You Could Look So Much Better If You Tried Any Of These 30 Tricks Beauticians Swear By

Professional makeup artist Scotia Boyd knows a thing or two about makeup, considering her work in the film and TV industries in Canada. She values a good eyeliner, specifically a gel liner, to subtly lift the eye area without a dramatic, dark line. “Makeup artists call this ‘tight lining’ the eyes,” she explains. “It’s similar to lining the inner waterline except you are going to do it only in the top water line of the eyes using a black, waterproof gel liner [...] it’s untraceable, but it makes a really big difference in lifting the eye.:

While bronzer is most commonly used to warm up the face and give it a faux, sun-kissed glow, Boyd suggests using your favorite bronzer to create a transition shade for your eyeshadow look. “After I bronze my cheeks, I take a fluffy eyeshadow brush with the same bronzer and blend it into the crease of my eyes before applying whatever eyeshadow color I want to the lid,” she says. “Doing this is going to make your whole look more cohesive.”

Bina Khan, MUA and co-founder of the beauty brand Just B Cosmetics, knows that prepping your lips is crucial, given how dry they can get on a regular basis. That’s why Khan suggests to exfoliate your lips and lock in hydration. “Tap a drop or two of warm water on to your lips. Trap in the hydration by applying a layer of hydrating moisturizer such as Nivea Soft,” she explains. This cream uses jojoba oil and vitamin E to moisturize every part of your body, including your lips (as Khan suggests), face, and hands.

Khan suggests finishing off your lip prep with an emollient like Burt’s Bees Natural Lip Balm. This pack of four Burts Bees balms come in different flavors, including the traditional peppermint, strawberry, coconut & pear, and vanilla bean. Made from beeswax and other moisturizing, nourishing ingredients, these balms are ultra-hydrating and the perfect base for any lipstick, tint, or gloss. There’s a reason this fan-favorite product has a 4.8-star rating on Amazon.

While on the topic of skin prep, Gabrielle Richens, skin therapist and founder of The Rich Skin Club, recommends using a facial roller like this rose quartz roller to de-puff your face. “Try this beauty trick for just a few minutes a day to transform tired, dull skin into a brighter, healthier, and glowing complexion,” she recommends.

For makeup mistakes or a quick removal at the end of the day, Nashville-based makeup artist Beck Wainner swears by these Neutrogena wipes. “These wipes make doing a winged liner a breeze! I love doing eye makeup first with a sharp wing and cleaning the line up with these soft yet powerful wipes,” she says. “It will look like you’ve mastered the perfect sharp wing.” With 90,000 Amazon reviews and an overall 4.8-star rating, there’s tons of makeup users that love these wipes like Wainner.

Wainner loves a good makeup sponge for applying and blending product. She also knows that you don’t have to shell out a ton of cash to buy quality makeup sponges, because these Beakey makeup sponges work just as well as name brand sponges at a fraction of the price. “These amazing sponges come in a pack of five and are hands down my favorite blender for makeup. They’re so soft and easy to clean and reuse while making your foundation look airbrushed. I like to apply the foundation with a brush then go back in and smooth out with one of these damp blenders,” she says.

Whether you’re an everyday false lash person or you put on falsies only for special occasions, make sure you have this Wainner-recommended Eiake applicator tool by your side. “This product makes applying false lashes a breeze. I like to grab the lash with this tool and start by pressing it firmly on the center of my lash line so the lash can’t slide around!” she says.

If you’re a newbie to eyeshadow looks or just want a better way to execute your go-to looks, consider this crease line kit from Lux&Chic that Wainner’s obsessed with. “This fool proof cut crease tool will have people thinking you’ve done makeup for years! It can help you achieve a cool doe-eyed, almond, wing, cat eye, or smoky effect.” This kit comes with six different-shaped silicone stamps to help you achieve the perfect look.

While the value of a good sheet mask is not lost on many skincare and makeup lovers, celebrity makeup artist and Creative Director at ShikSona Beauty and Glam Set Go Victoria Stiles tells us why they’re more important now more than ever. “Self care has been placed on the back burner so, to save our skin from feeling the effects of the grind, set aside a few minutes a couple times a week for a sheet mask.” She specifically recommends this Collagen Hydro Gel GoldMask from Masqueology which “helps to hydrate and revitalize tired skin and is infused with collagen.” In addition to that buzzy ingredient, this luxe mask also features gold in its gel.

And because we’re on-the-go more now than we have been in the past few years, Stiles loves multi-use products like this e.l.f. Monochromatic Multi Stick “for speeding up your morning beauty routine.” This product can be used on your eyes, lips, and cheeks for an instant, adorably-flushed, shimmery, and glowy look.

Stiles loves products that give you a quick, effortless look like this Maybelline New York Cream Gel Eyeshadow. This super long-wearing shadow lasts 24 whole hours, and there’s no reason to blend your look with a bunch of brushes to use it. “Choose a quick pop of shimmer on the eyelids using Maybelline New York Eyestudio Color Tattoo Metal 24Hr Cream Gel Eyeshadow in Bad to the Bronze. This long-wear gel shadow instantly sets, is crease resistant, and can be easily applied in one swipe to lids using just your fingertips,” she recommends.

This hydrating lip oil from Ruby Kisses that Stiles recommends will soothe, moisturize, and refresh your lips with its blend of cocoa butter, cannabis satvia hemp seed oil, and vitamin E. “[This lip oil] instantly smooths chapped lips leaving a supple pout. This lip oil is perfect for use alone to treat dry lips or on top of any lipstick color to both hydrate and add gloss,” she raves.

Tranese Lewis, a hair stylist from the Agua Caliente Casinos Spa in California, has learned the best tips and tricks for great hair over the years, specifically, but it starts with the basics. “Great hair begins at its foundation. You can’t perfect the style, color, or texture without first nurturing it and giving yourself the best base possible. Make sure to detangle before washing your hair,” she says. “Brush out the knots.” This fan-favorite brush is a great way to guarantee this “best base possible,” given its 38,000 five-star reviews on Amazon and ability to detangle any hair type, wet or dry with its flexible bristles that prevent breakage.

After detangling before a wash, Lewis says to “really saturate your hair with water first to rinse out debris before adding shampoo. Try and start with a clean slate washing out any product and as much oil as you can first with just the water.” Make sure you have a great shower head, though. This one has seven different spray features and amazing high pressure. It can also be removed from the holder to really get into your locks.

Using your brand new high-powered shower head, make sure you fully rinse out the products you use to wash and condition. Lewis says this is especially important for curly hair. “Always rinse out all the shampoo and conditioner when you’re done to establish a clean base for your products. A lot of people think they should leave a little bit of conditioner in their curly hair, but it’s unnecessary and you want to start fresh.”

When it comes to oily-haired folks, it can be difficult to condition without overdoing it. Lewis suggests that those with oily roots: “Concentrate conditioning on the mid shaft to the ends. No need to condition the scalp. It will make it more oily.” This eco-friendly conditioner bar is a great product to do this with, and it’s especially made for oily hair. The sulfate-free, pH-balanced, vegan bar is easy to handle, and will last for about 80 washes.

Lewis stresses the importance of choosing a shampoo to suit your specific hair type, so if your scalp gets a little more dry or is super sensitive, consider a product like this moisturizing soapberry shampoo from Tree to Tub. This shampoo works to clean and soften your scalp and hair with its lightweight and creamy lavender-scented lather. It adds moisture to your hair with time-proven argan oil, giving you luscious, shiny locks.

While rubbing shampoo into your hair is something we do on a regular basis, not everyone knows the proper way to do it. Lewis tells that this is the most effective way to shampoo: “When you put it in, lather it into your hands first, then concentrate on exfoliating your scalp with your fingertips to loosen excess oil and flakes.” If you really want to dig in, try her technique with this scalp-massaging silicone shampoo brush.

Marylisa Diaz, a makeup artist from the Julien Farel Salon & Spa in New York City, loves a good false lash to “open up your eyes.” She specifically favors these Ardell Demi Wispies lashes. “You can customize the lash to the person’s eye by cutting a bit on either side,” she explains. If you decide to take Diaz’s advice and snag these lashes, you’ll get five feathery, natural-looking pairs in your order.

Even though Diaz loves her falsies, she understands that not everyone wants to apply fake lashes every day. She loves this L’Oréal Paris Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara. It comes with a smudge-proof mascara and a primer wand that you can apply to your lashes before mascara for an extended lift and curl.

Diaz, like any good makeup artist, knows the best way to brighten the eye area is to find a good concealer. This full-coverage concealer is creamy and long-lasting, and will help conceal hyperpigmentation and make you look super awake. However, when it comes to picking the correct shade, Diaz has another tip: “To counteract greenish, dark circles, look for a warm shade. A cool shade will not work for this.”

“There is nothing like defining your eyebrows. Great brows frame the face,” Diaz states. Defining your brows the way that Diaz loves is incredibly easy with this Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pen, a pencil and spoolie combination that she loves. The creamy pencil fills in and defines your brows while the spoolie blends them seamlessly.

“Creating a tight eyeliner look is a quick trick to opening up your eyes with the most minimal look,” Diaz explains. “Gently pick up your eye lid and apply NYX mechanical eyeliner pencil on the inside.” This MUA-approved eyeliner will last for a whopping 36 hours without smudging or fading, because it’s truly waterproof.

This cult-favorite skin tint is the kind of skincare/sunscreen/makeup hybrid that Jen Cayle Gaum, professional MUA and founder of Sam & Maddy Makeup and Flushed Yoga Glow, recommends. This tinted serum is an ideal alternative to heavy, cakey foundation that doesn’t look as natural. Instead, this serum infused with squalene, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide will hydrate without clogging your pores while adding a light tint to your skin.

“For a light and youthful looking complexion try blending together a face tint and face primer then apply it directly to the face with a foundation brush,” Guam recommends. This moisturizing primer is the perfect pairing with the aforementioned skin tint thanks to its blend of aloe vera, shea butter, and soy proteins. It gives the skin a soft, smooth base that will allow coverage products to look even better when applied.

When it comes to lips, Gaum says there are some things you should stay away from. “Matte and Dark lip colors make your lips appear small and dehydrated . . . Instead choose sheer lip colors that are close to your natural lip tone that are also moisturizing and hydrating,” she explains. The perfect sheer lip product that’s also non-drying? This lip gloss with hydrating hyaluronic acid.

It’s no secret that cream blushes have been all the rage in the makeup world lately, and Gaum is definitely here for this trend: “Choose cream blushes that have a natural rosy or peach tone and apply them to the apples of your cheeks. You will get a natural flushed 'post—workout glow' and everyone will think you just came from the gym,” she says. This cream blush in this peachy tone is perfect for that exact look, and can even go on your lips, too.

While seemingly a tedious task, Gaum stresses the importance of a well-sharpened eyeliner pencil to achieve and simple and efficient eye look. “To increase the look of your eye lashes and to get a fuller lash line, use a freshly sharpened eye liner and directly into the root of your lashes,” she explains. This waterproof pencil is perfect for this task, and even comes with a built-in sharpener for keeping it in the best shape possible all the time.

Award-winning New Jersey-based licensed cosmetologist Jessica Walker has the perfect industry trick for maintaining the lip colors you put on your pout. “Put concealer on your lips before you apply any lipstick, lip gloss, or lip liner. This seals down the color and it stains your lips for longer lasting color,” she states. The best concealer for this trick and for, of course, covering and brightening your eye area? Walker says that it’s Glo Skin Beauty Under Eye Concealer. This compact comes with two hues that match your skin tone, so you’re guaranteed to have the perfect shades for your complexion.