30 Make Up Hacks That Your Artist Would Never Tell You For Free

1. Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate

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Exfoliating is the secret to beautiful makeup that's easy to apply and that stays on for as long as you need it to.  You see, dead skin cells naturally build up on our skin, and when this happens, your pores become clogged and your skin appears quite dull.  So prepping your skin with an exfoliating cleanser is the perfect way to smooth the skin and make your makeup last longer!

2. Invisible lipliners are your best friend

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Using an 'invisible' lip liner can make your lips more shapely and neaten up the outside lines, controlling the edges of your lips and making it easier to apply your lipstick cleanly.  So when choosing your lipliner, be sure to color match it to your lips so it can disappear and appear invisible!

3. Melt your lipliner pencil

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Melting your lipliner pencil will make it much easier to apply because it will glide seamlessly onto your lips.  And by doing this, you're way more likely to apply it neatly!  To melt your lipliner, you could use a hairdryer, put it near a radiator or warm it between your palms.

4. Apply foundation BEFORE concealer

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Many people apply concealer to their blemishes first but one tip that will change your life is to actually apply your foundation first.  This way, you're giving yourself a more even base to work with (and you're not wiping off the concealer!).  If you still have visible blemishes you want to cover, use the concealer AFTER you've applied your foundation.

5. The secret to a perfect cupid's bow is an 'X'

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Another life-changing lipliner tip is to pay special attention to your cupid's bow.  It's no lie that it's probably the trickiest part of lips to line neatly.  So to overcome this, draw a small 'x' shape over your cupid's bow to map out your lines before applying your lipstick.

6. You can mix your own lip color

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Now, sometimes, you have a solid vision and you know EXACTLY what you want your makeup to look like but you just can't find the right color for your lips.  So mix your own with petroleum jelly and your desired eyeshadow color and apply as normal.  You'll even find that it lasts longer than usual too!

7. You NEED translucent powder in your makeup bag

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Translucent powder is just so multifunctional that you absolutely need to have it in your makeup bag.  You can use it to set your makeup, mattify the skin and lips, even out skin tone, cover blemishes using the bake method, plump your eyelashes, absorb oil, and more!

8. You want dewy skin

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Dewy skin is beautiful and your skin care can go a long way in making sure your skin glows.  So make sure you cleanse twice a day, use a toner, exfoliate regularly, apply a rich, vitamin C serum daily, and be sure to use liquid-based makeup for your face to create this look, even on Winter days!

9. Test foundation on your neck

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You should always test your foundation on your neck for the perfect color match.  And the reason for this is that you'll want to avoid those quite jarring and obvious differences in color between your neck and your face.  So make sure you blend your foundation not only onto your face, but also down over your jawline and neck.

10. Saline solution can give your mascara a new lease of life

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We might be all too familiar with having a few old and claggy mascaras at the bottom of our makeup bags that just don't work anymore.  But don't give up on them yet!  It is possible to revive them using saline solution so they're as good as new.  Saves wasting them, right?

11. Fill your brows with a lighter color

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When filling in your brows, it's important that you use a lighter color than the natural shade of your eyebrows.  If you choose a shade that's too dark, they can look quite harsh and severe but if you use a lighter shade, you'll get a more effortless and natural look.

12. Accentuate your eyeshadow with white eyeliner

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Now, white eyeliner is really magical and an absolute must in your makeup collection.  If you use it on your waterline, it can give the illusion of a bigger and brighter eye.  You can also use white eyeliner to accentuate your eyeshadow and really make it pop, giving it a real wow factor.

13. Use a bobby pin to apply glue to lashes

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Makeup artists will tell you that so many of their clients have immense difficulties when applying their false eyelashes.  And this is mainly because of how they apply the glue.  Many brands of eyelash glue do have an applicator but they're not always very effective.  So a good tip is to use a bobby pin for precision when applying the glue to the lash.

14. Think '3' for your bronzer

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Contouring is all the rage.  And despite all of the tutorials you can find online, many people just don't get it right.  But what if we told you that there is a really easy hack to get the perfect shape with your bronzer?  Simply map out a '3' shape going from just beyond your temple, then bring it into the corner of your eye, curving around to just under your cheekbones.

15. Dots perfect your winged eyeliner

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Liquid eyeliner is a real problem area for people.  It's just so difficult to perfect the line or get it even!  Makeup artists will tell you that there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with mapping out your lines, they do it all the time!  And they'll tell you that mapping out your liquid eyeliner with dots will change your life!

16. Your lipstick is not just lipstick and your eyeshadow is not just eyeshadow...

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If you really want to improve your makeup skills, you should definitely get creative with your makeup and experiment with different looks and different methods of applying it.  Who said you need to use lipstick as lipstick?  Why not use it as blush, or even as eyeshadow?  And do you really need to have an expensive collection of brushes to apply makeup?  We think not!

17. Your fingers provide you with more brushes!

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This brings us to our next point.  And it's completely true that you don't actually need to splash out on an expensive set of brushes, each one with its own specific job.  Fingers can work really well in applying makeup, particularly when your packing on the eyeshadow for an impactful look!

18. Always start with a primer

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Primers are used to smooth out any bumps or blemishes on the skin and even out skin tone.  They also help you to prepare a good base for clean and long-lasting makeup coverage.  They target dry, oily, or combination skin as well to enhance makeup coverage and brighten your skin.

19. Draw triangles with concealer under your eyes

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You'll be blown away with this easy concealer hack!  And this is because of how vibrant your skin will look after trying it.  Simply draw triangles with your concealer under your eyes and blend them into your foundation.  Then stare in awe at how bright and youthful you look!

20. Don't skip the blush

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Just wearing foundation, powder and concealer on your face can run the risk of making your face look quite monochromatic and, ultimately, pretty flat (even if you've done the concealer trick!).  So make sure you also apply a blusher of your choice to enhance your cheekbones and breathe life into your look.

21. Learn the 'reverse makeup' technique

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TikTok's reverse makeup technique has taken the social platform by storm!  And it's won over celebs too!  The idea is that you start with a moisturizer, then dust a light layer of translucent powder over the top before applying setting spray.  Let it dry and then apply your primer and your foundation right at the end!  It really is the secret to a flawless face!

22. Let your mistakes dry before removing them

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It's totally normal to make mistakes with your makeup.  Even well-established makeup artists do it.  But they'll tell you that they wait for their mistakes to dry before they gently remove them to avoid smearing the mistake all over the face and ruining any other makeup you have worked on.

23. Don't ignore the setting spray

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Setting spray is something you don't want to skip!  What it does is it fixes makeup to your face and makes it last longer.  You can also get setting sprays that create a dewy finish or a matt finish to your look and some even add a beautiful shimmer.  If you use it before applying your makeup too, it'll last even longer!

24. Brighten your eyes with highlighter

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Highlighter is not just for your cheekbones!  You can pretty much use it anywhere and if you apply it to certain parts of your face (without applying too much!), it can really make a look pop!  So try it!  Apply some highlighter to the inner corners of your eyes to brighten them!

25. Spray micellar water

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Micellar water is a really gentle and effective way to remove your makeup whilst taking care of the sensitive skin on your face.  It is really good at removing dirt and toxins from the skin while remaining gentle enough to reduce irritation and redness.  It can even tackle waterproof mascara!

26. Consider the shape of your eyes

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When applying eye makeup, you can actually create different illusions that appear to change the shape of your eye.  For example, the way you apply your liquid eyeliner really lifts your eye, particularly if you have more hooded lids, ad applying white eyeliner can make your eye look huge!

27. Apply your lashes at an angle

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If you apply a winged eyeliner to your eyes before applying your false lashes, this can really act as an effective guide to indicate where to apply them.  Make sure you apply your lashes diagonally up to make them sit at an angle.  This will open up your eyes more.

28. Fake an eye lift

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You can create so many illusions with makeup and one of these is a youthful eye lift!  To fake one of these with makeup, simply arch your eyebrow using concealer and an eyebrow pencil.  Then one artist advises contouring the eye by applying a shimmery eyeshadow to the brow bone and lid and applying brown eyeshadow to the crease of the eye that traces the shape of the brow upwards.

29. Learn the 'reverse' cat eyeliner trend

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So a typical cat eye usually focuses on the flick upwards with your liner.  But a reverse cat eye flips it and focuses on the flick at the inner corner of the eye.  There are many variations of this including a more dramatic look that includes the flick of both the typical cat eye AND the reverse flick too.  MEOW!

30. Keep your eyes open!

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When applying makeup, keep your eyes open... Sounds obvious, right?  Well, apparently it's not, as many makeup artists will tell you because when applying eyeliner in particular, people shut one eye!  And this is a no-no in the makeup world because it means your work will be totally uneven!

Now For The Biggest Makeup Artist Mess Ups... James Charles’ Flashback Mary

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James Charles is a YouTuber/beauty guru who first came onto the scene in 2015. Throughout his years on the makeup of scene, he amassed over 23 million subscribers for his work in the beauty world but this red carpet moment has tarnished his makeup reputation completely. This blunder became a worldwide meme entitled ‘Flashback Mary’ and it's one we’ll never forget.

Cake-Face

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The beauty of makeup is that it gives you creative freedom to create whatever you want. This makeup artist however has collected numerous makeup fails and compiled it all on one face. The orange foundation with the white under-eye, the two toned lip, and the intense smokey eye is the recipe for makeup disaster.

The Scouse Brow

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Liverpool, England is full of culture, music... and eyebrows. The evolution of the ‘scouse brow’ swarmed the city and became a staple in the makeup trends of the time. The thick, dark, pencil filled brows were a hit in Liverpool but for the rest of the world, an utter miss.

A Red Carpet Blunder

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The HD cameras on the red carpet leave no stone unturned, every makeup mishap will be documented under the bright lights. Even for the most experienced makeup artists, mistakes can be made; these mistakes usually consist of using setting powder that leaves an unfortunate white cast when pictured with flash.

Mindhunters Makeup Scandal

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Show Mindhunter follows FBI agents who explore the psychology of criminals, but the only real crime in this show is character Wendy’s foundation shade match. It’s no secret that TV requires a more intense face of makeup for it to translate well on camera, but maybe the makeup artist on the set of Mindhunter went slightly overboard.

A Birthday Gift

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This was the result of a lovely gesture from a boyfriend to his girlfriend, what girl doesn’t love a pamper. This however did not quite go to plan for this couple as this was the outcome of the woman in the makeup chair. She claimed that she was so disappointed with the service she had received that it brought her to tears.

A Mexican Makeover

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Mexican athlete and politician Ava Guevara was done dirty by her makeup artist on this occasion. The poor foundation shade match and the hint of scouse brow was sure to distract from whatever public statement this lady was making. I’m sure this makeup artist was fired shortly after this event ended.

Highlighter Fest

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The trend of highlighting has been going wild for the past few years, nearly every makeup brand has created different formulas of highlighter with as much shine as possible. This makeup artist has taken the art of highlighting too far, making their client look sweaty and feeling very unsatisfied.

Panda Eyes

Image Source / Radar Online

Claudia Winkleman is well known for her smokey black eyeliner however her signature look was taken over the limit at this red carpet event. The excessive panda eyes left everyone wondering what she’d been up to before making an appearance on the red carpet.

Contour Fail

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Upon further inspection, this is by no means a bad face of makeup. However it is completely blinded by the contour that this makeup artist has used on their client. The purpose of contour is to sculpt the face, creating a deeper, natural shadow. It’s very rare that the natural contours of someone’s face is bright orange.

The Orange Osbourne

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Kelly Osbourne probably sacked her makeup artist as soon as she finished walking the red carpet of this event. The celebrity has been part of many controversies in her time in the spotlight, but the obvious incorrect shade match paired with the unflattering Barbie pink lip is the most controversial act yet.

Kesha As Batman

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Kesha is well known for her extravagance in the makeup and fashion world which is well regarded and encouraged in her scene. However this look was not as well received as it appears to come off as more of a last minute Halloween makeup look as opposed to the high fashion look they were going for.

A Vision In Blue

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This is a visual example of how not to do a full face of makeup. Whoever was responsible for this should have their cosmetology license taken away, that’s if they had one in the first place. Hopefully this was wiped off immediately and it was all one big joke.

90’s Brows

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90’s icons all over the world rocked the skinny eyebrows and it was the cult classic makeup trend of the decade. This lady however, took it to the extreme, and her brows somewhat resemble two legs of a spider. I highly doubt this was the look that Angelina Jolie was going for when setting this trend.

1 Star Reviews

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There are speculations surrounding the looks we’ve seen so far regarding real cosmetology licenses, but this is in fact the work of a qualified makeup artist. This woman went to a 1 star rating salon to see how bad it actually is, and it is safe you should really take notice of those reviews you see online.

Unsatisfied Customers

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When you sit in a makeup chair, all of your trust goes into that one person with the brushes and the pallets. As a paying customer, it is vital that the service you receive is of a good standard. It is safe to say that this isn’t the case with this one.

From GCSEs to Glam

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There are numerous things that get the alarm bells ringing for this one. What’s worse, the obviously fake drawn on freckles with eyeliner or the orange foundation stain all over the school uniform? It makes you wonder where the youngun’ is going  after school.

A Natural Flush Of Orange

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Its pretty obvious that this is not this lady’s natural skin tone, but if you couldn’t tell already, take a look at her arm. This really accentuates the true falseness of whatever they were trying to create with this look. It’s by no means the worst face of makeup to be posted online, but there’s definitely a reason it has been featured on this list.

A Natural Beauty

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The before and after side by side really highlights how much you can change your whole face with makeup. The power of makeup is a wonderful thing, but it seems in this case its gone too far. The natural beauty of this lady is completely hindered by orange tones, so much so that it makes her hair look less ginger!

Jessie’s Poor Lipstick Choices

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Undoubtedly the biggest blunder in Jessie J’s makeup looks. As someone who can pretty much pull anything off, this bright purple lip was a huge miss amongst fans and makeup fanatics all over the world. I don’t think she ever lived this one down, and the atrocious purple lip will follow her for life.