10 Beauty Products That Work Harder Than Photo Filters

Perfect cover

Say goodbye to blowing out your pics with a beauty filter to hide blemishes and dark circles. Instead, make them look invisible IRL with this oncealer (in the cutest little eraser container). The long-wearing product is waterproof and promises not to crease or crack.

Best Health tip: Draw an inverted triangle of concealer under each eye with a brush—the point in the middle of your cheek—and blend for a flawless finish.

Benefit Boi-ing Airbrush Concealer, $27 at benefitcosmetics.com.

Blush hour

The Nars cult classic Orgasm blush – a peachy pink hue with golden shimmer that recreates a post-coital flush – is now available in a liquid. This format is ideal for those with dry skin, as it won’t look cakey or highlight flakiness, unlike some powder blushes.

Best Health tip: For the most natural look, pump a small amount of product into the palm of your hand and apply with your fingertips to the apples of your cheeks, blending out toward your hairline.

Nars Liquid Blush in Orgasm, $38 at sephora.ca.

Sheen queen

For that beauty filter look of dewy, glitter-free highlight on the high planes of your face (the bridge of the nose, brow bones, cheek bones and even the cupid’s bow), apply a small amount of liquid highlighter and blend, blend, blend. This instantly hydrates with three forms of hyaluronate and blurs the appearance of pores and fine lines.

Best Health tip: Mix it with your moisturizer or foundation for a subtle all-over glow.

Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar Glow Drops Instant Radiance Ampoule, $47 at beautyboutique.ca.

Ace that base

Choose a cushion compact like this one for a liquid foundation with a dewy, barely-there appearance. It creates a veil of colour and sheer coverage and is easy to throw in your purse for pre-photo touchups on the go. No beauty filter required.

Best Health tip: Apply the most product at the centre of your face where you need coverage (i.e. the nose and chin) and blend outward.

Maybelline New York Dream Cushion, $19 at drug stores and mass retailers.

Bronze age

A hint of a tan can work wonders because it minimizes the appearance of imperfections and creates a slimmer appearance, but the face tends to fade the fastest. Enter this mask. It allows you to gradually tan your face to your desired colour while you sleep and without that dreadful orange tinge.

Best Health tip: Apply a thin layer of the mask to cleansed skin and blend into your hairline and neck. Repeat for up to three nights to build your tan to your desired depth.

Charlotte Tilbury Overnight Bronze & Glow Mask, $65 at holtrenfrew.com.

Ready, set, go

If you’re prone to oily skin that causes makeup to slide off by midday, set it and forget about it with this face powder. It will fight shine throughout the day and is translucent, which means it works for most skin tones.

Best Health tip: Brush the loose powder over your T-zone, skipping your cheeks and the side of your face unless you’re extra oily. Apply highlighter, bronzer and/or blush after the powder, not before.

Sephora Collection Beauty Amplifier Loose Translucent Setting Powder, $20 at sephora.ca.

Bright eyes

Target tired, sagging eyelids with these patches to define the lid and make it appear less hooded and more youthful. They offer only a one-time use and need to be reapplied each day, but they are perfect for special occasions when cameras will be flashing—or when your dating profile needs an update.

Best Health tip: Cleanse your eyelid before application to remove oil. It may take a couple tries to get placement just right, but once it’s on you can apply makeup over top and the stripe will even last overnight.

Magicstripes Invisible Eyelid Lifting Patch, $18 at sephora.ca.

Soft Focus

This skin smoother aims to make your photos extra pretty by minimizing the look of pores and absorbing sebum to reduce shine. The serum also targets dehydration and acne—two skin concerns that can sabotage a great selfie.

Best Health tip: Apply the smoother as the last step of your skin-care routine or pat it over foundation.

Shiseido Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother, $29 at thebay.com.

Sweat Sesh

Ever wondered how models get that gorgeous sweaty sheen in photo shoots? Hint: It’s not real sweat. One tool that makeup artists use is Prtty Peaushun, an all-natural skin-firming body lotion with light-reflecting particles. Seriously, this stuff is the bomb. It comes in a few different shades so you can achieve a bit of a temporary tan, too, if that’s what you’re after.

Best Health tip: Massage Prtty Peaushun into your décolletage and highlight your best assets or apply to your entire body for arms and legs that look soft and slim.

Prtty Peaushun Skin Tight Body Lotion, $53 at ecodivabeauty.ca.

In The Neck Of Time

As if we all don’t have enough to worry about, the innumerable hours we spend looking down at our phones is causing a new #firstworld problem: Tech neck. Luckily, Nia (a new skin-care brand that stands for “not into aging”) has a new neck roller that promises to firm and smooth horizontal neck wrinkles with lipopeptides – ’cause good selfies aren’t only about the face.

Best Health tip: If you don’t want to buy a whole new product, simply move your skin-care routine below your chin. To combat lines and “turkey neck,” you should be applying the same cleansers, toners, serums and moisturizers to your neck and chest as you do to your face.

Nia Tech Neck Line Smoother, $39, beautyboutique.ca in August 2017.

Want more beauty news you can use? Check out these

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• A Truly, Honest Conversation About Natural Beauty Products

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