Even if you’ve mastered the makeup looks that work best for you, it’s important to keep learning in order to make the most out of your products, and take your look to the next level.
If you want your makeup to be up to red carpet standards, try some of the best makeup tricks of the trade, recommended by professional makeup artists with a lot of experience.
Laura Mercier – Radiant Glow
If you’re looking for the perfect glow, you’ll need to carefully match the texture of your bronzer with your foundation. “Never overload your brush, and match texture to texture. A cream or gel is perfect over liquid foundation, for example. If you don’t want a powdery look, use a blusher with a hint of pearl to lift the texture and add a glow,” Mercier told The Daily Mail.
Mario Dedivanovic – Perfect Eyebrows
Kim Kardashian’s 4-hour makeup seminar with Mario Dedivanovic was a treasure trove of makeup tricks of the trade, but the best one is a tip that helps you define your eyebrows. Use a darker shade of eyebrow pencil at the outer corners of your eyebrows and a lighter one toward your nose. “It’s softer and sweeter-looking when brows aren’t so heavy at the inner corners,” Dedivanovic told the audience.
photo: @rebeccaseals
Cher Webb – Instant Eye Lift
When you’re looking to lift your eyes, MAC Senior Artist Cher Webb recommends applying a few false individual lashes at the outer edges. “To enhance your lashes try adding 3-4 individual lashes to the outer corners of the eye. You’ll see an instant lift and a more feline cat eye shape. Individuals have a more natural look than a strip lash. Don’t add too much glue, only a little is needed for these little whispers,” Webb explained in Cosmopolitan.
Gucci Westman – Longer Lasting Lip Color
One of the best makeup tricks of the trade comes from makeup artist Gucci Westman, who’s worked for Vogue and Dior. For a longer lasting shade on your lips, “apply lip color using your fingers, pat it on and clean up the edges with a small concealer brush,” Westman told The Daily Mail.
photo: @makeupbytammi
Gary Cooper – Illuminator Tricks
Guerlain’s regional makeup artist has an excellent trick to illuminate your skin. “For illuminators, I would just use it with a brush on the nose. You can also use it on your chest because it has beautiful gold reflects, but very little again. I will not use it all over the face, it would be overdosed,” he told My Fash Diary.
Pati Dubroff – Natural Dewy Skin
With a portfolio that includes Harper’s Bazaar and Vanity Fair, Pati Dubroff is a seasoned pro, and she shared one the most useful makeup tricks of the trade for a beautiful glow with Teen Vogue: “I’ll use a creamy concealer to even any spots or redness and only a light dusting of loose powder through the T-zone. Keep the skin looking like skin, with a glow that’s controlled.”
Dick Page – Mascara on Lower Lashes
Model Lisa Kant told an excellent backstage trick to Marie Claire: “At the last Michael Kors show, makeup artist Dick Page taught me a mascara trick for sexy lower lids: start with the wand parallel to the lid, then switch it to perpendicular to the lid and run it back and forth.”
photo: @abbeystojmua
Jackie Tyson – Flawless, Smooth Skin
The British makeup artist prefers to use a pore minimizer instead of a primer, and that’s one of the best makeup tricks of the trade when you’re looking for a smooth texture. “I use it only around the T-zone, where pores need to be made to look smooth and match the rest of the skin. Apply after moisturizer, and before you apply your foundation,” she told The Daily Mail.
Chanty LaGrana – Long Lasting Blush
In hot weather, blush can quickly disappear, but makeup artist Chanty LaGrana has an excellent solution to that problem. “Switching to a gel blush will help because gels last longer and don’t just sit on your skin like a powder blush. My favorite is Julie Hewett Los Angeles Cheekie. It’s not only for your cheeks, but also for your lips!” she told Life With Liberté.
photo: @bybrookelle
Nina Leykind – Blue Mascara
Founder and creative director of makeup brand Eyeko, Nina Leykind thinks blue mascara is one of the most important makeup tricks of the trade. “You get all the definition of black but softer – great for the morning after, as blue really brightens the whites of your eyes, belying lack of sleep,” she explained in Elle magazine.
