Hello lovelies,
Around this time last year, I shared a blogpost which was my ‘makeup tips and tricks everyone should know’ which basically had everything I learnt about makeup throughout 2017!
2017 was a big learning curve for me when it came to makeup, I learnt so many tips & tricks and listened carefully to any advice being given as I wanted to perfect my makeup.
Not only was 2017 a big year for me BUT throughout 2018, I actually entered a whole new world and learnt so many new things about makeup which I’d never even heard of before.
Being a massive makeup lover, I’m constantly learning, growing and perfecting the art of makeup. I’m far from having the ‘perfect techniques’ down to a T but I am slowly but surely getting there. I’ve added many of these new tips and tricks into my daily routine and I’ve noticed a massive difference in my makeup now to what it was a couple of years ago.
Therefore, I wanted to share with you some of the incredibly useful tips and tricks that I learnt in 2018 and have brought into the new year with me.
Tips And Tricks You Need To Know:
- When doing a eye look, don’t set your base / eye-primer | this is one of the biggest trick/tips I learnt this year. When setting your eye base, the eyeshadows don’t apply true to form and the longevity isn’t as good because the eyeshadows don’t have a base to stick too. Therefore, by leaving your base ‘tacky’ you allow your eyeshadows to not only last alot longer, you’ll have barely any fallout and your allowing the true pigmentation of the eyeshadows to come through!
- Always pat a product into your skin, therefore you get higher coverage | this is something I learnt from @mmmmitchell, he doesn’t like to smear product over your face, he prefers to do the ‘pat pat motion’ as it gives a flawless finish and the coverage of your product becomes higher. Wether you use a brush, or a beauty blender, the same rule applies.
- When blending eyeshadow, always blend in small circular motions | by blending your eyeshadows in small circular motions, you are allowing the eyeshadow to blend seamlessly rather than adding loads of product onto your eye, blending harshly and ending up with a big mess which is harder to make perfect. Also, by blending your eyeshadow in small motions, the pigmentation will be much better than if you weren’t to do so.
- Use a small amount of product and build up, so you don’t become cakey | this is something I wish I knew when I was back at school. Many makeup artists will tell you by starting with a small amount of product and working that into your skin, that will give you a flawless base. Whereas, if you apply a ton of product (which you most likely will regret), not only are you wasting your money but your base will end up looking heavy on your skin and extremely cakey.
- To get those ‘Instagram fluffy brows’ use a spoolie with soap | now, this is something I’ve never done personally, but I know has become a big trend worldwide. If you’ve got sparse eyebrows or you just prefer a more ‘natural’ look, apply a tiny amount of water to a bar of soap, rub your spoolie through the soap until it’s coated and lightly brush your eyebrow hairs upwards. This will give a much fuller, yet natural look.
- If your a oily person, always use a matteifying primer BUT if your dry skinned, always use a hydrating primer | another tip I wish I’d have known when at school. For those of you who are oily, I know it can be difficult to find makeup that lasts on you, therefore buying an mattifying primer is your answer. By applying a primer that’s matte on your most oily places, you’ll be ‘clogging‘ those areas so the oils don’t come through and your foundation (which should also be matte) will last longer. Whereas, if your dry skinned like myself, having a hydrating base will allow your foundation to apply on flawlessly, rather than the foundation clinging to your drier areas and making your foundation look patchy and caked on.
- If your wanting a brighter undereye, you don’t always have to use a lighter concealer, you can use banana powder | having extremely dark circles myself, I know how difficult it can be to find a concealer to not only cover the darkness, but to brighten my undereye area also. So, rather than applying thick layers of concealer to try and hide those undereye bags, you can apply a ‘banana powder’ which is made to brighten your undereye. A small amount, really does make a difference!
- When you want to overdraw your lips, always overdraw your Cupid’s now and sides of your bottom lip | unfortunately, I wasn’t blessed with big lips, actually mine are pretty non-existent when i smile. So, I watched multiple tutorials which made me realise that lip-liners are your best friend when it comes to over-lining. Though, when over-lining your lips, many people think that overdrawing your whole lip is the answer BUT it’s not! If you want them to look as ‘natural’ as possible, then you should only over-line your Cupid’s bow and the side edges of your bottom lip! This gives the illusion of natural yet plumped lip.
- If your wanting a bright highlight, use a liquid highlighter as a base then a powdered highlighter overtop | if your a highlighter lover, than this is what you need to do. By applying a liquid highlighter first, your powdered highlighter will stick to your base nicely and it will make your highlighter POP!
- Always apply glitter glue before applying glitter as it’ll last longer | if your finding that your glitter isn’t sticking to your eyeshadow as well as you’d like, then defiantly invest in a good glitter glue/primer (I love the one from NYX). using a fluffy eyeshadow brush with the glitter glue on, tap the glue over your eyelid, this won’t remove any eyeshadow you’ve applied before FYI, but it’ll also allow your glitter to sparkle throughout the day & night without falling onto your face.
- Once you’ve applied all your base products, use a setting spray all over your face to allow any excess powder to settle into your skin | if you find once you’ve applied all your base products that your looking a little caked or powdery, then spraying a setting spray all over your face is the answer. This will soak up any access powders that are sitting on the skin, it’ll settle the products into your skin flawlessly and will make your makeup last longer.
- Wet your beauty blender before using | this is a tip I’ll forever live by. Wetting your beauty blender before using will allow any excess makeup that’s sitting on the skin to be blended perfectly, helps the blending process and helps a full-coverage foundation etc, to sheer out so it looks more skin-like.
- Spraying MAC fix plus onto your brush which has a shimmery eyeshadow on it will make the eyeshadow go from shimmery to metallic | When I finally learnt this tip, it changed my makeup game massively. If your finding your shimmery eyeshadows not to be as pigmented when applying onto the eye, or they apply patchy, spray some MAC Fix-Plus onto your brush which has the eyeshadow on. This will allow the pigmentation to come through and it transforms any shimmery eyeshadows into a metallic-like finish!
Thats all from me for now when it comes to my ‘tips and tricks’. I’ll certainly keep doing more of these blogposts, as i find not only are they useful for me to look back on but they’re helpful to all of you guys too. I could possibly do a new ‘makeup tips and tricks’ blogpost at the beginning of each year, sharing what I’d learnt the previous? what do you think?
I learnt the majority of these ‘tips and tricks’ myself BUT if your looking for someone on social media to help you learn, I’d 100% recommend checking out @mmmmitchell and @plouise_makeup_academy as not only are they beyond talented but they are constantly sharing their different techniques and tips on their Instagram pages. Also, @mmmmitchell two videos with @jeffreestar are defiantly worth watching as Mitchell shares his favourite tips whilst doing Jeffree’s makeup.
I really hope you learnt something new from today’s post and these help you to perfect your makeup skills – wether its ‘everyday makeup’ or ‘glam makeup’ each of these tips and tricks will come in handy at least once.
Sending tons of love and hugs to you all as always,
Elle xo