There’s always something new to learn when it comes to makeup, and your favourite makeup artists have a lot of ideas
If you’re a beauty obsessive, you likely spend hours watching makeup tutorials on YouTube and Instagram, all in the effort to learn a fun trick or quick hack to brighten and energise your face. But if you don’t have the time to pore through videos, we ask the best in the business to tell us these game-changing, time-saving tricks. These tips take seconds (or minutes) to do, but they can make a huge difference.
1) Mix a little oil into your foundation
Don’t have the time—or want to make an effort—with a glow-boosting primer? If you want your foundation to glide on, mix in a little camellia oil, which will give you a perfectly luminous base, says Bianca Louzado, a Mumbai-based celebrity and bridal makeup artist. This removes a whole makeup step and will give you the same lit-from-within finish.
2) Sweep on some highlighter to brighten up the eyes
A full contour is a time consuming, complicated makeup step, but a quick swipe of cream highlighter can really serve you well, even if you just have a few seconds to get out of the door. Manu Horn, a Paris-based editorial makeup artist likes to apply a creamy highlighter around the eye contour before concealer, because it gives the eye area a luminous finish and a major lift.
3) Use glycerin soap to set your brows
Brushing up your brows can help you create a soft, feathery feel—as opposed to a thick, defined shape—because it gives you the appearance of fuller brows, without being too dense. Don’t have a coloured brow gel on hand? Just rub the bristles of a spoolie brush against a bar of soap to create a gel-like residue. Then, just brush it up and set your brows, says Louzado.
4) Take the time to curl your lashes
It might take just ten seconds, but most people skip the curling step. Most makeup artists suggest that you clamp down and pump your curler four-six times at the root, and then pump along the lashes to reach the tips so you have a curl, rather than a crimp. When the lashes are curled, you need to use less mascara, which gives you a more natural-looking lash.
5) Use eyebrow pencils to plump lips
“For plump lips that look natural, you can use eyebrow pencils that have an ash or grey colour instead of a lip pencil to create major depth,” says Horn. Just draw a quick line on the contour of your lips, and then blend it inwards, she says.
6) Don’t forget blush
Sonic Sarwate, global senior artist, MAC Cosmetics India, likes to use lipstick on your cheeks and lids for a quick look that looks all tied-in together. Instead of skipping blush—which people tend to do often when they contour—Louzado suggests wearing a cream blush, and then swipe on a powder product on the apples of your cheeks to brighten and awaken your face in an instant.
7) Cover up any redness near your nose
Using concealer around your nostrils will really make you look fresher and brighter, and some pros say that it is a game-changing hack that will make you look more photo-ready, even if you haven’t applied concealer anywhere else.
8) Use a setting spray
Traditionally, setting sprays are used as a last step to keep makeup fresh and creaseless for longer. But makeup artists agree that using generous spritzes of setting spray just before you start your foundation could be the hack to a poreless, flawless finish, says Horn.
