You don’t need a Sephora’s worth of cosmetics on your vanity or the makeup skills of someone who trained for years to create your most gorgeously glowing look yet. Possessing a few tried-and-true makeup skills and products in colors that really work for you is the key to a polished look that takes just minutes — not hours — to recreate every morning. While a full face of contour and highlighting may be fun to try out before you hit the town on the weekend, if you’re looking for a more minimalist approach that is Monday morning-friendly, these are the four makeup hacks that makeup artists say highlight your features and make you look younger instantly.
Forget Contouring — Use Cream Blush Instead
Full-face contouring with a bronzer, contouring kit, highlighter, and blush looks perfect in photos — but in natural lighting, a dewy-looking blush will refresh your appearance and take years off compared to powder products, says Beauty and Style Expert Katya Bychkova at Style Sprinter.
“Use a cream blush to give your face a more youthful appearance,” Bychkova says. “The placement of a blush product could make or break your entire makeup look. To achieve a more youthful look with your cream blush, place it lower than where you'd usually apply a highlighter and blend it towards your ears. Previously, makeup artists recommended blush on the "apples" of your cheeks, but this approach could drag your face down and make you look older. By strategically placing your blush closer to the sides of your face and blending it outwards towards your temple, you visually lift your entire face and create a more youthful appearance.”
As for cream blush hues, Bychkova says all shades of pink and berry will bring that youthful appearance to your face, while browns and purples might make you look older. Bychkova recommends tying out these fantastic brands:
“ROSE INC Blush Divine Clean Dewy Cream Blush is a sustainably packaged cream product that blends like a dream and adds a dewy, flawless finish to your complexion. My favorite shade is Azalea; it has a soft berry hue that looks perfect on many skin tones. This cream blush features skincare-grade ingredients like squalane and ceramides, providing weightless hydration and supporting a strong skin barrier.”
“Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Believe is another excellent cream blush option that looks natural in any lighting and stays on for the entire day. The blush comes in handy lipgloss-like packaging with a spatula, making it easier to apply the product. The shade "Believe" has been the brand's best seller as this soft mauve hue is suitable for many complexions.”
Create A Laminated Brow By Brushing Upwards
It’s tempting to try and brush your brows into an arch, but doing so can drag the brow down and make your eyes look droopy. “Brush your brows' hair upwards to create the effect of a laminated brow,” Bychkova says. “This trick helps open your eyes and create a more youthful look. The only thing with this trick, though, is that your brows naturally are not growing upwards, so it will take some effort to tame your brows and secure them in place for the entire day. Luckily, a variety of brow products with a lamination effect help you ‘glue’ your brows up easily.” Here are some products that Bychkova recommends for great brows:
"Patrick Ta Major Brow Lamination Gel has an all-day-lasting power and comes with a handy applicator that makes it easier to secure your brows in place
Anastasia Beverly Hills BrowFreeze Styling Wax will work even on the coarsest brow hairs. The product dries out quickly, so you must apply it fast and immediately brush your brows.
Benefit Cosmetics Brow Setter Brow Gel with Lamination Effect is a beginner-friendly option that allows you to tame your brows easily for the entire day."
Lift The Eyes With Careful Eyeshadow Color Placement
If you’re simply adding eyeshadow to you lids without carefully considering where darker and lighter shades should be placed, you aren’t making the most of this product’s powers.
“I suggest using a dark eyeshadow shade in your outer corner/crease and blending it out and up into a wing,” says Saffron Hughes, makeup expert at falseeyelashes.co.uk. “This will add a lifted appearance to your eye look. You should then apply concealer underneath this wing and take it up and out towards your hairline, before blending. This will emphasize the lifted look even further.”
Next, Hughes recommends adding a lighter eyeshadow shade in your inner corner and on your eyelid below your crease to really make your eyes pop. “Then to further emphasize this, I’d recommend applying white or nude eyeliner to your waterline to help open your eyes and brighten them. Finally, apply mascara to your top lashes - focusing mainly on your outer corner lashes. You can even add a half/accent false lash for an extra lifted look. Whatever you do, avoid applying any dark shadows or heavy mascara to your bottom lashes as this will drag the eyes down – making you appear older than you are.”
Place Highlighter Beneath Brows
Maybe you don’t have time to play with eyeshadows and create a wing or apply false lashes — there’s still one fool-proof eye makeup hack that brightens your eyes and take seconds to do. “Place a thin line of cream highlighter just under the natural brow line and blend well using a circular motion with a flat top makeup brush,” Says Makeup Artist Mary Winkenwerder. “Watch the eye area light up with any color of eye statement!”
Winkenwerder suggests trying out one or both of these amazing products for an instant glow:
BORN TO GLOW LIQUID ILLUMINATOR Creamy Shimmer Highlighter
Sonia Kashuk™ Essential Flat-Top Concealer Brush No. 172
Makeup doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few great products and solid hacks, you can get glowing in minutes, even on the busiest of mornings.
