One of the most annoying parts of painting your nails is accidentally getting nail polish on the skin surrounding your nail. You either have to wipe it off wet and potentially smudge your manicure, or wait for it to dry and pick it off.

Or, if you’re clever, you can avoid both of those things by putting some Vaseline around the edge of the nail. That will protect your skin, and any stray polish will wash right off!

Along the same lines, sometimes the lids of older nail polish bottles get stuck and are really hard to open. It’s usually because of the polish on the rim drying and getting crusty.

It turns out that Vaseline can save you from that problem too, by simply smearing a little of it around the rim before you close your nail polish bottle. Who knew Vaseline had so many uses in the nail world?

Dry shampoo is one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread. It saves you on those days when your hair isn’t quite dirty enough to go through the work of washing it, but is too dirty to leave alone.

However, don’t simply spray on your dry shampoo in the morning, but rather put it on and rub it in the night before. That will give it more time to absorb excess oil so you look great the next morning!

We’ve all done this at some point or another — we’ve sprayed our perfume on our neck and our wrists, and immediately rubbed our wrists together. It turns out that’s not the best idea if you want to stay smelling good longer.

Rubbing the perfume makes it wear off faster. Instead, tap your wrists together a few times and then leave them be. It will make sure your perfume lasts long after you yourself stop smelling it.

Sometimes, you don’t want to put on layers of heavy liquid foundation. That’s where tinted moisturizer comes in — it offers lightweight coverage while still being nice and hydrating.

If you can’t be bothered to buy a tinted moisturizer or can’t find the right shade, just make your own. Start with one pump of your daily moisturizer and one pump of your foundation, and go from there. It’s easier and cheaper than buying a separate product.

If you can’t remember the last time you washed your makeup brushes, here is your reminder! Don’t simply wash them and throw them down somewhere to dry or stand them up, though — here’s a much better idea.

Use that plethora of hair ties you have in a drawer somewhere to loop around your makeup brushes and stand them vertically on your towel rack. It will avoid the bristles warping and also free up some counter space.

When those dark circles from a lack of sleep start to get you down, it’s natural to immediately reach for the concealer. Don’t just slather on as much as you can, though, as that won’t really help matters.

It will actually make that pesky area stand out more. You should instead just use a thin layer of a light concealer to neutralize those dark circles a bit without making it look like you used your whole concealer tube on your under-eye area.

You’ve probably heard of the cat eye eyeliner technique, where you flick the line up at the end of the eye, but there’s a Korean makeup trend called “puppy eye eyeliner.” If you’re thinking it must be the opposite of cat eye, then you would be right.

Don’t go up with your eyeliner, but rather go down! Bring it down towards the cheekbone a bit. It will create the appearance of a rounder, wider-looking eye.

One of the eternal struggles of wearing lipstick is getting it to last longer than a couple of hours. There are a lot of different kinds of lipstick out there and they all have their pros and cons, but this trick has nothing to do with the lipstick type at all!

Once you’re done doing up your lips, lay a tissue over them, and then use a brush to tap translucent face powder through the tissue. It will set the pigment but won’t clump up, making that bold lip last much longer!

A lot of people don’t bother with lip liner, but this makeup product has its benefits. It helps stop lipstick from bleeding outside of the lip line. However, it can be tricky to prevent a harsh line from appearing around your mouth.

It’s surprisingly easy to prevent. All you have to do is blend your lip liner in towards the center of the lips before applying lipstick, and it’s especially helpful if the liner and lipstick aren’t the same shade.

A common sight in any beauty store with makeup samples is people testing various foundations on their inner arm to try and find the best match for their skin. That’s not the best approach to finding the right color, though.

It’s very common for our arms to be much darker than our faces as they’re more exposed to the sun. If you really want to nail your foundation color, test them on the side of your neck instead!

Mascara is a really great way to add some body to our eyelashes, and most of us do the typical swiping-on-multiple-layers technique. But, mascara can be more useful than that.

If you want to go for a bolder look without needing to reach for the eyeliner, you can do something called mascara stamping. It’s as simple as it sounds — gently press your mascara against the roots of your lashes for a thicker appearance.

There are four main types of blush — powder, cream, gel, and stains. It may seem like they’re all the same, but learning which type is best for you will bring your makeup look together better than just using any ol’ blush.

If you’re looking for long-lasting, go for a cream. If you sweat a ton, go for a stain. If you want a good glow for a short time, gel is where it’s at. And if you’ve got larger pores, stick to the powders.

There are so many types of brushes for applying makeup that it can be really overwhelming. Thankfully, there are some tricks that you can use so that you don’t have a whole drawer full of brushes, like this bobby pin trick.

Just add a bobby pin (which most girls have lying around everywhere) to one of your normal brushes to make a makeshift fan brush. Fan brushes are great for applying just about any kind of powdered makeup.

The whole point of concealer is to… well, conceal. Most people use the dot technique, which involves putting a few little dots on the under-eye area before blending them in. But, what if there was a better way?

Apparently, there is — and it’s using a triangle shape instead. It draws attention to the brightest part of your eyes and is much easier to blend in well. It makes perfect sense if you think about it.

If you have a makeup drawer full of products that have been in there for years, it’s time to go through it and start throwing things out. All makeup has an expiration date, and one that’s particularly important is the one for mascara.

You shouldn’t hang onto mascara for more than three months for eye health reasons, so instead of buying a big tube, why not buy a travel-sized one instead? You’ll actually save money by not constantly throwing unused mascara away.

Eyelash curlers can take your mascara look from zero to 100. They give your lashes a bit more lift. If that lift still isn’t enough for you, though, there’s a very easy trick that can take things even further.

Blast your eyelash curler with your blow dryer on hot for a few seconds, and then curl your eyelashes. It makes sense if you think about it, as heat helps curl your hair, so why not your lashes?

Have you ever been getting ready for an important event, just to break one of your recently manicured nails? Most people think there’s no solution other than cutting the nail off, but that isn’t true!

Empty out a tea bag — yes, a tea bag — and cut off a couple of small pieces. Place them over the snag, and then use a base coat to “seal” the piece over the snag. Sure, it may look a little lumpy, but it will save your beautiful manicure!

Getting the perfect winged eyeliner, and especially getting them to match, is a next-to-impossible task. Most people spend way too much time removing and redoing at least one wing to try and get them both perfect.

Instead of doing that, place a piece of tape along the outer corner of your eye and angled up towards the outer tip of your eyebrow. It will ensure that the wings are at the same height and that you get clean lights!

You know those little attachments that every hair dryer comes with? Most people slap the concentrator nozzle onto their dryer and completely disregard the other one, but the other one is essential for curly-haired folks!

It’s a diffuser, and using a diffuser can help lank curls become springy and bring volume to lifeless roots. Try hover-diffusing or pixie-diffusing (you can find great tutorials on YouTube) to kcik your curly-hair game up a notch.

Do you have unruly eyebrows? Have you ever been getting ready and recoiled in horror as you realized that you were out of your brow gel to keep those puppies in place? Well, have no fear — because this tip is here to save the day.

Grab a clean spoolie — or even an old, cleaned mascara wand — spray on some hairspray, and go to town on those eyebrows. Hairspray can keep those brows in place just as well as those baby hairs.

When it comes to enhancing your eyelashes, don’t rely solely on your eyelash curler and mascara. There’s a secret tool you can use to make them appear even thicker without applying 50 layers of mascara — translucent powder.

Add a layer of mascara, fluff on a bit of the powder, and then add another layer. It’s so simple, and it can make your natural lashes seem like extensions (if that’s a look you want to go for).

Sure, lip liner is very useful, but figuring out how to put it on the right way can be pretty intimidating. It’s pretty easy though with the X trick.

At your Cupid’s bow — AKA that little dip on the top lip — draw an X, and then drag each bottom part of the X down towards the corners of the mouth. Finish off with the bottom lip and you’ll be good to go.

Have you got dry, flaky skin in some areas, but oily, acne-prone spots in others? Well, instead of applying different face masks all over your face, why not try mixing and matching? It’s called multi-masking, and it can be really useful.

It’s a way to tackle different skin problems at once without wasting product or spending tons of time doing masks, giving you more time to focus on other things while also feeling like you’re having a spa day.

Beauty blenders are a must-have for any makeup lover who uses liquid products. The foam and sphere shape help blend things like liquid foundation and concealer into every nook and cranny of your face.

But if you forgot to bring yours on a trip or you had to throw it away, it turns out you can use a fuzzy sock in its place! All you have to do is take a little bit more time to make sure you blended as thoroughly as possible.

Monolids are eyelids that don’t have folds dividing the eyelids into two parts. If your eyes are this shape, skip out on the typical technique of applying lighter eyeshadow in the inner corners and darker eyeshadow on the outside.

Instead, try putting the darker shadow right above your eyelashes, and then go gradually lighter as you work up towards your eyebrows. It will help your eyes look brighter and give a natural bigger eyed appearance.

The main difference between lipsticks and lip stains is that lip stains are designed to absorb into the skin on your lips, giving them a nice tint, whereas lipstick sits on top of the lips.

If you want the long-lasting side of lip stains but you don’t want such an intense color, try putting your lip stain on at the very beginning of your makeup routine and then wiping it off at the end.

Wearing makeup with oily skin can be very frustrating. It gives you a glossy look that you’re not going for, and it can cause makeup to smudge or run. If you’re out and about with no oil blotting sheets, try this trick.

Go to the bathroom and find one of those paper toilet seat covers. The material they’re made of is basically the same as oil blotting sheets, so it will work if you’re really in need.

It can be hard to keep our lips in tip-top shape during dry seasons like winter. They get flaky and start cracking, which is not only unsightly but painful as well. There’s an easy way to avoid it, though.

You use your toothbrush to “exfoliate” your teeth, so why not give your lips a quick scrub when you brush your teeth? It will keep your lips looking good in addition to having that minty-fresh breath.

Are you dreaming of achieving the long, luscious eyelash look but can’t be bothered to put on fake lashes? It’s actually not too hard to do if you’re willing to spend a little extra quality time with your mascara.

Instead of simply swiping it on, take the tip of the mascara and paint each lash individually. It takes a little bit longer, but it will really elongate and emphasize each lash, giving you the look of fake lashes without the glue.

Sometimes, you just can’t be bothered to go through the effort of putting on a full face of foundation. But the good news is that more often than not, you don’t actually have to.

Get a concealer that’s a great match for your skin tone, and simply spot treat problem spots instead. It’s less effort but will clean up areas you want to clean up, just like foundation does. It’s easier, faster, and cheaper!

If you want to go for a light, fresh makeup look, then you should know that your favorite peach-colored blush is good for more than just brightening your cheeks.

Apply some to your cheeks as usual, but then also add some to your eyelids as well! It will instantly make you look more well-rested and alive. There’s nothing better than discovering that a beauty product can multitask.

When wearing eyeshadow, it’s important to prepare your eyelids so that the eyeshadow lasts throughout the day. Most people reach for the primer, but did you know you can actually reach for your eyeliner?

The eyeliner will make your eyeshadow stand out more as well as giving a long-lasting hold. Use a neutral color if you’re going for a more natural look, or use a dark eyeliner for smokey eyes. Both will end up looking great.

If you do your own eyebrows, then odds are you’ve gotten a little ambitious and over-plucked them at least once or twice in your lifetime. If that’s you, try using this trick to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Fill your eyebrows in with your pencil or powder first. That way you can see the shape of brow you want, and you’ll only pluck the hairs that don’t quite “fit in.” Why didn’t we think of that?

One of the most annoying parts of getting your hair colored, especially if you’ve gone from a dark natural color to blonde, is when your hair starts growing out and your roots stick out like a sore thumb.

If you don’t want to pay a visit to the salon quite yet, then you can use a hair shadow (like eyeshadow but for your hair) to fill in your roots so that the contrast between your roots and dyed bits isn’t as obvious.

Putting mascara on seems nice and easy, until one tiny wrong movement means you’ve smeared black goo all over your eyelids. Most people will immediately try and wipe it off, which just smears it around more.

Instead of doing that, wait for it to dry and put a little bit of micellar water or a similar lightweight makeup remover on the tip of a makeup brush or Q-tip. These are both small enough to maneuver under the lashes to get the smudge without ruining your makeup!

We iron our clothes with a clothing iron. We iron our hair with a flat iron. People in the past used to iron their hair with a clothing iron. So, who says we can’t iron our clothes with a flat iron?

If that confuses you, don’t worry — you’re not alone, but the picture says it all. Flat irons are great for ironing shirt collars because of how thin they are and how easy they are to use.

Many makeup wearers are weary of wearing eyeliner on their bottom lids for fear of bringing back to ultra-thick, intense black eyeliner of the early 2000s. But don’t worry, black eyeliner isn’t what we’re here to suggest.

Instead, try using a peachy-colored eyeliner on that inner rim on the bottom. Why? Because our eyes tend to get red when we’re tired, and the peach will counteract that and make you look more awake, even if you don’t feel it.

This is one of the oldest beauty tricks in the book, and it’s for a good reason. One of the worst things is the process of breaking in new shoes as it can be extremely painful.

There’s a way to speed it up, though, and it’s by putting on some thick socks and then aiming your hair dryer at the shoes. The material will become a bit softer and more comfortable, and your heels will thank you.

There’s a lot of variety in the shape of our lips. Some have fuller lips, while others are more on the thin side. Neither is better than the other, but if you want yours to look more full, try this trick.

Put a dot of highlighter on your Cupid’s bow, which is the dip in your upper lip, and then also a bit in the center of the bottom lip. It will give a fuller appearance without needing injections!

Makeup is an amazing thing for those of us that choose to use it. It allows us to play dress up every single day, and to face the world with our own special type of armor. Some of us have been experimenting with dusty old cosmetics since we were children, and others have been learning here and there as they get older. There are many wonderful ways to apply makeup, but we’ve gathered a list of makeup mistakes that every woman should avoid. Enjoy!

Let’s start with the most fundamental of makeup tips. Do not pump your mascara wand when you open it up. Yes, we understand that it can be tempting. And we understand that it feels quite professional to give your mascara a quick pump. However, it’s actually very amateur.

You see, pumping forces air into your lovely mascara, and with air comes bacteria. Also, pumping means your brush ends up overloaded with product. Just remove your wand, wipe excess, and apply!

Many items on this list will discuss liquid liner, and that’s because liquid liner is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it gives us dramatically framed eyes. On the other hand, it isn’t exactly easy to become a pro at winger liner.

Anyway, one of the common issues with liquid liner is the pesky gap that appears between the liner and your lash line. Try a super thin liner to allow you to get nice and close to your lashes.

Before we proceed any further — as with all beauty advice, these are to be taken with a pinch of salt. If you like a face full of foundation and a full application of bronzer, then don’t let us tell you otherwise. However, in general, it’s best to avoid piling on the bronzer.

Aim to bronze the parts of your face that would be naturally tanned by the sun — your cheekbones, jawline, and forehead. Experiment with different options and see which you prefer.

Brows have become big business in the last few decades. Whereas the ‘90s and ‘00s reveled in the skinny brow, fashion since then has fully leant into the bushy brow. Everyone seems to be going bigger and darker, with models like Cara Delevingne leading the way.

Whilst it’s tempting to keep drawing on and filling in your brows, it’s best to actually get them done professionally. A wax and tint is cheap, and means you won’t have to bother with them for weeks!

When it comes to makeup, it’s not just the products that matter. The light that you use to apply your makeup is extremely important in terms of how your face will eventually turn out. Ideally, you want to use natural lighting, or an illuminated mirror that replicates strong, white light.

Applying makeup in the dark, or in a yellow light, will distort how your skin actually looks. You’ll end up walking outside, glancing in a reflection, and realizing that you’re wearing ten times more makeup than you intended.

It’s very tempting to excessively apply concealer. Come on — it’s called concealer, surely that’s the point? However, some formulas will cake and settle on your face, leaving you with even worse looking under eyes.

It takes some time to get used to different concealers and where they’ll work best on your face. For the undereye area, use something fine, creamy, and blend-able. Remember to also apply to the inner eye as it usually has blueish tones that make circles look darker.

Admittedly, some monochromatic eyeshadow looks can be very cool. However, for general use, avoid using just one eyeshadow on the entire eye. It tends to remove any dimension from the eyelid, and gives the face a flat or dull appearance.

Instead, use a lighter shade under the brow, experiment with a darker shade at the outer corner, and add a pop of metallic to the inner corner. In fact — a sweep of metallic shadow will add dimension immediately.

It’s always a nightmare figuring out where to apply blush. Yes, there are various rules about where to put it, but people have different shaped faces! Some people can easily apply lots of rosy blush and look like a glowing English rose.

Others can use the same amount and end up looking more like Pennywise. Try to think of your blush as a finishing touch, rather than a main attraction — wearing it too low can drag the entire face down.

As a rule of thumb, keep all of your makeup pencils well sharpened. You may have learnt to still get a reasonable brow out of your ancient stubby brow pencil, but it’s easier all around to just use a sharp one. The same applies for lip liner, eyeliner, and whatever other liners you have lying around.

We recommend keeping a small, yet cute, sharpener in your makeup bag. It’s best to choose one that stores all those pencil shavings!

A common makeup mistake is to start application without taking care of your skin. We can’t overestimate just how important skincare is to good makeup application. In fact, in many Asian countries, skincare is seen as more important than makeup, because beautiful skin will always show through. This is why Korea has a 12-step skincare routine!

For beginners, we recommend a simple cleanse, tone, moisturize routine. Micellar water is an incredibly easy product to use, and your skin will thank you!

In the age of YouTube beauty bloggers, and social media businesses like Kylie Cosmetics, swatching is a big thing. For the uninitiated, swatching is applying a smear of product to your hand or arm to see how it looks on the skin.

While this is quite satisfying to watch on Instagram videos, it’s not the best way to test makeup shades. Hands tend to be a different tone than your face, so instead, try foundation on your jawline.

It’s extremely annoying to apply your liquid liner and then realize hours later that it has faded off. Some formulas of liquid liner can actually harden and peel off, and others will flake off. Obviously, the solution to this problem is to find a good brand of liner that works for you, but there are other options.

You can bring your liner with you and fill in the faded bits whenever possible, or you can choose a waterproof brand that won’t budge.

With the rise of beauty bloggers, we’ve all learned how important it is to blend, blend, blend. Gone are the days where we can hastily apply some eyeshadow and hope for the best. Now, we must apply seven different shades in a particular order, and blend our limbs off, hoping to transform into Michelle Phan.

It’s worth learning how to blend, though, as it will make a huge difference to your entire makeup game. Sponges seem to be the preferred tool.

Kylie Cosmetics brought back the matte liquid lip with its endless libraries of lip colors and Instagram photos. However, in order to pull off this look, you need to have nicely moisturized lips. Otherwise, the matte lipstick will stick to every chapped crevice, leaving you with flaky, unappealing smackers.

Moisturize your lips with lip balm, and experiment with exfoliators. Here’s a top tip for a homemade recipe — smear some sugar and coconut oil on your lips, rub, and ta-dah!

It goes without saying that makeup brushes pick up a lot of bacteria, dust, and hair. Even if you keep them organized and upright, you still smear your brushes over your face and dip them in various products. It’s certainly possible that your makeup brushes are giving you breakouts.

You can wash your brushes with a mild baby shampoo, or buy one designed for makeup. Avoid soaking the glue that holds the bristles in place — we need them to stay there!

We’re back to liquid liner, and the many curses it rains upon us as we search for perfect cat-eye beauty. In order to be at its best, winged liquid liner should be completely symmetrical. This causes a lot of anxiety while applying the liner, and usually escalates as you desperately add another tiny line to each eye, hoping that they’ll balance out.

What can we say? You just have to practice until you can do sharp, clean, matching wingtips.

Contouring originates from the world of drag, but it was popularized by the Kardashian-Jenner family. We all used to be perfectly happy just applying makeup to our faces in a regular way, but now we’re obsessed with drawing on our own faces with various different colors and textures.

If you want to contour, then keep it simple. Grab a matt bronzer, and a light powder, and use those to create the illusion of light hitting your face.

Many people are in the habit of stretching back and holding their eyelids while they apply makeup. The logic is that you can get a clearer idea of where your eye makeup should go, but actually, the opposite happens.

Whilst you might be able to see better with your eyelid stretched, your eye will return to a different position when you let go. This means that your wings will end up looking uneven and your eyeshadow could be at different heights. Avoid!

If you’re a fan of lush, curly lashes (and who isn’t?), then don’t forget about the trusty eyelash curler. It can seem like a bit of an old fashioned piece of makeup equipment, but it definitely does the trick. Remember — don’t use eyelash curlers on lashes with mascara.

The mascara will dry on your lashes, and they’ll snap off when in contact with a curler. Also, press gently so your lashes don’t bend into an unrealistic curl. Spend about 10 seconds on each eye.

In general, wearing eyeliner on your lower lid makes your eyes look smaller, and more intense. Anyone who lived through the goth/emo/scene kid era has tried to line their eyes in black kohl before quickly learning that it doesn’t look great unless you have gigantic eyes.

The same is true for colored eyeliner, which can throw off the whole shape of your eye if only applied to the lower waterline. Stick to using it on the top.

We all have different ideas about what items are central to a good makeup kit. Most people will have a foundation, concealer, mascara, and lip color, but not everyone will have a primer, highlighter, or color corrector. Primers are incredible because they prime your skin for the makeup to come.

This means that the makeup sits on the primer, and doesn’t fade into your skin or smear over your face. Plus, primers can be mixed, so experiment to find a combination you like!

We’ve already mentioned that it’s best to exfoliate and moisturize lips if you plan to wear lipstick. However, when it’s time to apply that lipstick, you can’t just put it straight onto your lips. Absolutely not!

Instead, always apply primer, foundation, or concealer to your lips before adding lip products. They provide a nice blank base for your lipstick, and give it something to cling to. Seriously — your lipsticks will pop in a completely different way if you wear them on top of a base.

We’ve already mentioned the perils of colored liner on the lower lid, and now we’re here to advise against putting liquid liner down there. Yes, some people like to apply a little bit of liquid eyeliner to their lower waterline, but it always ends up bleeding. And who wants cloudy black liner in their eyes?

If you’re insistent on lining your lower lashline, then stick with a pencil. Although avoid kohl pencil — it’s far too smudgy!

In the same way that you should never apply product to a naked lip, you shouldn’t apply anything to a naked eye. The eye area is extremely delicate, and it’s best to treat the skin before applying any makeup.

You can use your regular facial primer on your eyelids, but many brands also make a special formula just for lids. You can also use a color corrector or a thin layer of foundation so your eyeshadow has a neutral base to stick to.

It’s easy to get nostalgic about makeup. Lots of us remember the first lipstick we ever bought, or the color of eyeliner we were wearing on a special day. However, it’s good practice to experiment with different formulas and brands.

Of course, many people will learn what mascara they like and will stick with it for decades, but it’s not the same situation for foundations. Think about it — your skin changes as you age, so you’ll need to change up your formula.

It’s all too tempting to just slap concealer over any facial blemish. Dark under eyes? Pass the concealer. A gigantic red spot! Just cover it with concealer. Veins on your eyelid? Concealer, quickly! But, that often just leaves you with a patchy face and a cakey texture.

Instead, invest in a color correcting palette. Different shades of lilac, green, and yellow correcting cream come together to balance the blue and orange tones in the skin. Or, try a color-correcting primer.

Concealer can be an amazing makeup item. Sure — it used to be pretty boring, but there are so many types now! There are fine elastic textured creamy ones, thick heavy coverage waterproof ones, light and airy mousse ones, and firm bullet ones. It’s a concealer connoisseur’s delight.

So, make sure that you avail of the plentiful concealer bounty and don’t just use one concealer for all of your concealing needs. Different parts of the face need different textures, so have fun playing!

For those of us that aren’t blessed with luscious lashes, it can be tempting to just keep applying mascara in the hope that we’ll suddenly have some. However, that often leads to dreaded spider lashes — the thing our mothers warned us about.

Applying too much mascara means that each lash becomes excessively coated in product. This results in clumpy eyes that look like they have spiders perched along their lids. That might be OK for Halloween, but not everyday life!

We’ve already advised that you stick to a small amount of products when contouring. But, have you considered not contouring at all? Let’s think this through — contouring was initially used by drag artists to give an exaggerated appearance and to make features pop on stage.

It was then used by celebrities who are photographed all day and have entire teams of people to beautify them. So do we really need such exaggerated and thick makeup? There’s nothing wrong with mixing it up every now and then.

For some people, using makeup is a fun pastime. These people enjoy buying and using lots of products. For other people, dealing with cosmetics is a stressful situation. They don’t know what to buy, and they panic and buy whatever everyone else has.

Just because something looks good on your friend, that doesn’t mean it will look the same on your skin. Make use of samples and experiment to see what works with your routine, your skin’s texture, and your skin tone.

There are various arguments when it comes to what order you should apply your makeup in. Traditionalists will say you should start with the base and build from there. But, others will argue that you should do the eyes first so that you can tidy up before building your perfect base.

If you do decide to start with your eyes, then make sure you prep your undereye, as well as your eyelid. Add some serum, and then apply primer.

Beauty trends change, and what was once normal might now be frowned upon by those in the know. Whilst it was a trend in the ‘90s and ‘00s to have a heavily powdered, matte face, that’s no longer the case. Increasingly, beauty trends favor glossy or dewy skin, and everyone is obsessed with highlighter now.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still use powder, though. Just apply it to areas where you tend to get oily, like on your T-zone.

While everyone is excited by a smoky eye now and then, it’s wise to be cautious when it comes to piling on the dark shadows. When it comes to eyeshadows in black, plum, indigo, navy, or deep brown, less is more.

Dip your brush in, blow off the excess, and lightly apply the color. You can then build up the color until it’s at the right intensity. Stick to using dark shadows on the outer corner of your eyelid, rather than applying it all over.

Applying false eyelashes is an art in itself, but before you even begin — make sure you don’t use too much glue! It’s a common problem, so try to avoid it right from the get-go.

The best method is to put a small amount of glue on the false lashes, and let them dry for 40 to 50 seconds (regardless of what the packaging says), before applying. Apply a touch more glue to the outer lashes because they are more likely to fall out.

In the ‘90s and ‘00s, lip liner was applied to the perimeter of the lips, and then the lips were covered in super sticky lip gloss. Girl bands and RnB singers of this era sported deep brown or burgundy lip liner, with a sheen of frosted gloss on top. Still, the times they are a-changin,’ and now it’s advised to wear lip liner all over the lips.

This nifty tricks gives your lips more depth of color, and provides a good base for lipstick, or gloss…

When Avril Lavigne first appeared on the scene, she was recognizable by her long straightened hair, her angsty Canadian pop-rock, and her smudgy black eyeliner. However, that look has evolved, and we no longer aspire to Avril’s zombie style eye makeup.

It’s completely reasonable — nay advisable — to blend your eyeliner, but just don’t get carried away. Use a small brush to gently blend the eyeliner on your lower lid. Using a large brush will lead to big black circles, otherwise known as panda eyes.

It’s important to change your foundation as you get older, but also depending on the time of year. In winter, you might be using a lighter shade of foundation, and prefer fuller coverage. However, by the time summer has arrived, you might have a sunny glow and only want to wear a tinted moisturizer.

Your skin has needs that will change according to the temperature, humidity, and light. Have a variety of foundations that you can use throughout the year.

Foundation is a tricky thing, and many people struggle with deciding on one to suit their skin and lifestyle. Think about it — there’s cream, powder, full coverage, tint. You can apply it with a sponge, a brush, your fingers. And then there are the shades; we all know it can be a nightmare when it comes to choosing the right one.

If you’re experimenting and learning what makeup you like, then go light on the foundation. You can always build it up, but you most definitely want to avoid a cakey face.