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New England Based Teacher DIY, Beauty and Style Blogger

Makeup Tips: Little Things That Make a Big Difference

by 18 Comments

A month or two ago, while I was doing my makeup in the morning, it occurred to me that there are makeup tips I’ve picked up over years of beauty-youtube-watching that can take a makeup look from “eh” to “wow”. They’re little things, but they make a face look more chiseled and put-together.

elevate a look_makeup tips_easy makeup

So, I made a list of these little makeup tips and planned on sharing them with you. I’m going to be the first to admit that the photos below are not great. This was one of those times where schedules and daylight hours just didn’t cooperate and I had to shoot on my own. The tripod just wasn’t working and so you will see a lot of cell phone selfies. I decided to post it anyway because the tips are good and I have no need to impress the internet. I believe we can all give each other a little grace sometimes.

For each tip below, I made the change to one side of my face and left the other side of the face plain, without the “tip” being employed. I did my best to highlight the changes when possible in the picture. Even if you can’t quite tell in the picture – try it yourself! You’ll be surprised what a difference it will make in your look!

Draw in the Lower Brow Line and Give Your Brows an Arch

makeup tips_fill in brows_give self arch_teacher blogger

Long ago my friend and her then-boyfriend, now-husband studied profiles on hotornot.com. Anyone else remember that site? lol. She told me that they determined that well-shaped eyebrows make a big difference in a look and she was right.

My eyebrows are not perfect but one tip I use to look more put-together than I actually am, is to draw in the the lower brow line and fill in the sparse areas. I love THIS eyebrow pencil because the shape of it makes it easy and quick to fill in the brow. I turn it on its side and use the flat edge to draw in the lower brow line. Then I turn it and use the triangle shaped tip to fill in the part of my brow closest to the nose. You can see that process in the picture to the left.

makeup tips_fill in brows_give self arch_elevate Look

Then, I give myself an arch. The tip here is to use a makeup brush or your brow pencil and set it next to the nose. Looking straight forward, position the pencil so that it goes right from the corner of the nose through the pupil. That is where your brow “peak” would normally be. Now that I know, I use my brow pencil to make sure that tip is clear.

The best way to see the difference this makes is to scroll down to the section on Highlighting the Inner corner. I show a “with brows shaped” and “without brows shaped” there too.

Use Bronzer as Eye Shadow Just In the Crease

elevate a look_bronzer as eyeshadow_quick makeup_teacher fashion

Often I don’t have time to apply eye shadow. When I’m in hurry, an easy way to elevate your look and make yourself look put-together (even when you’re not!) is to use a little bit of bronzer on your crease brush and add it to the crease. It’s a little thing but often makes a big difference, especially if you’re like me and have a more hooded lid.

For more on eye shapes (including hooded lids) see this post.

In the picture below you can see what a little bit of definition in the crease does.

makeup tips_teacher fashion_bronzer as eyeshadow

Highlight the Inner Corner of the Eye and the Top of the Brow Arch

elevate look_highlight inner corner and arch_teacher fashion blogger

This is my best tip and the one that originally generated the idea for this post. I tried to point out the difference in the pictures above and below, but taking a little highlight on a small precision brush and running it under the arch of your brow and right at the inner-corner, makes you look so much more awake.

When paired with the other two tips, I think it makes a huge difference. It’s a little thing but just look at the before and after below. Even with the bad lighting and cell-phone photo you can tell!

makeup tips_highlight inner corner and arch

Contour Your Nose

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To round up our list of little things that make a big difference, I give you nose contouring. In general, contouring adds definition to your face, making you look like you have model-caliber, prominent cheekbones. See examples here.

When it comes to nose contouring, you are generally adding lines down the edge of your nose to “thin” it out. You’re giving yourself a nose job without having to go under the knife! Be careful! A little goes a long way.

Here is a great before and after. I definitely don’t contour as much as this example, but even just a little contour down the sides of the nose can give you a more chiseled look.

THIS is a good palette to try out contouring (and highlighting) if you’re a beginner. Regular contouring takes more time but nose contouring can elevate the look with very little time invested.

So, those are my top makeup tips for little things that make a big difference in a look. I could add more but the more steps you add, the more time you take to get ready in the morning and that’s not my goal!

Tell me, what are your makeup tips that take a look from “eh” to “wow”?

And while I am at it, thank you so much for all of the congratulations and encouragement last week! It meant the world to me! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Virginia

Linking up with: I do deClaire | Color and Grace | Pumps & Pushups | Straight A Style | On the Daily Express | Seeking Sunshine | Rosy Outlook | Mummabstylish | Curly Crafty Mom

Comments

  7. Lydia says

    I totally become transfixed by the before and afters of those beauty bloggers – it’s like they aren’t even the same person! I can see taking a few tips though because it’s always nice to have a little extra pop!
    Chic on the Cheap

    Reply

    • Virginia says

      I know, those before and afters are crazy sometimes! It’s actually so fascinating to me to watch them. When I was a kid I loved drawing and painting and when I see youtubers contour and highlight it brings back all my drawing and painting lessons. Only, this is art you can wear! It’s so fun for me!

      Reply

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