm). You can do this by running a blow drier over it. You’ll notice that this not only gives you a more dramatic curl, but also lasts much longer. 

4. Making It Big (or Small)

It is a known rule that darker colors give a slimmer, smaller appearance, whereas lighter colors tend to give the illusion of expansion. This rule can be applied to your liners as well. In addition, the placement makes a huge difference in the outcome of your look. 

• To make eyes appear bigger: Use a pastel shade in the waterline of your eye. Apply your bottom eyeliner or shadows slightly further away from the lower lash line.

• To make eyes appear smaller: A darker shade can be used on both the top and bottom waterlines. Do not expand your eyeshadows too far out, keeping them closer inward.

• To make lips appear bigger: Use the lipliner a little beyond where your natural lip line is. A dot of a lighter shade in the middle of your lips, topped with gloss, gives a more pouty illusion.  

• To make lips appear smaller: apply foundation over the edges of your lips and line them slightly more inward than your natural lip line. Avoid bright colors.

5. Be an Icon (tour)

That same rule of using light or dark to reshape features can be applied to your face. The placement, however, depends on the shape of your face. For example, if you have a long chin or a high forehead, you can dot a darker shade of foundation across it. A shade lighter can be used to make certain areas “pop out” more, such as cheeks. Highlighter comes in great use for this as well.  

Common placements for a darker contour shade include:

• The hairline 

• Under the cheeks 

• Sides of the nose 

• The jawline 

Common placements for lighter shades or highlighting include:

• Upper cheeks 

• Tip of the nose 

• Cupids bow 

Keep in mind, everyone has different needs when it comes to contouring.  

6. Choose One or the Other

Having heavy eye makeup accompanied by bright, bold lips can be too intense, especially for daytime. If you want to rock a neon pink Barbie lip, go easier on your eye makeup. If you want a sultry, smoky eye on date night, choose a nude or pastel shade for your lips. With the right techniques, you can even emphasize just your flawless, beautiful skin. The trick is to showcase one feature at a time.

7. Make It Last

Conserve your hard work to reduce touchups. This is something that is often neglected, but shouldn’t be.  Some pointers on this would be:

• If you don’t have an eyeshadow primer, using a light (white) eyeliner under your shadow can help it grab on, and also makes the colors pop.  

• Oily skin can make cosmetics slide. To avoid this, gently use blotting sheets throughout the day and lightly dust with a good HD powder. 

• Hopefully, you applied primer to your face before applying foundation, but there are ways to boost the longevity even if you didn’t. “Baking” with powder is popular, but a good setting spray can be a game-changer.

Your perfect makeup routine will be a never-ending learning process, and you will keep adjusting it as you go. Through the years, you will continue to discover new techniques and beauty hacks. For today, now that your makeup has gone from drab to fab, you are ready to face the world!