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What has been the best beauty tip or trick you embraced this year?
Not all primers are equal with all products–there are a lot of great primers on the market, and even though one might work many products, not all combinations are perfect so sometimes experimenting a bit is worth the end result. It, of course, depends on the combination, whether it’s something you’d use regularly enough to justify it,
etc. For me, I experienced this a bit more with eyeshadow formulas and primers as I’ve been testing several primers over the last year.
— Christine
I was a die-hard user of a Beauty Blender to apply foundation and now I have switched to using a brush. I feel like this method makes applying foundation much faster.
I’m experimenting with brushes, too, but my goal is to use less product. Then I’m using the Beauty Blender to . . . blend!
This year, I stopped using powder blush on my maturing skin and, instead, have been using my lipstick of the day as my check color. The look is more natural and there is no need to worry about your check color clashing with your lip color. I do this with light creamy and semi-sheer lipsticks (mostly, MAC), and so I can’t say how this would work with drier or heavier formulas or with very intense colors. Just a tiny amount will give you natural looking color.
It still works with matte lipsticks, tiny dab and then blend furiously. It’s a good tip because those longwearing formulas will wear all day.
I need to do this more and experiment. Glad you mentioned it.
This is a silly one. I have always had trouble pencilling my brows. Now I frown when I pencil them and they come out perfect every time! Try it!
Siily, are you kidding? I’m trying it.. never heard this one before.. ever..
This is both funny and intriguing. Eyebrows are my biggest struggle (since I pretty much gave up on eyeliner). I will definitely give this a try!
If I’m frowning right (is that an oxymoron?) and tipping my head slightly down, then this NON-silly tip is showing me how to better fill in my brows because it separates the brow hairs so the skin between them shows up more. Leah, is this what you’re talking about? Or am I doing the frown-thing wrong? Please tell me this isn’t an April Fool’s in December, lol.
Good brushes go a long way in making your makeup look better – like being properly applied and blended. Whether they’re cheap or more pricey, as long as they’re good.
Thus, reading up on brush reviews are important.
I learned this as well. UDPP is my favorite and works under most of my eye products. But I have one Lorac palette, and it’s much better over the Lorac primer.
Applying powder under my eyes with a damp sponge. I almost always had creasing before doing this, but now, I hardly get any creasing.
Doing a cut crease by applying concealer on the lid. It’s not revolutionary by any stretch, but for someone who isn’t amazing with eyeshadow, it makes a look seem much more crisp.
Making my eyebrows even! I’ve been trying to do this for years! I think I finally know how to fill in my eyebrows to make them look as even as possible lol
So many new ideas I embraced this year! Applying eye primer on my brows before applying brow powder. Using tools to apply foundation rather than my fingers (I switch off between damp sponge and brush depending on my mood). Applying Smashbox undereye primer before tapping on concealer (Tarte Shape Tape, to be specific). Putting on MAC Prep + Prime lip primer before liquid matte lipsticks. Wearing powder blush over setting powder to get a smoother blend. Accepting the fact that eyebrows are sisters, not twins. I’ll probably think of more.
1. No mascara on bottom lashes, just light smoky eyeliner or smudged eyeshadow
2. Using outer 1/3 of my eye (where the white of the eye is) as a guide for an invisible line down my face, that’s where I apply all cheek products now; instead of swirling and windshield-wipering blush/bronzer/highlighter, I pat or dab and then sweep toward my hairline.
A touch of highlighter along cheekbones under foundation gives me a nice glow without being all shiny.
Lessons learned; 2 major takeaways from 2017.
1.) Using and eyebrow pencil BEFORE applying my brow powder (yep, still L’oreal Continuous Cocoa!) gives my brows a crisper, more defined look. Making it far easier to get away with a less is more eye makeup look!
2.) PLAY! Have fun with your stash. Because even if you don’t like how it turns out, it washes off, and you’ve just learned a lesson from it, whether yay or naw! This year I’ve been playing with glittery eyeshadow just mid-lid over Nyx Glitter Primer or using a dampened brush, and loving it better than many a highly reflective metallic. Glitter diffuses light differently, thereby making little crinkles far less obvious, I’ve been finding!
*Using “an”, not “and”! Stupid autocorrect strikes again. ?
I learned so much this past year, I think the most important have been learning to use the right brush, discovering that if I want more coverage, then I need to apply more foundation, using shadow under my eyes instead of eyeliner.
Thank you all for sharing your knowledge.
Less makeup! Less matte, more natural, dewy products. I’ve completely sworn off foundation, I can’t remember the last time I wore powder blush or highlight, and I practically bathe in lip gloss and creamy lipsticks. I’m nowhere close to old (I’ll only be 20 in January), but wearing all matte makeup made me look way older than I was, and since I started wearing makeup this way (since March/April), I look younger and I think it’s made my skin healthier.
I guess my best beauty tips/tricks I have learnt this year are:
1. From Seraphine – put your blush on first before your setting powder – this really works
2. From Deborah – a new HE foundation in a perfect shade and finish – Chosungah 22 in Porcelain
3. Using a BB crème in your own shade underneath foundations to extend their life
4. The importance of using eyeshadow brushes for different purposes…
I learned so much this year, mostly from this site . So thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences . My two biggest takeaways are that good brushes make all the difference and don’t assume that a single brand always puts out quality product !
Vitamin C, niacinamide, serums, and gels in skincare. In gels, I include sleeping masks. My jury is out however on oils.
The best thing I did in 2017 was to ditch foundation and only spot conceal. I finally stopped dropping money on bottles of foundations and foundation mixers to make them work. I can stop looking for primers and sunscreens that would play nice with my foundations. I live in Asia so the shade range is very limited here, and I’m so happy I can stop ordering shades from overseas just to hope that this one bottle will be *the one*. Wow I didn’t realize how much money I wasted in pursue of the Holy Grail Foundation and additional products (e.g. different sponges, brushes, mixers, different shades) to make the ones I own work.
I’ve learned quite a few, but a great tip for applying eyeshadow is to not OVERBLEND.
Know when to put down the brush & move on to the next shadow.
I thought That’s me! I end up with an eyelid oversaturated with color…Great tip!
Switching from liquid eyeliner to do my wing to powder eyeshadow- love it, looks softer & “on trend.”
To make any blush look even more natural I been mixing the P.F. shimmering strips either under blush or lightly on top to add a nice healthy glow. Love those strips! Also experimented again after years doing tight lining and it looks good on hooded eyes after listening to Reese Does Makeup. Great hints for hooded eyes I learned from her video. Also been using more cleansing masks I like the Que Bella peeling mask boy! That thing peels more than what you are bargain for but it leaves skin super clear. Im just starting to use peeling masks and don’t know if all perform the same way but it cleans deeply. Having on the dry/sensitive combo skin I do use sparingly, like once every 3 months then moisturize like crazy and don’t put any more peeling glycolic, aha, etc.on my skin. Is keeping my face so clear. Uh! La! La! 🙂
Using liquid liners in between my lashes at the root when I use a plastic brush. It fills in the gaps since you really can’t mascara tight line with a plastic brush.