These Game-Changing Makeup Tips Help Me Look Like I’ve Totally Got My Life Together

Sometimes life is hard, but hey, when our makeup is on point, we at least look like we can conquer the world. So to that end, here are three life-changing makeup tips that you need to incorporate RN to get your life. Best of all? These tips won’t cost a cent. How’s that for life-changing?

I don’t consider myself a HUGE makeup geek … OK, well, I take that back. I buy eyeshadow palettes like they are going out of style and am eagerly anticipating the next Fenty Beauty release like my life depends on it.

My thing with makeup is that I like to look like myself … but better. You know, I like to look like someone who has their life together and always has a cake baked for coffee after dinner and sends handwritten birthday cards to their friends every year and always has the perfect bottle of wine for every occasion. Unfortunately, I live like a closet troll 93% of the time so I gotta fake it till I make it!

Which brings me to the point of this article — my life-changing makeup tips that help me look like I really have my sh—t together without the need for expensive tools or products. It’s 2019, and we’re on a budget this year, ladies!

Mixing foundation with my moisturizer

Now that the weather is a bit cooler and more dry, I’ve realized that my skin has been screaming for more moisture. My foundation just wasn’t looking as luminous as it could, so one day, I came up with the bright (yet lazy) idea to just mix my foundation into my moisturizer.

AND WHAT A FREAKING CONCEPT I AM A GENIUS.

I’m of course probably not the first person to think of this, but listen, my mind is blown. It’s now my official go-to way to apply my foundation because a) two steps in one, and b) I liveeee for a dewy, non-makeup-like foundation finish, and this delivers.

I’ve played around with the ratio a bit and have found that one pump of foundation with like a pump and a half of moisturizer is the sweet spot. You haven’t thinned out the coverage of the foundation TOO much, and you still get that nice bit of moisture/hydration from your lotion, cream, or emulsion.

The major key to making this work is mixing like with like. So if your foundation is water-based (most oil-free, non-comedogenic ones are), make sure to mix it with a water-based moisturizer — something like the SanDaWha Ultra Rich Hydrating Camellia Floral Water cream works really well. I use the NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Full Coverage Foundation, which is perfect because it’s super affordable, easy to find, and it mixes really well with any type of moisturizer I’ve tried. And if you REALLY wanna glow, add in a drop of some rosehip oil and thank me later.

Reverse foundation

I was having a beauty chat with some of my friends recently and was hipped to the reverse foundation trick. What is this, you ask? Well, it’s when you put on your bronzer, highlight, contour, blush, etc., on BEFORE you put your foundation on. It sounds counterintuitive, but listen, if you want to look like one of those effortlessly polished French girls on Instagram who look hella radiant and glowy and dewy at all times, then you’re gonna wanna read this carefully.

So typically, we apply foundation first and then slap on all highlighters and bronzers afterwards, which if not applied carefully or isn’t blended properly, can look like it’s just sitting on top of your foundation. Have you ever seen someone in real life that just has a streak of highlighter going down their face and it just looks unnatural? The point (for me at least) is to make my makeup look as natural and lit-from-within as possible, and the reverse foundation trick does that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yso9ntss_74

First, I apply my highlight on all the high parts of my face — the cheekbones, eyebrows, and a dash above my cupid’s bow. Then I go in and apply a little bronzer for some dimension around my hair and contour lines. After that, I apply a blush. Liquid products do work a bit better for all of this, but I’ve also tried it with powders and it just takes more of an effort to blend it. Take care of any spots with some concealer, and then finally apply your foundation. I know you’re thinking that it’s going to cover up all of that hard work, but you’ll find that you now just need a light layer to cover your face and all of that highlight and bronzer looks like your skin was just … blessed that way.

This tip has CHANGED MY LIFE. If you try it, let me know how much you love it in the comments!

WASH YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES

Listen. I know. It’s the most tedious chore on the planet, but it’s just one of those things that HAS to be done. Do you really want to take that concealer brush you’ve used to cover up your breakouts the next day WITHOUT WASHING IT?! NO. Brushes are a breeding ground for nasties and bacteria, and you have to wash them frequently. I wash my face brushes a few times a week, but I wash my sponges and concealer brush daily. Eyeshadow brushes get washed weekly. I am super intense about this, but my skin has gone through too much for it to be a mess because I didn’t wash my brushes.

(For tips on how to clean your brushes, check out Coco's article here.)

Do you have any life-changing makeup tips you swear by? Let me know in the comments!