Top 10 Makeup Tips & Tricks | Exciting Announcement

You guys. I'm super excited to announce that I've had my first opportunity as a special guest blogger! My soon to be sister-in-law Kinsey has an awesome blog, www.kinseyhicks.com where she shares her thoughts on beauty products, health-related goodness, and day-in-the-life kind of fun.

I'm sharing 10 makeup tips & tricks that I've incorporated over the years into my own makeup routine and when I'm doing makeup for special events.


To see Tips 1-5, check out my blogpost on Kinsey's blog HERE!

6. Use a tissue to what?!
After applying your foundation, use a tissue to dab (not wipe) your face to absorb the excess product and oils sitting on the surface of your skin. This trick is perfect for any skin type. If you have oily skin, you want to absorb the oil for obvious reasons. If you're dry like me, you probably enjoy wearing dewy foundations, which can sometimes give your skin a little more of a shine than you want. When your natural oils start mixing with the extra foundation on your face... Well, you get cake-face. Not cute.

7. Add dimension to your face.
Contouring and highlighting is all the rage right now. Thanks, Pinterest. While it is a beautiful art, contouring can look extremely harsh and unnatural, and it's just not practical for everyday. Sooo... add dimension by highlighting! This can subtly draw attention to all the right places, mostly to the cheekbones and center of the face. You can easily highlight with a brightening concealer and blend in with whatever tool you used for your foundation to get a more natural look.

8. Smudge that liner!
In my humble opinion, nothing can date you like bad eyeliner. Try taking a pencil brush and smudging your liner, maybe even using an eyeshadow to help smoke it out. If you're feeling really adventurous, try using only shadow (I know, it'll be hard for some of you!) for a more natural, blown out look. It's PERFECT for daytime!

Get a softer look by "smoking out" your eyeliner

9. They're sisters, not twins.
I have always thought that little adage about eyebrows is so funny... but it's so true! I think eyebrows are the most underrated feature. I love a good brow! You will be surprised at what a difference filling in your brows can make, especially in pictures. In the picture below, I barely filled in one brow using Anastasia's Brow Wiz, and as you can see, it really does help to frame the face. Especially for your more mature gals out there, filling in your brows (modestly) can help you look more youthful!

Even slightly filling in your brow can make a huge difference!

10. Use lip liner. I know, just trust me on this one.
Kinda like the eyeliner, lip liner is certainly one of those things can make you look stuck in the 80's if it's not done right. Try using a neutral liner or one close to your lip product to fill in your lips all over. Apply your lipstick on top, and you will be amazed at how long your lipstick will last! This is such a great tip if you're like me and not a fan of lip stains. I have yet to find a lip stain that is super comfortable to wear and doesn't make me look like a dried up drag queen by the end of the night. I would much rather reapply my lippy throughout the day, but using liner helps to make that a less frequent occurrence.

What are some of your favorite beauty tips? I would love to hear from you!

xoxo.