When done right, make-up, can make a world of a difference to your entire look. The operative term here being ‘if done the right way’, of course. And let’s be honest, a vintage cat-eye look, or a contoured jawline look great, but doing them right can be quite tricky. This is exactly why we’re here to help. Save yourself those hours of skimming through YouTube tutorials and practice sessions, and give these amazing make-up hacks a try. We have all the smart aleck make-up tricks in this post that will save you time, and ensure that your make-up looks flawless always!
Mistake-Proof Your Eye-Makeup
1. Open up your eyes with a nude eye pencil.
This one is for days that you wake up feeling like you must go back to bed and don’t feel like dressing up with the whole eyeliner-kajal-kohl routine. People say that a white eye pencil will make your eyes look bigger instantly. Unfortunately, on our warm Indian skin tones, a white pencil can sometimes look too stark and bright. A nude eye pencil, however, is the perfect alternative. Simply swipe some on your waterline and you’ll get rid of that sleepy look in seconds!
2. Just so the mascara isn’t all over the place.
When applying mascara, place a plastic spoon under your lashes so that no product goes to waste and it doesn’t stain the skin under your eyes. Plus, this easy make-up trick gives your precious lashes a thicker and fuller appearance.
3. The trick to make your eyeshadow pop.
Make your eyeshadow stand out by priming your lids with white eyeliner. This works as a perfect base and makes your eyeshadow look vibrant and catchy!
4. Get a smokey eye look with only a kajal
Love smokey eyes but don’t know how to master this art? Don’t worry because you can simply create a smokey eye look with the help of a matte kajal. Make sure that you are using a jet-black kajal so that it gives off an intense look and stays on for long, too.
5. Eyebrows in place, always
Don’t feel like splurging on a brow brush? Use an old mascara wand instead! Use hairspray on your mascara wand to keep your brows neat and in place. You can also sweep the brush in a bit of eyeshadow to fill in your brows in the most natural way possible.
6. Conceal them dark circles with a red lipstick.
You don’t need to invest in expensive colour correcting palettes if you want to hide your dark circles. Dabbing red lipstick on the under eye area, before blending in the concealer, is a great make-up hack you can use instead. It neutralises the darkness and brightens up your skin instantly!
7. A Q-tip is the best kohl remover.
Only a girl who loves wearing kajal everyday will know how troublesome it is to remove it properly. However, you can make it a simple task by dipping a Q-tip into a cleansing lotion and patiently removing the kajal from your eyes.
8. Double up mascara as eyeliner.
When you don’t have an eyeliner or forgot to carry one, use a fine-tip brush and dip into a tube of mascara. It works just as well as any other regular gel or liquid eyeliner would.
9. Easy hacks to revive dried up mascara
Bring your expensive mascara back to life with a few drops of lens solution. It will make the consistency a little better so you can put off buying a new mascara for another few days. You could also just dip it into a glass of hot water to warm up a bit. We don’t recommend using a mascara for more than 3 months though.
10. Create a false lash effect.
Coat your lashes with baby powder to give your eyes a false lash effect. Swipe on mascara after you have done this — repeat the step if you’re in the mood for a dramatic eye!
11. Connect the dots to perfect a winged eyeliner.
If you’re trying to ace those winged eyeliner tutorials, this trick may just be what you need. Instead of drawing a line, place dots on your lash line and then connect them. Alternatively, you could even do the same with dashes. This gives you more working room while doing eyeliner as compared to just drawing the entire eyeliner and not being able to match your wings
12. Use eyeshadow to fill in your brows.
You don’t actually need to buy a separate eyebrow product. Fill in gaps and also keep your brows in place by blending a brown or black eyeshadow with brow gel. Just use a colour that’s closest to your hair colour so it doesn’t look very stark.
Easy Hacks To Contour Like A Pro
1. Choose cheek tints over powder blush.
If you feel like powder blushes don’t blend properly or often get lost in your skin tone, opt for a cheek stain instead. Not only do they last longer but also a natural, just-blushed look. Just dab a bit of it onto your index finger and dab it onto your cheekbones.
2. The trick to making your cheeks pop.
Forget about trying to sculpt your cheekbones using blush. Instead, use it to give you that pretty pink glow. Smile wide to find the apples of your cheeks — that’s the right place to swipe on some blush. Then use your fingers to blend it up. For dewy skin, liquid blushes and cheek stains are better to use than cream or powder blushes. Pretty hues of pinks, corals and berries that are well blended add some colour while giving you that flushed look.
3. Contour and highlight like a boss.
This is our favourite step for bringing that glow to your face. Add some dimension to your face by using a bronzer with a brush, drawing a number “3” along your temples, cheekbones and jawline. This is the simplest way to contour.
Now bring on the highlighter — it can be a liquid or powder one, or you can even use a shimmery champagne coloured eyeshadow to do the trick. Apply it along your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, the center of your forehead and in the middle of your chin. Blend well so that it looks like the glow is coming from within. Now be amazed at how bright and luminous your skin looks!
4. When in hurry, use a lipstick as blush.
When you’re in a pinch or you’ve forgotten your blush, just rub some lipstick on your fingers and then warm it up. Dab some on your cheekbones and blend away!
5. Put blush before applying foundation.
If you are afraid of applying too much blush or tend to stay away from cream blush, try applying some blush before you start applying foundation. This gives you the most natural flush of colour and makes it look like you are naturally flushed!
6. Avoid shimmery blushes
Avoid shimmery blushes on the cheeks if you have large pores. Shimmer accentuates any large pores or textured skin. If you have any of these skin issues, a matte blush is your best bet.
Pro-Tips To Help You Ace Your Base
1. Make your own tinted moisturiser
To give your skin a natural, luminous glow, try this amazing DIY tinted moisturiser! To ace this trick, mix your favourite face lotion with a bit of concealer. Blend both products well till you’re left with a creamy paste. This works as a fantastic base and gives your skin a dewy, dreamy finish.
2. Pick the right shade of foundation
When shopping for the perfect shade of foundation, it’s important to find one that perfectly matches your skin’s complexion. Instead of testing the product on your face, try it on your neck. This works because your skin is more uniform on your neck than your face.
3. Figure out your undertone.
While picking out a foundation, look at your undertone — it can be yellow, neutral or pink. The correct foundation will be undetectable and complement your skin. The easiest way to figure out your undertone is to look at your veins. If they appear greenish, you steer more towards yellow undertones. If your veins are blue, chances are foundations with pink undertones will suit you more.
4. Use the right formula for your skin type.
Always pick a formula that works for your skin type. If your skin is acne-prone or oily, look for a formula that’s long-wearing, matte and oil-free. Set your T-zone with setting powder to avoid any creasing. People with dry skin can opt for dewy, cream-based products.
5. Add some facial oil to your foundation.
A lovely trick to getting your foundation to apply better is to add a drop of facial oil to your base, to give it a luminous lit from within glow. Add 1-3 drops depending on your skin type!
6. Mix liquid highlighter with your foundation.
If you want to glow like J-lo, add liquid highlighter to your foundation. Blend it on the back of your hands and then apply it on your face.
7. Always apply make-up in a good light setting
If you apply your make-up in dark lighting or yellow lighting, chances are you may overdo it. If you don’t have natural light, a white light works too.
8. DIY BB Cream
For days when you don’t want to wear a full face of make-up, mix a little bit of your foundation into your favourite moisturiser or sunscreen and there you have it! Your very own DIY BB Cream, custom matched to your skin tone!
9. Finish up with a setting spray.
For girls who don’t want to deal with cake-face make-up, using a finishing spray after applying it is one way to go about it. The spray not only makes your make-up stay on for a longer time but also gives it a fresh, radiant look.
Show Your Lips Some Love
1. Make your lip colour stay long.
After applying lipstick, simply hold a tissue over your lips and apply powder over the tissue. This makes your lipstick last longer and creates a beautiful matte finish look.
2. Make most of your lipstick
If you feel like the lip colour often looks different on the packaging than it does on your lips, maybe you just need to neutralise it. A simple dab of concealer on your pout before applying the lipstick will do the trick.
3.Get a 3D effect
If you want to give your lips a 3D effect, simply apply a coat of your favourite lipstick. Once that’s done, press your finger into a frosted blush or an eyeshadow in a shade similar to the lipstick. Apply that to the centre of your bottom and top lip to create that WOW effect.
4. Use a lipgloss for fuller looking lips
For naturally fuller and prettier lips, stick to lip gloss! The gloss draws light to the face and makes your lips look supple and fuller. Stick to a tinted lip gloss with less shine so that it gives your lips a smoother finish.
5. For the best looking matte finish lipstick
Massage a drop of facial oil onto your lips a few minutes before applying that matte liquid lipstick and it will apply like a dream! No cracking and chapping to worry about here!
7. Overlining to give you an instant pucker
Overline your lips with a lip liner, ensure you sharpen the tip well for added precision. Line your lips like you normally would, and depending on the effect you want to achieve, overline just the top or just the bottom lip. Don’t stray too far from the natural lines of your lips though.
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