There is no shortage of viral makeup and beauty hacks out there that look promising, but may also make your brow raise with suspicion. For example: using a tampon to remove your nail polish? Effective, sure (it is cotton, after all), but is it the most effective and least costly method of polish removal? Probably not. The same holds true for tips like using a face roller to blend your foundation when perfectly good beauty sponges exist or the ultimate don’t-try-this-at-home hack: putting your hair in a ponytail and proceeding to cut it yourself to get a DIY shag haircut.
That isn’t to say there aren’t some truly genius makeup tips that really work. If you are itching to make your eyes look more awake and alert and want to give yourself a bit of a lift without Botox, try these not-at-all-silly viral eye makeup tips that can make you look instantly more refreshed.
Play with light shadows and smudge darker colors
With so much focus on face contouring, some of us have forgotten that the lid is the ultimate spot for a bit of subtle contour to brighten up the eye area.
“Super-sharp, defined lines will make your eyes look smaller, which can be aging,” says Global AAPI Makeup Artist Natasha Moor. “The solution? Draw your line with a smudge-able black pencil, then use a brow brush to lift the color up from the outer corner of the eye for the winged effect. Highlight the inner corner of your eyes with a champagne gold liner like new Natasha Moor Mesmereyes Coloured Eyeliner Pencil in Visionary, a vegan, cruelty-free metallic gold with vitamin E for the gentlest application. It will give the appearance of an open, sparkling eye.”
Only line the top outer corner of your lid
Eyeliner is mostly a force for good, but its powers can easily be abused when you use it to line both your bottom and top lids, including inner corners (which can make your eyes look smaller). “Line only the top outer corner of your lid — not the whole lid,” Moor says. “Draw the line up and create a feline flick. Then, blend and fade the pencil gradually from the outer edge into the center of your eye.”
Use mascara to give eyes a winged appearance
Mascara is one of those makeup products that’s easy to use, but not as easy to use well. Your application method can mean the difference between lashes that appear flat and lashes that help widen the appearance of your eyes. Moor says she uses her own Moor Power Mascara and then brushes lashes toward the outside, “fluffing” them as she goes. “Then, using the outer corner of the wand, lift the very outer lashes up and to the side,” Moor says. “Finally, for extra lift, use the wand to lift and fluff just the tips of the outer lashes as you lift them up and push them to the outside. So easy. Your eyes look wide open with a winged appearance using just mascara!”
Create an outline for your eyeliner
How many times have you applied liquid eyeliner freestyle in the hopes that it will just “take” and form the perfect wing? Sometimes you may nail it, but the times that it doesn’t work out require you to clean up the smudgey mess and start over. Here’s a better solution: create an outline for your wing before you apply eyeliner using a white makeup pencil or light eyeshadow. That way, if you mess up, you can easily wipe the area clean with a Q-Tip. And, if you don’t, you can simply apply eyeliner over your outline.
These tips will save you time and the frustration of having to constantly clean your lid and re-do your makeup.
