My favorite makeup tricks

Makeup.  I've always been a fan, especially because I'm not one who feels as though they can go without.  Now, if I had a perfect complexion, full eyebrows, and dark thick lashes I could probably pull off the natural look but I'm blonde and pretty "plain-Jane" not to mention I lack the overall confidence of the no-make-up, and day-two-hair look.  Does this make me high-maintenance? Maybe, but so-be-it then.

Throughout my makeup journey, (yes, it's been a journey. I started with blue eyeshadow back in grade school and hit the white eyeliner pretty hard in high school. Who didnt?!) I picked up a few tip and tricks here and there.  Some tips are from YouTube videos, others from bloggers, my mom, sisters, friends, hairstylist... the list of influences is long.  Regardless of where they came from, here are my favorite makeup tricks.  Hopefully you find one or two tricks to try yourself!

Line your waterline with a nude eyeliner.
I learned this one on YouTube while watching an eye makeup tutorial. I used to use black eyeliner but it looked too heavy and seemed to give my eyes dark circles by the end of the day.  So, I switched to using eye shadow as lower lash liner and finishing my look with a nude eyeliner applied to my the lower waterline of my eye.  I do this at the very end. It cleans up your eyes to help you makeup look crisp and makes your eyes look so much brighter!
My product pick: Rimmel Kohl Kajal Waterproof Eyeliner in nude

Use the tip of your mascara wand to apply mascara to your lower lashes.
Why did it take me so long to adopt this trick?  By using the tip of your mascara wand to apply mascara to your lower lashes it reduces your chances of a mishap and gives your lashes a nice coat of mascara.
My product pick: Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara

Use a face primer.
A good primer will help your make up go on smooth, cover imperfections, and help your foundation last all day.  I didn't think I needed one if I used CC Cream but even with that a face primer works wonders.
My product pick: Maybelline Face Studio Master Prime blur + illuminate

Apply a neutral eye primer before eyeshadow.
When you prime your eyes, use a neutral or skin-tone eye primer.  This helps to eliminate the redness from your eyelids for a complete, even-tone canvas.  Plus it helps your eyeshadow to blend and the color to stay vibrant all day.
My product pick: Maybelline Master Prime Long-Lasting Eyeshadow Base - prime + illuminate

Highlight your cheek bones.
This kind of goes along with contouring but I'm not much of a contour type of person since I have a few features that should be softened rather than contoured but I do like highlighting my cheek bones.  It helps to give my face a little extra glow.  You can also highlight your brow bones and the bridge of your nose.
My product pick: Maybelline Face Studio Master Hi-Light

Fill in your eyebrows.
Filling in your eyebrows is completely transforming - this gives your face shape and definition.  Not to mention my eyebrows lack perfection so I fake it by using this trick.  There are so many eyebrow pencils and shaping products on the market so take your pick.  I prefer to using eyeshadow to fill in my eyebrows.
My product pick: Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in hazelnut

A lot of my favorite products as of late have been Maybelline brand products.  This blog post is in no-way a sponsored blog post.  Perhaps next week I'll share a complete list of my favorite make up products with you.

Also, for the record, I don't normally do my makeup at my dining room table... :)