If your feeling as though your complexion is a little lackluster and you don’t have gloss or lipstick to provide that instant pop of color, rub your finger into a pretty blush or shadow and apply it to your lips.  If you’re using a powder shadow or blush, it becomes somewhat of a lip stain.

To make close-set eyes look farther apart, apply eyeliner in a subtle wing shape at the outer corners of your top lids, and apply most of your mascara to the lashes on the outer corners.  When you apply mascara hold the wand at a 45-degree angle so that your lashes lean slightly outwards.  Also, apply shadow so that a gradient of color forms- the shadow should be lightest at the inner corners and darkest at the outer corners.

For a more seamless look and fuller-looking lashes, apply eyeliner to the inner rims of your top lash lines (in addition to your lash lines themselves.)

Before going out at night, apply highlighter, such as NARS Copacabana, to your cheeks for a complete transformation from ordinary girl to nighttime diva. And if you’re the kind of party-girl who always manages to add yet another Facebook album the morning after, highlighter really gets you camera-ready.

If you wake up with a few brow hairs seriously out of place and cannot find brow gel, use a tiny dab of Aquaphor or petroleum jelly and just graze the brows- don’t use more than a little dot and don’t push the product onto your brow because too much can make the brow look wet/waxy.

If you have a bright red blemish, don’t underestimate the power of green primers and concealers, just don’t go overboard. Make Up Forever and Smashbox sell amazing green foundation primers and Sephora’s private brand has a great green concealer stick.  When using a green concealer stick be careful not to go overboard, as it is just a precursor to your actual concealer.

Images courtesy of: videa.vsetkyvidea.sk, dailymail.co.uk, makeupmasala.com, beauty.hsn.com, ellecanada.com, makeup.glam.com

4.) For the same reasons that wearing dark colors makes you appear a few pounds lighter, contouring can give you a more sculpted jaw line.  Apply bronzer in a backwards “3” motion on each side of your face, making sure to hit your jaw line and just below your jaw line (as well as your temples and cheekbones).  Also, give yourself more noticeable cheekbones by applying a bright blush to your cheekbones, and a bronzer or a darker blush just below the cheekbone towards your ear.  To figure out where to apply the darker shade, suck in your cheeks slightly and apply just under the bone.  However, don’t go overboard- contouring should not be noticeable.

5.) I always apply complexion products after I apply eyeshadow because no matter how much I try to prevent it, particles from the shadow can fall below my eye.  It makes for a far easier clean up if you haven’t already applied foundation.

6.) If you can’t find your eye makeup remover and you’ve made a mistake, just use a dot of eye cream to remove it- works like a charm!

7.) To make your eyes look bigger, to tone down redness and to appear more rested, apply a white or flesh-colored eyeliner to the water-line, or inner rim of the lower lash line.

8.) Don’t waste money on an eye shadow primer- use a cream shadow that you already have so that it can either be worn alone, or as primer for a powder shadow to adhere to.

9.) To make thin lips look fuller, choose a lighter shade of lipstick and apply gloss to the middle of your top and bottom lips. Dark colors on thin lips tend to make them look even thinner, and applying gloss to the middle of your lips reflects light, thereby creating an augmented appearance.

10.) If you’re bored with your same old shadows, blushes and lip colors, mix and match to create new shades.  Who says you can’t mix an eye shadow with a blush and put some gloss on top to create a new lip color??

Images courtesy of: elizamagazine.com; bellasugar.com; lovelyish.com; indianmakeupdiva.com; hanidee.blogspot.com; ehow.com

If this has ever happened to you, then you know how upsetting it can be.  I could have swept up the floor and discarded the remnants…but ah ha!  I had an idea.  I began to carefully pick up the broken shadows with whatever I could find (in this case, a butter knife from the kitchen), and placed it into an empty loose powder container.  I screwed the lid on and shook, shook, shook.  When I opened the container, ooh la la, a beautiful new shade!  I was beyond thrilled to add a beautiful new golden purple hue to my collection. (Note: Our bathroom floor had just been mopped.  Before attempting to experiment with this quick fix yourself, be weary of re-using any products that were on a dirty surface.)

Later that night, I decided to try out a smoky eye with my new shadow.  The outcome…beautiful, and the awesome part: no blending required.  When my friend Danielle walked in to my house, the first thing she said to me (and I kid you not!!) was, “Wow, I love your eye shadow color!” Danielle commented on my super-shadow before even noticing my brand new dress.  Now that says something.

The moral of this story is that there is an infinite amount of ways to achieve any one look.  There are NO RULES in makeup.  Experiment and never allow yourself to feel stuck in one routine.  Life is too short to play the same role everyday, spice it up!