These makeup artist-approved tricks for eyes, foundation, and more will save you time and money.

Most of us have mastered the basics when it comes to makeup — stuff like how to remove waterproof mascara, where to apply blush, and how to cover up a zit with the right concealer. But even if you’ve been wearing eyeshadow and foundation for decades, there are some next-level tricks out there that will leave you asking yourself, “How did I not know this?!” So if you’re looking to learn a few smart beauty tips that will save you time and money — all while looking more glam than ever! — you’re in the right spot.

From tried-and-true beauty insider secrets to the makeup techniques celebs rely on (we see you, highlighting and contouring), we’ve rounded up the best tips and tricks recommended by makeup pros and makeup junkies alike. Whether you’re looking to fix common makeup problems like creasing, smudging, or fading, or you just want to change up your look, here are the best makeup hacks that you need to try it.

Powder your lashes.

The key to fluffier and fuller lashes? A little translucent powder. After your first coat of mascara, dust your lashes with a gentle coat of loose powder — this will add volume to your eyelashes by making them look thicker. Add a second coat of mascara to cover the dustiness, and you’ll see the difference for yourself.

Apply concealer in a triangle.

Instead of dotting concealer under your eyes, apply in un upside down triangle to brighten any dark circles and draw attention up to your pupils.

Learn how to apply eyeliner to complement your eye shape.

Everyone’s eyes are different — so that means everyone’s eyeliner should be drawn on a little bit differently, too. First, figure out your eye shape (hooded eyes, downturned eyes, monolid eyes, or round eyes), then learn the best eyeliner to use and the right way to apply it to make your eyes stand out.

Take your time putting on false eyelashes…

When applying fake eyelashes, don’t rush to apply them after adding the glue. “Wait until lash glue has dried for about 30 to 40 seconds before applying falsies to keep the strip from sliding around and a faster dry-time on lids.

…and don’t forget to look down.

After you’ve given your glue a minute to dry, hold a mirror below your line of sight as you put on your fake lashes. “Look down into a mirror when applying falsies,” says Teich. “It makes it easier to place the strip close to the lash line.

Make your own lip stain.

Wear your favorite lipstick color without worrying about it smudging or fading by turning it into a lip stain. “Apply your favorite cream or liquid lipstick, and leave it on for a minimum of 10 minutes,” says Ashburn-McKissock. “Then, use a wet cotton round to ‘remove’ it and apply your favorite lip balm after for a hydrated, stained look.”

Use your thumb to keep lipstick off of your teeth.

Nobody wants their smile to show off a set of lipstick-stained teeth. To keep your lipstick on your lips, simply pucker up and put your thumb in your mouth, then quickly pull it out. That way, you’ll wipe away any lipstick on the inside of your lips before it makes its way to your teeth.

Plus, how to choose the best primer for you.

If you struggle with foundation, tinted moisturizer, or concealer looking streaky, patchy, or uneven, a primer may be the thing that changes your makeup game. Not only can it make applying your face makeup easier, face primer ensures makeup won’t budge through even the longest days.

When it comes to how to apply primer, how to choose which kind is best for you, and the advantages and disadvantages, we’ve got you covered:

What is makeup primer and what does it do?

“Primer creates a smooth canvas for your makeup,” says celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg. “It also keeps your makeup in place, keeps it from moving, [and] can keep it matte or luminous,” depending on the formula and your skin.

Not only does it give you an even base, it also helps lock everything else in. “Primer is like a layer of protection to go over your skincare,” says Camara Aunique, celebrity makeup artist and founder of Camara Aunique Beauty. “It creates a shield between your skincare and your makeup so that your skincare is still doing the work it’s supposed to do.” Primers can also help minimize the appearance of pores and extend your makeup’s wearing power.

The realm of primer stretches far beyond just face makeup — there are primers for just about everything.

Eyeshadow primer extends the life of any eye cream and “it also allows the eye makeup to last longer,” says Aunique. This is particularly helpful if you tend to have oily eyelids, since eye primer can help mitigate oil and keep eye shadow from creasing (hint: Look for “crease-free”on the label!).

Lip primer helps lipstick last longer, though some are formulated to help lock in hydration as well.

Lash primer can help lengthen and separate eyelashes to create the ideal starting point for your mascara. Bonus: A good lash primer can also help your lashes hold a curl.

Unless you’re living under a rock that shields you from all things beauty (what a nightmare), you’ve likely heard about tinted moisturizer. Hybrid products that meld your favorite aspects of skin care products with the best that makeup has to offer, a category that includes tints, BB creams and CC creams, are massively popular. And it’s easy to see why; they work overtime and manage to do as much as any single product can possibly do. Tinted moisturizer, in particular, has to be one of our favorite skin care and makeup hybrids to hit the scene, and it’s a perfect pick for those with mature skin. If we piqued your interest, keep reading to learn all about our best drugstore tinted moisturizer, including how to add it to your own makeup routine.

WHAT IS TINTED MOISTURIZER?

If you’re wondering what’s missing from your beauty regimen, we think we have it figured out: tinted moisturizer. The right tinted moisturizer can provide light coverage while also hydrating skin and leaving a glowing finish. It’s exactly what it sounds like: Facial moisturizer that also has a slight skin tint with makeup pigments (like a foundation or a BB cream). So, you get the benefits of both makeup and moisturizer in just one product. Pretty cool, right? Even cooler: You can get those benefits without spending a lot—with a drugstore tinted moisturizer.

ARE BB CREAM AND TINTED MOISTURIZER THE SAME?

We’ve compared BB cream and tinted moisturizer a few times already, which may have you wondering if BB cream and tinted moisturizer are the same. The answer is a resounding no. A BB cream, also known as a beauty balm or a blemish balm, is a liquid makeup product that acts as an all-in-one essential, priming the skin, providing coverage, and offering a wide array of skin care benefits like hydration, sun protection, and shine control.

Tinted moisturizers, on the other hand, can provide some of the same benefits, but their primary role is to hydrate while offering just a touch of coverage. Tinted moisturizers also typically have lighter formulas than BB creams—you can think of a BB cream as falling in-between tinted moisturizer and foundation in terms of coverage.

CAN YOU USE TINTED MOISTURIZER INSTEAD OF FOUNDATION?

When it comes down to the topic of using tinted moisturizer instead of foundation, it really depends on what you’re going for with your makeup look. If you’re interested in covering up dark spots, age spots, or hyperpigmentation, foundation may be necessary to provide the level of coverage you’re looking for. On the flip side, tinted moisturizer is a smart choice if you want to provide your skin with instant hydration while adding a touch of pigment for dewy and glowing skin. So, to answer your question, yes you can use tinted moisturizer instead of foundation, you just have to be realistic with your expectations. Don’t expect your skin tint to provide full-coverage and you should be okay.

IS TINTED MOISTURIZER BAD FOR YOUR SKIN?

Okay, listen up: The truth is, tinted moisturizer isn’t bad for your skin, but using it the wrong way could be. One of the biggest mistakes you can make with tinted moisturizer is to allow it to replace the rest of your skin care routine. Think of tinted moisturizer as providing an extra dose of nourishment—not as something to stand in for your regular moisturizer.

Things can also go haywire if you don’t use the best tinted moisturizer formula for your skin type. Like any makeup or skin care product, if you use a formula that doesn’t match your complexion, breakouts or excess oils can become a factor. If you have oily skin, look for an oil-free tinted moisturizer. If you have dry skin, look for one with extra nourishing ingredients in the formula. The key to using a tinted moisturizer effectively is to read your labels to ensure it fits your needs.

As with so many beauty trends, this one started in Korea. A decade ago, skin perfecting ‘miracle creams’, named after seemingly every letter of the alphabet, exploded onto that market, promising to be the ultimate fusion of skincare and makeup. The idea eventually filtered to the west, where we took it and ran it, well, into the ground. First we had BBs ,  then CCs (colour correcting)… we made it all the way to before we ran out of steam and got completely over these alphabet creams. They were too gimmicky and too confusing – how were they different enough to foundation to be worthwhile, and what was so wrong with tinted moisturiser, anyway?

In the ten years that have passed since these creams first became mainstays, two key elements have fundamentally shifted the types of face base products we have available. Firstly, technology has improved immensely, and secondly, our skincare obsession has reached dizzying new heights – meaning we want to keep adding ingredients that benefit the skin in the makeup stage, and often prefer to show off the results of all that hard work rather than covering it up. With more ‘non-foundation foundation’ options available than ever before, we present our guide to some of the very best.

When you’re having a smug good skin day

This tint incorporates technology that is downright fun to use. When you pump the fluid out onto your hand, you’ll see tiny spheres of pigment suspended in a serum-like base. You then run the (included) brush through it and blend it out onto the skin, where the spheres burst. It feels cool and refreshing on, thanks to its incredibly high water content, and perfects things very subtly. Even with acne, which I always want to keep covered, I still get joy out of using this. I don’t reach for it when my skin is really playing up, but if my active spots are calm, this works a treat, with the addition of a concealer to cover old red scars. Ideal Saturday-at-the-farmers-market skin.

When you need proper coverage (or don’t really want to let go of foundation)

On the other end of the spectrum, we have these two products in a tie. If you prefer a full coverage, or want to dip your toe into the non-foundation waters but still really want to feel you have makeup on, these are for you. The key differences? The Hourglass version has a slightly more refined, grown up feel and finish, very much like you’ve applied a fancy foundation, while the IT CC cream really can’t be beat when it comes to creating properly juicy-looking, radiant skin. Both are so heavily pigmented you only need a very small amount and won’t require any additional concealer for dark circles under the eyes or redness around the nose, with the possible exception of a tiny dab over only the most violent of spots.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the has become such a cult product that they have expanded the family. There is now , which, while labelled matte, still gives a pleasingly healthy-looking gleam, and  which is much more about the obvious sparkle (owing to the inclusion of mica, those tiny glittery particles), so might be best used either at night or by the young magpies among us.

It is extremely difficult to choose a foundation that fits perfectly with your skin, you will enjoy when using it, and has the right skin tone. But it’s not impossible.

Don’t worry if you can’t decide which one to choose when there are dozens of foundation varieties with different formulas, textures, closures and finishes. He can easily choose the foundation that reveals its sparkle, paying attention to a few small dots, every time he looks in the mirror, he says, “good thing I got it!”you can include a product in your makeup bag that you can say. Moreover, taking into account the recommendations, you can get a product that offers a dream effect without exceeding your budget. From foundation prices, you can enjoy evaluating the most suitable alternatives for you.

Introduction to makeup: What Is Foundation?

Foundation is called the foundation of makeup. Foundation, which is one of the cosmetic products with different concealment levels and finishes, covers the imperfections of the skin, evens the hue, makes the skin look more vibrant, healthy and smooth. If you’re using a foundation that doesn’t match your skin, no matter how much care you take about eye makeup, no matter how much time you devote to lip makeup, you may not look the way you want. Foundation, which is one of the main skin makeup products, is distributed almost all over the skin by hand or with an accessory such as a brush and sponge. When you choose without taking into account the characteristics of your skin, it is inevitable that you will face problems such as unnecessary glare or accumulation of lines. Choices in the wrong tone are also the main reason for looking more tired, pale and lifeless. In daily makeup, you can choose a foundation that will not tire your skin too much, is slightly textured and low concealer, you can always guarantee to look perfect by buying a product with a more Intense Concealer for special occasions.