The secret to contoured skin that looks natural, not like you did a paint by numbers portrait on your face? Contouring before you apply foundation. Sounds crazy, but celebrity makeup artist Scott Barnes (he's worked with stars like Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow) says contouring on top of your makeup is just not smart. "Go under the cheekbone with bronzer, and use a highlighting powder on the highest plane of the cheek." Then put on your favorite foundation. The result will be a lot more subtle and believable, with the bronzer and highlight peeking through your foundation like they're naturally coming from your skin.
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Embrace the brush
Makeup artists don't only use brushes for sanitary reasons, they're also the best way to apply your makeup. Sponges soak up too much product and your fingers can give you an uneven finish, says Tonya Crooks, makeup artist and eyebrow specialist (she's worked with stars like Megan Fox and Eva Mendes). But brushes help you apply a sheer layer of foundation evenly across your face.
And while Crooks highly recommends applying your foundation with a brush, she straight up insists you use one for concealer. "When you apply concealer with your finger, you're basically putting it on and wiping it off at the same time. And the final look won't be as smooth or as effective as if you did it with a brush."
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You're forgetting something ...
If you've got a honking zit or zombie-esque dark circles, you know to give them some love with concealer. But there are plenty of other areas on your face that are less obvious, but still keep you from looking perfect.
Before you put away the concealer brush, check these areas, says mark celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles (who's worked on celebrities like Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon): "Always conceal the outer corners of the eyes, outer edges of the nose, and outer corners of the mouth," she says. "These are often overlooked areas of redness and discoloration that when concealed, really perfect your look without using a lot of makeup."
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Give your lashes highlights
False lashes create a ton of drama, but for a true "are those real?!" effect, try this tip from makeup artist Molly Stern, who's worked with brands like Rimmel London and celebrities like Kate Beckinsale: "When using false lashes, choose individuals and mix black and brown. That way you add dimension and highlights to the eye, just like adding highlights to [your] hair," she says.
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Finish your eyes right
You've mastered the cat eye, the smoky eye, all the classics, but there are still a few things you can do to make all those looks come out even better. First, no matter what eye look you're wearing, Stiles suggests applying a soft taupe color to your waterline. "It gives the eyes a sexy, sultry look without closing them up too much," she says. You can also apply a little blush on your eyelids before shadow, says Stern, to give your eye area a subtle glow and add some natural-looking color.
And if you're working on a smoky eye, Crooks recommends keeping one brush completely clean to use only for blending. "When you're applying your shadow, you want to move the brush back and forth like a windshield wiper," she says. "Then, once the color is on, use the clean brush to blend up and out, the opposite direction from before. That gives an airbrushed look to the eye, so you can't see where one shade starts and the other ends."
Ever tried a friend's brownie recipe and despite following the instructions exactly, they just don't turn out as well? Then when you ask her what you did wrong she remembers that you're supposed to use room temperature eggs, and cook them in a square pan. Details that were not in the email.
The same thing happens with makeup tutorials, right? You follow the instructions step-by-step and replay the video for hours, but still you can't seem to completely nail the look. The result? Less-than-perfect makeup and major frustration.
To help elevate any makeup look you from decent to flat-out amazing, we grilled celebrity makeup artists for their best tips. You know, the ones all the experts think us mere mortals must know (but we don't) that make a huge difference. From the tools that'll give you airbrushed-looking skin to the trick that gives you the most natural glow ever, they've offered up plenty of advice to help you go from cute to f*@!ing gorgeous. Today.
Keep reading to see the makeup and beauty tips you won't know how you lived without.
