Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been experimenting with makeup. I started watching YouTube videos when the platform first launched and self-taught myself different techniques and tricks. Fast forward to my 17th birthday, I earned my NVQ in Beauty Therapy at my local community college, became a certified esthetician and left my first retail job at H&M to start in the cosmetics industry at Benefit Cosmetics. Because of the varied training I’ve received in makeup artistry over the years, I have adapted my own tips and tricks for what works for my makeup routine. Below I’m sharing some things that have stepped up my makeup game, and I hope it’ll do the same for you, too!
1. USE A DAMP BEAUTY SPONGE TO APPLY YOUR LIQUID PRODUCTS
Especially if you want lighter coverage. I’ve been a huge fan of the Real Techniques sponge for years now, really because I don’t want to pay over $20 for a beauty blender. Dampen your sponge with warm water and make sure you squeeze all the excess out! Another trick: if you tend to lighten up under your eyes with concealer, set it with the wet sponge & a translucent powder. The wet of the sponge will make the pigment in the powder stronger, hence a brighter under eye. To clean your beauty blender, pop it in a Tupperware with about an inch of water and set the timer for 1:30. This will help to get rid of the bacteria, THEN wash it with either soap, or this super cool beauty blender washing machine I found on amazon! I’ve heard great things but I’ll let you know my thoughts once my order comes in!
2. DON’T FORGET TO BRONZE YOUR EARS
So many people forget this. Most of us have finally given up the orange chin strap look by now, but who actually considers the shade of their ears when they’re busy painting their face? If you’re wearing your hair up and you’ve bronzed or contoured your face then sweep the residue on the brush down your ears too! I’ve been loving this $10 drugstore bronzer recently and apply it with this brush, it smells so good! If you haven’t seen my drugstore makeup under $20 post, I’ll link it here!
3. IF YOU HAVE A LIMITED RANGE OF MAKEUP PRODUCTS, DO A SPOT CLEAN
Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of makeup brushes. I first learned about MAC Brush Cleanser years ago and it’s been my go-to for spot cleaning since. Cleaning brushes after every use is something I did as a professional artist, but now, I clean my brushes when I think they need it – so foundation and concealer get spot cleaned after every use, fully cleaned each week, and eyeshadows and other face brushes get cleaned weekly. To spot clean, drip some of the liquid onto a towel and swirl your brush in it until it’s clean. It takes no time, I’ve spent good money on my makeup brushes so it’s worth taking care of them.
4. WHEN USING SETTING SPRAY, PRESS IT INTO YOUR SKIN
with a beauty blender. It’s a trick I’ve learned and kept near to my makeup loving heart. Lightly pressing the spray into your skin will lock in the moisture leaving your makeup lasting longer than usual and looking extra dewy. Try it and let me know what you think. This is my favorite setting spray right now – it smells like berries and cotton candy!!
5. SCRUB YOUR LIPS
Not really a hack, but something I learned and still do daily. I wear a lot of lip colors, so it’s important for me to keep my lips soft and moisturized. Here’s my favorite lip scrub, and my favorite lip balm.