Make-up obsessive & Kardashian lover Charley has joined the Leeds Student Dweller team to help us all with those beauty problems and questions in her fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog.
Make-up can sometimes be a right pain. We’ve all been there and made the obvious mistakes- trying to even out eyeliner and ending up looking like a panda-meets-Marylin-Manson, sneezing after perfecting mascara, leaving the house with an orange face and a white neck, oh how the list goes on.
To help make mornings easier (when you can’t really be bothered putting your Pat Mcgrath head on) here are some quick and easy make-up hacks…
1) Concealer is everything
If you feel a bit worse for wear on a morning, cover up those dark circles using a salmon-based concealer and apply, in a triangular shape, to your under-eyes. If you don’t have dark circles, apply a lighter shade of concealer in a triangular shape to give your eyes a clean-cut, bright finish.
To clean up your brows, liner and lipstick, use a concealer that’s slightly lighter than your skin tone, apply around the edges of brows and lips (or underneath eyeliner) and blend, blend, blend. Use the power of Google for some fab examples.
2) Priming is more important than you think.
There are sooooo many primers on the market these days, and until you try one you probably won’t know any different- but when you do you won’t look back. Primers are the key to long-lasting, shine-free make-up, and come in all different shapes and sizes to suit any skin type.
3) No more lipstick on teeth
It’s annoying when you have Monroe-worthy lipstick, but then half of it ends up on your front teeth. This one sounds weird, however… place some cling film around your finger, put your finger in your mouth, close your lips tightly around it and then pull it out. The excess lipstick will have stuck to the film. Voila!
4) Tape
A strip of sticky tape is the secret to super-straight eye make-up. Stick a strip diagonally under your eye and apply the eye make-up as normal. This will keep all of the shadow/liner perfectly straight for a killer smokey eye.
5) Long-lasting lips
For a matte finish, apply your favourite lipstick as normal, place a square of tissue over the your lips to blot, and then finish by brushing on some translucent setting powder. This will hold the colour all day (or near enough).
6) Bigger pout
To create the illusion of plumper lips, pat some concealer onto the centre of the top and bottom lip and then draw on lines (as pictures below) using a lipstick or liner. Blend, and finish by applying a clear gloss. This is a tutorial I’ve seen many of times on Instagram, and it really works!
7) Thicker brows
Give your eyebrows some volume by brushing the hairs backwards using an eyebrow comb soaked in hairspray. Afterwards, gently brush back into place and then carry on with your usual brow routine.
8) Set everything…always
A setting spray and/or powder keeps everything in place. There’s no point in spending forever and a day perfecting your make-up, to then leave the house and let it all slip off your face. Don’t forget to set.
9) Highlight & contour
You’re probably already more than aware of the powers that highlighting and contouring has- it can completely transform your face. There are hundreds of amazing Youtube videos worth watching, all step-by-step ‘how to’s’ on contouring your face to perfection. BaryM’s powder contour kit is amazing value for price and if perfect for sculpting your face (if you’re like me and can’t justify spending £40 on a creme contour kit).
10) Natural lighting is the best lighting
Have you ever had it where you think your contour is on par with Kim K’s, then you step outside only to realise that you actually look like an Oompah Loompah? Yeah, me too.
Natural lighting important for make-up application, an easy tip is to apply your make-up, using a vanity mirror, facing towards natural light. Even just checking your make up in good lighting before you head out is a good way of staying clear of orange foundations lines.
11) Enhance eye make-up
If you are applying a bright coloured eye shadow, apply some light concealer to your eye-lid before hand- this will help enhance the colour of the shadow.
12) Absorb before applying powder
If you have oily skin, you probably carry a matte powder around with you at all times. When you’d usually top-up with powder, use a tissue to absorb the oil on your skin before doing so. Pat the tissue onto your face gently, remove, and then apply powder as normal. This helps to prevent a foundation-oil-powder sandwich, leaving you with fresher skin for longer.
13) No more dry lips
Using a textured cloth rinsed in hot water, rub your lips (not too harsh, but not softly) to get rid of any dry skin. Pat dry and apply lip balm- not only will you have baby smooth lips but you’ll also up your lip-size game to level Kylie. Try it!
14) Clean mascara application
Mascara is a bugger for getting all over your eyelids. Use a spoon or an old credit card, place it behind the eyelashes and apply your mascara as normal. This will catch any excess mascara blobs that would usually ruin your fabulously blended shadow and your day.
15) All over glow
As it’s nearly summer, heavy foundation is usually a no-go. Mix a liquid or loose powder highlighter with a BB cream or light foundation for a natural, all-over glow.
Hope this helps! Thanks for reading-
Love Charley x
You can read more from Charley on her website!
