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30 Expert Beauty Secrets You'll Be Glad We Shared
7/26/2014
When it comes to beauty, we all wish we had a direct line to the pros to learn the latest secrets of the trade. Well, we created our own dial-in, reaching out to dozens of experts for their insider know-how and grooming wisdom. Read on for 30 of the most unique tips we heard—and the ones you can actually use!
Tip #1
"Put aluminum foil in the freezer. Once chilled, apply cold sheets of foil to your face. The cold foil will reduce puffiness and tighten pores."
—Ramy Gafni, makeup artist, brow guru and founder of RAMY Beauty Therapy Cosmetics
Tip #2
"You can make your own concealer in a pinch by mixing a bit of translucent powder into liquid foundation to thicken it. This also works well if you do not like heavy concealer."
—Ricky Wilson, celebrity makeup artist, Dior Beauty
Tip #3
"If you have dry, sensitive or dull-looking skin, you can use raw honey as a facial mask. Raw, unpasteurized honey contains mild alpha hydroxy acids, such as gluconic acid, which can exfoliate, promote collagen renewal and increase elasticity. Not only does raw honey exfoliate, the natural sugar in it retains moisture. Slather raw honey all over your face as a mask and leave on for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry."
—Ashley Rebecca, makeup artist
Tip #4
"Eyebrows should start soft in color, become dark in the middle (arch) and then again become lighter at the end. Brows should not be the exact same color and strength through the entire brow. It’s good to use your choice of pencil or powder, and then go back with a lighter powder and sweep through on top. This will highlight the brow hair as your natural hair is highlighted by light."
—Jeffrey Tasker, makeup artist and Laura Mercier Global Artist
Tip #5
"Blondes should use a gray eye shadow to fill their brows."
—Gabriel Almodovar, celebrity makeup artist, Maybelline New York
Tip #6
"I am a huge fan of beautifully curled lashes and I have several heated eyelash curlers from ones I special order from Japan to the wonderful Dior heated curler. But if my battery wears out in these curlers and I still want the heated effect, I take my regular eyelash curler and heat it with a blow-dryer for about five seconds. Test the curler on your hand before using it on your eye. The heat acts like a curling iron on your eyelash hairs and gives even the straightest lashes staying power. But remember, use waterproof mascara first before using a heated curler of any type. This works to help keep the curl. It's like hair spraying your hair before using a curling iron."
—Cynthia Rose, makeup artist
Tip #7
"When putting mascara on, start with the bottom lashes. Most people put mascara on their top lashes first, and then tilt their head down to do the bottom ones. The problem is usually the mascara isn't quite dry yet and you end up with little black dots all over your beautifully applied eye shadow. Doing it in reverse order assures a mess-proof application."
—Raychel Wade, makeup artist and La Prairie Colour Ambassador
Tip #8
"To add extra volume and drama to eyelashes you have to start off by curling them. Then apply a coat of mascara to each eye, and add a light layer of loose powder using a brush across the entire top and bottom lashes. Give it a few seconds and apply a second layer of mascara. Repeat these steps until you achieve your desired effect."
—Niko Lopez, NARS National Makeup Stylist
Tip #9
"Powdering the eyelashes prior to applying mascara helps mascara to go on in a more feathery, nonclumpy way."
—Maureen Shields, makeup artist, Giorgio Armani Beauty
Tip #10
"Having trouble with mascara smudging and flaking, but you don't want to damage your delicate lashes with waterproof mascara every day? Many women put a clear coat over their manicure to protect it. Why not do the same with your mascara? Let you favorite mascara dry completely, and then put a coat of clear mascara over the top. This simple extra step will eliminate flakes, and your mascara won't budge or smudge until you take it off!"
—Kevin James Bennett, makeup artist
Tip #11
"One of my personal favorites is to tint the tips of lashes with a nontoxic black Sharpie, especially in the summer when the tips of lashes seem to bleach out or fade from sun and chlorine. Gently and carefully brush over the tips of lashes to darken them without adding any bulk or stickiness. Lashes look darker and longer and super natural with no mascara!"
—Troy Surratt, makeup artist
Tip #12
"Want sky-high voluminous lashes? Here’s my insider trick. When applying mascara, I like to use a playing card as a guide. It sounds crazy. But trust me, it works! First, cut an arc in the card. Then place it against your eyelid so that the cutout portion is against your lash line and your lashes are in front of the card. This trick allows you to add some major oomph to volumize your lashes without creating a mess and getting mascara onto your lids! Next hold the wand vertically against your bottom lashes and sweep mascara onto your lower and inner lashes. Lastly, using a clean spoolie brush with soft bristles, comb through to separate the lashes without clumping your mascara, and direct those luscious lashes exactly where you want them to be."
—Mally Roncal, makeup artist and founder of Mally Beauty
Tip #13
"Put a heavy layer of Vaseline around the eyes when flying, and keep the dark sunglasses on. This will keep eyes hydrated on long flights. Just remember to blend before landing."
—Tim Quinn, celebrity makeup artist and Giorgio Armani Beauty Face Designer
Tip #14
"The secret to perfectly blending eye shadows is to prep lids with loose powder first. This will allow the colors you place on top blend smoothly and flawlessly."
—Janice Daoud, NARS National Makeup Stylist
Tip #15
"If you say smoky eyes, most people think black. But it's actually a shading technique, not a color. You can use any color combination of light to dark to achieve a smoky look once you have this sexy routine down. The first rule of thumb is to apply all shadow from bottom to top; start at the lash line and blend upward. You want to layer on the lightest shade first, from the natural crease of your eye to just under the brow bone. Then build on this base with a deeper color along your top and bottom lash lines. Finish the look by lining the inner rim of your eyes with a creamy, smudgy liner pencil, and top with a generous coat of mascara."
—Lori Taylor, makeup artist and Smashbox Pro Lead Artist
Tip #16
"I love mixing skin care into makeup, to alter the beauty looks slightly. This season, I took rejuvenating serum and rubbed it into eye shadow on eyelids for a luminous, lived-in look."
—Romy Soleimani, makeup artist and beauty director at large for Beauty.com
Tip #17
"Applying bright cream blush under tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation will give cheeks that beautiful, flushing, radiant-from-within look. I love using bright raspberry cream blush underneath liquid foundation. Go more with the blush at first, since it'll be blended down after."
—Nick Barose, celebrity makeup artist
Tip #18
"To ensure the longevity of your lipstick, apply and blot three times so the lipstick builds in layers, allowing it to adhere better to the lips."
—Alberto Espinoza-Cervantes, makeup artist, Chanel
Tip #19
"Most women line their lips by applying liner starting from one corner and going in a circle. But they don’t realize this actually makes their lips look asymmetrical. In order to properly line your lips, start by lining the very center of the top and bottom lips, and then the outer corners of the top and bottom lips. Connect the lines starting from the outer corners, and drawing in one fluid motion for each section to the center of the top and bottom lips. Finish by filling in the entire lip with liner."
—Jessie Powers, Make Up For Ever artist
Tip #20
"To prevent winter dryness and cracking skin, apply hand cream immediately after washing, to slightly damp hands. This will lock in moisture."
—Essie Weingarten, creator of Essie Nail Polishes
Tip #21
"Once a month, I leave polish off of my nails for a night (I know, it's hard!). I paint my natural nails with cuticle oil to help them stay healthy and strong. It's just like how you'd use a hair mask."
—Simcha Whitehill, nail artist and founder of Miss Pop Nails
Tip #22
"When nails are dry, they become brittle like dried wood and they break so easily. So think of your nails like furniture; when you oil them, your nails become fresh and look stronger."
—Jin Soon Choi, nail artist and founder of Jin Soon Natural Hand & Foot Spas in New York City and JINsoon nail polishes
Tip #23
"If you want to have matte nails, but don't have the product for the look, you can put water in a pan and boil the water. After polishing your nails, while they are still wet, wave your hands over the steam and this will instantly mattify the polish."
—Carla Kay, celebrity manicurist
Tip #24
"Eye shadow can be used as a quick-fix to hide roots! This works best on dark hair with light or gray roots. Simply match your hair color to a shade of shadow, and brush it on."
—Michael Shaun Corby, hairstylist and Alterna Haircare Global Creative Director
Tip #25
"To get soft, curly waves in the morning, put your hair into two big braided pigtails the night before. Release the braids the next morning and shake it off."
—Angelo David, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Angelo David Salon in New York City
Tip #26
"To flatten flyaways, spray hair spray in your hand, and then rub your hands onto the actual can of hair spray while they are still damp. Then quickly (so it doesn’t dry) use the can as a rolling pin from the center of the head down, which will create a smoothing effect and flatten the flyaways while distributing the hair spray."
—Rodney Cutler, celebrity hairstylist and Redken Brand Ambassador
Tip #27
"To remove product buildup from your hair, mix a tablespoon of vinegar in your hand with your favorite shampoo and rub through your hair. Concentrate on applying from the ends up and leave in for three to five minutes for beautifully clean hair with amazing shine!"
—Ted Gibson, celebrity hairstylist, and founder of Ted Gibson Salons and Ted Gibson Beauty
Tip #28
"After rubbing your favorite body lotion on your body, apply the remaining lotion that's on your hands into your hair for beachy-looking locks. Lotion also makes a great hair fix when there are no hair products about (for example, at your boyfriend's house!)."
—Chris Rios, hairstylist at Sally Hershberger Los Angeles
Tip #29
"In a pinch, there have been moments when I use antiperspirant deodorant as a mattifier, instead of powder. I gently blend the application with my fingers in hot spots. The texture of the deodorant is one that has a matte quality to it, but it also helps stop or significantly reduce perspiration."
—Moani Lee, makeup artist
Tip #30
"After securing your ponytail, squeeze a little gel on a hard toothbrush and comb it along the hairline in the same direction that the hair is pulled backed in to keep the hairline looking really clean and stay that way. The toothbrush should be cheap, as they are harder and have straight bristles."
—Jenny Balding, hairstylist and Redken Styling and Grooming Expert
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