7 makeup tricks that make all the difference

Easy beauty tips that work

Of course you’re busy and looking to cut beauty corners. Who needs liquid liner, bronzer, contour powder or three shades of eye shadow every day? But a few commonly skipped steps actually have big impact for little effort, and should be part of your daily routine to help make the most of your natural good looks.

You don’t have to add these steps to your routine all at once, but as you do, you’ll see the difference is a big payoff for surprisingly little work—about as much as smiling and saying "thank you" for the compliments.

Easy beauty tips that work

Of course you’re busy and looking to cut beauty corners. Who needs liquid liner, bronzer, contour powder or three shades of eye shadow every day? But a few commonly skipped steps actually have big impact for little effort, and should be part of your daily routine to help make the most of your natural good looks.

You don’t have to add these steps to your routine all at once, but as you do, you’ll see the difference is a big payoff for surprisingly little work—about as much as smiling and saying "thank you" for the compliments.

1. Exfoliate regularly

Smoother skin needs less makeup effort, so get in a little light buffing each day (it’s less taxing on skin than a bigger weekly job). A mild daily exfoliating face wash or a microfibre cloth to use with your regular cleanser will do the job without stealing time. Use a moisturizer with SPF before makeup, of course.

Try: LUSH Angels on Bare Skin Cleanser, $10.50 at lush.ca; Dermalogica Age Smart Skin Resurfacing Cleanser, $45.50 (dermalogica.ca for retailers); Daree Micro Peeling Sensation Skin Cleansing Cloths, $18.99/2 (dareeproducts.com for retailers); Cargo blu_ray Polishing Cloths, $15/20 sheets at Sephora.

2. Use concealer

Even if you wear foundation, add a couple of strategic concealer dabs and suddenly you look rested, your eye colour pops and all your makeup looks better. Choose a shade that matches your skin tone, and tap it into skin from the upper lids at the bridge of the nose, around inner corners, to shadows under eyes. As well, blend concealer over redness around the base of your nose, and use with a tiny brush to minimize blemishes. Set everything with a light dusting of loose powder.

Try: Cover Girl TruConceal, $8.49 at mass retailers; Marcelle Concealer Palette, $15.95 at drugstores; Physicians Formula Perfecting Concealer Duo, $11.49 at Shoppers Drug Mart.

3. Fill brows in

Healthy, defined brows add crucial definition to the face and can actually take off a couple of years (too-skinny, too-pale brows achieve the opposite). Choose an eyebrow powder or eye shadow that matches the midtones in your hair, and use an angled brow brush to apply a tiny amount of colour in light, short strokes in the direction of the hair growth. Follow with a light application of clear or tinted brow gel as needed.

For shape or thickness guidance, see a brow specialist. Ask for a recommendation from a fab-browed friend (or stranger—you’ll make her day by asking!), e-mail a magazine beauty editor (they all have blogs now), or check in at the department-store beauty counter of your choice.

Try: Anna Sui Eyebrow Powder, $23 at sears.ca; The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit, $18 at thebodyshop.ca; Benefit Speed Brow Quick-Set Brow Gel $19 at Holt Renfrew and Sephora.

4. Curl lashes

Curved lashes make your eyes look bigger, brighter, more awake. A curler with rubber pads will give you the prettiest effect in seconds.

Try: Tweezerman Classic Lash Curler, $10.49 at Shoppers Drug Mart; Shiseido The Makeup Eye Lash Curler $16 at The Bay; or Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, $22 at Holt Renfrew.

5. Highlight brow and cheek bones

A sweep of sheer, shimmery pale shadow at the inner corners of eyes, over brow bones and atop cheekbones adds luminosity and further spotlights your eyes.

Try: Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Moonstone, $7.50 at marykay.ca; M.A.C Eye Shadow in Shroom, $17 at maccosmetics.ca; Smashbox Eye Shadow in Oyster, Sand or Shell, $21 each at Shoppers and Sephora.

6. Wear blush

Just a touch of cheek colour makes your whole face come alive. Pick pinks and peaches for fresh-faced beauty (medium to dark skin can handle sheer red, too), and nude hues when you’re working smoky eyes or a sophisticated nude-makeup look. Cream, mousse, gel and stain give a from-within finish; powder is speedy, and layered over a similar shade of cream or mousse can add long-last power.

Pinks to try: Maybelline New York Dream Mousse Blush in Whipped Strawberries, $8.99 at drugstores; Chanel Joues Contraste powder blush in Rose Dust, $46 at department stores; Benefit PosieTint, $35 at Sephora.
Peaches to try: Clinique Blushwear Cream Stick in Peachy Blush, $21.50 at clinique.ca; Nars powder blush in Orgasm, $29 at Holt Renfrew and Sephora; Cargo powder blush in The Big Easy, $26 at Sephora; M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish in Redhead, $33.50 maccosmetics.ca.
Nudes to try: Josie Maran Cream Blush in Sun Kissed, $22 at Sephora; DuWop Cheek Venom in Sidewinder, $27 at Sephora.

7. Condition Lips

Smooth, hydrated lips = optimal lipstick or gloss application and easy smiles in winter. Buff away flakies with a washcloth dampened in hot water, then load lips up with moisturizing balm until you’re ready for makeup. Blot before applying lipstick or gloss.

Try: Green Beaver Aprés Ski Winter Lip Balm, $3.50 (greenbeaver.com for retailers); Yes to Carrots Lip Butter, $4.99, or Sally Hansen Healing Butter for Lips, $13.99, both at drugstores; Dermalogica Age Renewal Lip Complex, $32.50 (dermalogica.ca for retailers).

Janine Falcon is the founder and editor of BeautyGeeks, a site about stuff that delivers best-you beauty and style.