Laying down a base eyeshadow and then applying eyeshadow on top of that can help with eyeshadows that go patchy!
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That is a great one, Christine! ?
This past year, I fell hard for “halo” eyeshadow application. Learned how to do it via YouTube tutorials, perfected my technique, and now do it quite often. Why? Because it gives me the illusion of having larger, more open eyes! Makes it appear as if I have more lid space, too. The secret is bringing the halo up past my eyelid fold, almost into my hooded overhang, plus wearing my crease shade higher up, as well.
I watch YT videos to learn new techniques and have been watching one particular YT channel for quite some time. She does a lot of haul videos but usually shows a tutorial using the products at the end. I had noticed that she starts her eye shadow with her darkest shade in the crease and just above. She then blends that out with the transition shade rather than applying the transition shade and then blending the darker shades. She always has such a beautiful transition and so I tried her technique and really liked how much easier it was it was to blend and I have been using it since.
Trying this tomorrow! Thanks for posting this tip. I totally get how that can work more effectively. I needed someone to put it into words. That’s what I’ve been wanting to try.
Would you share who you are watching in case we want to see the technique in action? Assuming Christine doesn’t object given that she doesn’t do tutorials.
Lea, she could be talking about Tara, YT channel is, tarababyz. I could be totally wrong, too. Haha. I do know that she applies dark matte shades in her crease. When you are searching her videos, it will prob say haul, swatches with demo. Hope that helps.
Hi Deborah! Mind sharing who the YouTuber is?
Like Michele said – definitely sounds like Tarababyz!
May I ask who the YT is so I can watch
Layering products, i.e. primer, then bases (foundation, base eyeshadow, cream blush or highlight), then “set” wirh color (for me, this is powder products) and finishing with Guerlain Meteorites and Skindinavia Bridal spray for a long-lasting look. The layering has made all the difference.
Using a peach color corrector first, then under eye concealer and lastly spray with UD All Nighter .Covers my dark circles all day. Also recently started adding a pop of glitter to the middle of my eyelid. Really brightens my eyes!
Applying gel eyeliner using a pencil eyeliner in the same color (thanks for that one!)
Hmm…I’ll be trying this out!
Putting on cream highlighter first and then applying foundation on top of it! My skin looks way more naturally glowing that way.
Managed to stop my concealer from creasing: a) use very little of a highly pigmented product and b) a teensy drop of face oil on the lower lids before putting concealer on.
Contouring. After watching countless tutorial, I finally got the hang of a (very subtle) contour after finding the right brush.
And that brush would be…. 🙂
The new ebelin Contour brush. It is a German drugstore brand, so not widely available. But if you can get it anywhere, the makeup sponge they are doing is as good as the Beautyblender for a fraction of the price, so look for both.
what brush is that Linda ?
Blending eyeshadows to get the colour I want.
Ooh that’s a good one Christine. I always wondered why my eyeshadow never was blended as perfectly as I wanted – taking a flesh tone shade right up to the brow made such a difference. Also, using a transition shade (basic I know but eyeshadow has always been my weakest area when it comes to makeup!)
Oh and another one: laying off warm toned brow pencils/powders/etc. I have dark brown hair with natural coppery highlights (mixed race) so it’s not definitively cool in a blue black way. But switching to ashy grey brow colours made such a huge difference and I’ve never gone back. It looks way more natural than with warmer toned colours. I feel like this isn’t just applicable to me, but a lot of people in general.
Probably setting my under-eye concealer with powder. Since on most days, I don’t wear foundation (just moisturizer with SPF), I don’t bother powdering my face so wasn’t get out any sort of setting powder, but powdering the area where my concealer is really does help it to “set” better and to last longer without creasing.
– finally choosing a matching concealer to cover dark circles successfully
– using brow pencil and spoolie to create natural-looking, well-arched brows that suit my face shape
Foundation primer to clean up eye makeup
I watched a few Wayne Goss foundation tutorials, and they helped me enormously to apply my face makeup and have it look flawless for an entire day.
This is so basic it’s laughable. I have very long eyelashes. For most of my life, they could go rogue and into Elvira-Mistress-of-the-Dark territory with one too many mascara swipes. That was then. Now, as I get older, they’re not as thick as they once were so using an eyelash curler really wakes things up. I wouldn’t touch that gizmo until this past year, but now it’s essential.
Also, using a BB cream under foundation adds a layer of smoothness that I love.
I also agree with Christine about the base of shadow to make all shadows apply more smoothly.
Blending my eyeshadow. Blend, blend and blend some more. Took me years to learn to blend! Still not perfect but much better than before!
That’s a good one Christine. I’ll add tightlining the upper lashes, and using a nude liner on the waterline is totally transformative. It’s so subtle, but when I do one eye, and then look at the other I’m always amazed at the difference.
Lighter shadow in the crease and inner corner as well as darker on the lid for better effect / balance on my large, deeper and closer set eyes
Using Just for Men facial hair color to dye my eyebrows! Total life changer. You can mix it according to how much you’ll use (I mix it in a water bottle cap and apply using those green teeth cleaners that are like spoolies) about every 2 weeks. I have really light blonde brows and I use the blonde color. Based on how much I use, one box will last me years. So much easier than using brow pencil every day and hoping it stays on for a few hours!
I have no use for this tip but am really impressed by how creative and smart it is!
That’s brilliant.
Wayne Goss’s video taught me the technique of applying translucent powder with a velour puff and then using a brush to sweep away excess.
You tap powder on to the puff, then you fold and rub the powder into the puff until the powder is worked into the fabric. Press and roll on to your face over foundation and concealer. Then use a clean brush to sweep away any excess.
This makes my foundation last and look poreless (but not cakey at all).
I would have to say using a Beauty Blender sponge for my under eye area, and also using the Mac Fix+ finishing spray. Both have been total game changers!
Using a lash comb to come through your lashes after putting on mascara to get out clumps better.
I’m still really picky about mascara, like I only have 2 that I really like. But, this trick has helped me get through tough mascara times when it’s just clumping up lashes and I have somewhere to be.
Have you ever tried a mascara that uses a comb applicator instead of a spoolie brush? BareMinerals Flawless Definition mascara is great. So is Lancome Definicils. So maybe a “defining” type mascara focuses more on defining separate lashes vs building lots of width and length. But yeah, I love using a lash comb when necessary.
I learned that if I contour the natural cleft in my chin, it helps balance out the fact that I have a weak jaw line.
That was part of another thing I learned, which is that if a model helpfully offers to touch up your makeup for you, you should say yes, please and thank you, because you might learn something new 🙂
That’s a cool trick!
Buffing my foundation. Buying a buffing bush has made a huge impact on how my face looks when I’m done. It definitely helps my contour look more natural as well!
I rarely wear cream foundation, but was amazed at how perfect it looked when applied with a duo-fiber stippling brush, and stippled it on.
It’s really amazing how much of a difference application tools and techniques geared to the particular product you’re using can make. That’s why if I buy something and it doesn’t seem to work, I keep trying different things and almost always eventually get it right. My biggest and longest learning curve was applying mineral foundation. And more recently changing eyeshadow placement for hooded lids.
Blending a crease color beyond the actual edges of your eyes to make them look bigger – never knew about that before, but love doing it!
I had to learn that technique so my (now hooded) eyes would look better. It took a lot of practice to get the height and angles of the shadow placement of crease and outer v’s but it makes a huge difference!
I had a question to submit but your website tells me I’m a spammer and won’t let me unless I enable JavaScript. That’s kind of Not Cool.
I ended up just emailing Temptalia through yahoo.
Spraying my finishing and setting sprays, prior to applying my mascara.
Oh Yeah! It is only if you do it after applying the mascara – once; that you realise the implication!! 😉
Using my fingertip to scoop up a big fat layer of sparkly eyeshadow and mixing it with shadow primer on the back of my hand to make a cream eyeshadow! That and using a duofiber brush for contour and blush application, it looks SO much more radiant.
I always pat a matte shade lighter than my skintone from lashline to brow bone to “set” my eye primer, and it makes it easier to blend dark shadows on top!!!
I have half of a monolid on my one eye, and for winged liner, I tilt my head up, and do my liner super thick in the inner corner so you can see it peeking out when my eyes are open!!
For blending, I like to do windshield wiper motions WHILE doing little circles!! It makes things blend so much easier and faster for me personally!!
Um, I didn’t really learn it anywhere but wearing multiple shades of blush. I’m currently using 3 shades, a more highlight-y shade on the top of the apple and temple, using a satin nude shade on the bottom of the cheek bone, and a brighter pop shade on the outer 1/3 of the apple of the cheek. It helps my chubby face look less chubby. They aren’t really contour/highlighters either, just blush that’s a little closer to those tones.
Highlighters. Oh how I love highlighting.
Cleaning up my brows with concealer. I’ve known of this tip but never actually tried it, but honestly I try to do it every day now.
Lining the upper lid of my eye with black pencil, gives a nice tight lined, polished effect, especially when I’m only wearing lots of mascara and a touch of shadow at the outer corners of my eyes.
I saw makeup tutorial where Bobbi Brown applied the blush in light outward flicking motions on the cheeks. It looks more natural and helped a lot !:)
I had never had any luck with setting my under eye after concealer. Ever. Then I played around with a damp beauty blender, a thick eye cream and a light, light powder. I save this step to almost the very end. I gently pat a thicker eye cream, then use Maybelline Age Rewind Neutralizer, followed by concealer of choice. I use a beauty blender to pat and very gently blend. I finish with a highly milled face powder. Right now I’m using Elf High Definition Powder, $6 bucks, but it works for me better than anything else, including the Laura Mercier.
This sets everything nicely and it lasts for a good part of the day (6-7 hours).
Adding oil to my foundation for a more luminous and natural look.
Most luminous foundations on the market have ingredients that would break out my skin, but at the same time, my skin tends to be on the dryer side, so I crave foundation with a bit of a glow. Adding a drop of my facial oil to my foundation has been such an awesome way to address both issues while saving me the cost and clutter of trying out a bunch of other foundations.
Honorable mention goes to applying highlighter to my cupid’s bow and inner eyes lol.
I used to ignore these spots while highlighting, but it definitely makes a difference in bringing more light and dimension to the center of the face.
Learning how to use an eye brow kit. I used to use an eye brow pencil, which really wasn’t very good – not a great look. So I bit the bullet and bought the NYX Brow kit and the MUA showed me how to use it and it is much better.
After I’m done with my face routine, I take a clean large face brush and lightly buff my whole face (minus the eyes). This gives me a flawless finish and everything looks seamless.
That blending takes A LOT OF TIME. And it’s not always the case of trying to do it exactly how you see a person do it on a youtube video, maybe you will have to take more time to blend something out or dip your brush in the lighter / transition color again to help blend out, or use different or more brushes. Makeup doesn’t work the same for everyone.
To tap eyeshadow on first to minimize fallout and to use good brushes. Big difference!
Going around my lips with a concealer when I’m wearing a deep/intense lip color. I’ve been using Rimmel Match Perfection, which I bought but didn’t like for my under eye circles.
My mascara wand is really big so I like to apply the initial coat the regular way, then apply a second coat using the tip of the brush while the first coat is still semi-wet. It adds a lot more volume and a bit more length plus I can (finally!) get at my inner-corner lashes.
Highlighting the inner corners of my eyes with something outrageously bright like MAC Nylon. It really opens up my face and makes my eyes look less close set.
I don’t know if this counts but the very best foundation brush is by Artemis. I use the Oval 7. It leaves a totally flawless smooth and even coverage, no streaks, and it is so quick to use. I am 60 and need smooth even coverage that does put too much on my oilier parts and too little on the dry areas. This brush leaves no foundation in the crepey skin or in the wrinkles yet it fills in the larger pores flawlessly with no caking. I will never use another one. Highly recommend.
I have the Artis Oval 6 which is a little too small for foundation. When I use BB or CC cream, I usually apply with my fingers, but agree using that brush does give an immaculate finish. It’s amazing! I watched a bunch of YouTube videos to learn how to use it, and that makes a difference too. Unlike most brushes that you buff in a circular motion, the Artis brushes work best if you stroke them straight across your face and contours in a fluid motion.
Ooops sorry, it’s Artis not Artemis
Been wearing Cera Ve as primer my skins sucks it in then my foundation goes on flawless. I apply it all with my rectangle sponge nothing fanccy. Next, applying two shadexms of blush especially if it is pink don’t want to look like a Barbie doll with too much on it so then I apply a natural color on top and looks more natural. For example, pink below or rouge (which can be too strong for this ghost) then I apply rose champagne on top from WetnWikd or their Sangria Castles which is a highlighter in top. I blend! Blend! Everything for a natural look. Love highluters. Now, I need to work on eyeshadow that’s my challenge to go smoky. I find a bit of bronzer makes me look so healthy! Blush and bronzer are my friends.
I’ve been doing that blush “trick” occasionally myself in the daytime. I apply the lighter blush as the very last step, and it looks so natural. I also love a subtle highlighter, especially on top of my cheekbones. I start placement from about the outer edge of my iris (if you drew an imaginary line down to the cheekbone), and then angle it up towards the temple.
I don’t use bronzer on a regular basis, but I agree it makes me look so healthy. It took me quite awhile to figure out the best placement, and I’ve found that using it about halfway between my temples and forehead on the sides in kind of a circle, then across the top of my forehead at the hairline made a big difference.
Definitely, using a moisturizer before applying my foundation. It is probably a pretty obvious step for many, but it was not for me. Recently, I’ve noticed changes on my skin that required new tricks. I have a pretty normal, mature skin with tendency to the dryness mainly on the cheeks, so a good layer of moisturizer just do the trick for a better foundation application, results and longevity. Not necessary a primer, that I don’t really enjoy unless it is Becca or Clarins (and just for certain areas of the face). Just the good old moisturizer.
Late to this – but it’s a good one. I wish I remembered her name, but an Australian Youtuber recently had a video where she used mac painterly paint pot on her NOSE instead of primer. Then a thin layer of whatever foundation you want on top. It is really long wearing & doesn’t break down if your nose typically gets shiny. I am sure you could use whichever paint pot is a halfway decent color match.
This Australian youtuber is NIKKIAJOY
I just learned the base shadow trick, too! Also, applying bottom lash mascara before top lash helps to prevent smudging on the eyelids. I’ve heard that brown mascara on bottom and black on top is a very natural and elegant look; I really want to try that!