11 Makeup Tips to Make the Best of Your Beauty

Ancient Greek and Chinese people had to apply tons of powder made of lead and vinegar on their faces to achieve flawless pale complexions. Traces of this whitening powder were found during many archeological digs.

We at Bright Side believe that there are many easier, healthier options to make you look like a gorgeous Greek goddess or an elegant Chinese beauty any day of the week. Go ahead, give them a go!

1. Say "no" to natural light.

A natural light source in a room is of course very important, but despite popular thought, natural lighting isn't necessarily essential for doing makeup. We urge you: under no circumstances, even if it's cloudy outside, don't do your makeup in direct sunlight. What do you see when looking at yourself in the mirror in such conditions? Unfortunately, you see everything - and even more.

The case is, natural light is refracted by the window glass and flashes on your face. This gives skin a dull, cold tone and highlights imperfections which would have been less noticeable otherwise. You'll definitely want to cover them when you see them but in the end, all the lighting will give you is caked-on dirty makeup and a bad mood.

We advise you to invest in a makeup mirror with light bulbs around it. This kind of light will fall frontally on your face and highlight each part of it evenly. Choose light bulbs with neutral temperatures without yellow or blue tones.

2. Get some painting brushes.

Apart from cosmetic stores, synthetic brushes can be found in art shops. Their price will also be much lower compared to professional makeup brands.

A Japanese fine-painting brush is perfect for doing eyeliner since it's thin and steady. A flat angled brush is great for eyebrows. A small oval angled brush can be used for applying lipstick with no traces of hairs, and a bigger one will help you apply concealer or lip gloss. Flat square brushes are useful for final touches to correct any mistakes or to make eyeshadow lines appear less sharp.

3. Apply conditioner on natural brushes.

You take care of your hair, so why not do the same for your natural brushes? Their fine bristles need conditioning as much as our locks do. Usually, conditioner goes together with brush cleaner if you buy it. But if it doesn't, you can use any professional hair product too.

A conditioner is a less aggressive cleaning product and gives brushes a nice aroma and covers the bristles with a protective film. The fluff becomes softer and the brush keeps its flexibility. Remember that good quality brushes in their best state are half responsible for the success of a great makeup look.

4. Make sure your facial cream and makeup primer have one base.

Cosmetics need to suit both your skin type and your everyday makeup. For example, your cream, primer, and foundation should have one base, either water or oil. Oil doesn't react well with water, we know that from chemistry lessons. It's important to know this rule when doing makeup. Moisturizing foundation fluid (water) will not stay put over a very heavy cream (oil).

It's easy to know the base of the product: water-based creams dissolve in water and oil-based ones leave an oily film on the surface.

5. Try an eye primer instead of an eye cream.

A smoothing primer is a lightweight, half-transparent cream of light-pink color rich in light-reflective particles. Such a primer highlights the under-eye area and prepares it for applying concealer. It also instantly masks skin peeling and unevenness.

Be sure to clean the upper lid from skin oil. Excessive moisture will negatively affect your makeup's longevity.

6. Use mineral powder the right way.

Mineral powder is a foundation in the form of powder. Its fine particles gradually dissolve in primer and skin oil, creating a very thin coverage on your face. Such powder is great for hypersensitive, dry and fading skin without giving excessive pigmentation. It will be of help during the holidays too because its coverage doesn't melt in the sun or leak from humidity - it also has a high UV-protection level.

It's also a "delayed-action" product because 20-40 minutes can pass before the final effect appears. For instant effect, spray some moisturizer on your face right after applying the powder - its particles will dissolve in moisturizing components. Apply the powder with a big brush on top of the primer. But don't fix the foundation with it: they're similar products so you'll end up with a masking effect.

7. Cover under-eye bags correctly.

If under-eye bags are one of your main problems, focus on highlighting this area. Get a concealer a couple of shades lighter than your skin tone and apply it under the eyes. The tip here is to apply the concealer in a triangle shape from the inner corner of the eye to the outer one and then to the wings of the nose. Shade the outlines. This is how the swelled area will look evenly highlighted and won't attract attention with its volume.

8. Shine bright like a diamond with strobing (but not too much).

Strobing is one of the techniques that is supposed to correct the shape of your face. It's all about highlighting some parts of the face with the help of light-reflecting products. In other words, this gives freshness and a healthy glow to your face.

Using strobing has some rules, however. Remember the following:

• Fading skin with visible wrinkles: Mix all light-reflecting products with powder to avoid highlighting an uneven skin surface.
• Oily skin: Never apply such products on areas with active sebum secretion like the middle of the forehead, cheeks, or chin (otherwise known as the T-zone). It'll create an "oily pancake" effect.
• Swollen areas: The reflection of light provides maximum volume. Use only matte products for such areas.
• Acne-ridden skin: Pimples and dark spots will only become more visible if you apply light-reflecting products on them. Use them only underneath the foundation.

9. Fill in between upper lashes for a flawless cat-eye look.

To make eyes more expressive, it's crucial to fill in the empty spaces between the upper lashes. If there are white blank areas between lashes left when doing smoky eyes or a winged eyeliner look, the makeup will appear flat and imperfect.

A soft powder-like eye pencil is great for that task. Its texture firmly stays between the lashes creating a natural contour, washes off easily, doesn't damage your eyes during application and doesn't smudge during the day. The principle is simple: The more intensive you want your eye makeup to be, the darker the pencil color.

10. Give your eyeshadow new life with the wet technique.

Most eyeshadows applied with a dry or wet brush look absolutely different on the lids. Dry eyeshadows applied with the wet technique change their structure. For example, matte shadows become darker and get a dense felt-like finish. They're perfect for lining the eyes and creating accurate lines. Glittering shadows become cream-like and glow with a wet effect.

Wet the brush, squeeze with your hand and then once again with a paper towel. The brush needs to be slightly damp. You can also use makeup fixating spray, moisturizing facial spray or even eye drops for that. The shadows become similar to watercolors in this technique, so apply them with light gliding motions.

11. Finish your makeup with transparent powder.

A transparent powder is used as a finishing product that evens and highlights the skin thanks to reflective direct sun rays that create a Photoshop effect. Its particles are very tiny, and they create a cloud when you open the jar. It also gives a matte finish and prevents your makeup from creating an oily gloss.

But what's important to understand is that this powder doesn't help with blurring and shading other dry or liquid products. It's better to apply highlighter or blush before applying transparent powder and then fix them with a thin layer of it. A duo-fiber brush would be perfect for this job.

Also, pay attention to not applying too much of the powder - otherwise the light will be reflected in white. In everyday life, this might not be so visible, but in photos, your face will look as though it is covered with flour. Many celebrities were unfortunate to experience this mistake in photos.

As the Urban Decay cosmetic brand puts it, beauty should have an edge. And we fully agree with them! What other edgy tips and tricks can you share with our audience for bold flawless makeup looks?