On top of bringing home a plethora of new beauty products to sniff and sample at The Makeup Show a while back, I also filled up my (significantly prettier) noggin with lots of useful tips and tricks for putting on your face every day.  See if you find them to be helpful as well:

1. EYEBROWS are king.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that the runways, fashion magazines, and red carpets are chock full of big, bold eyebrows.  Gone are the days when you needed to pluck, tweeze, and thread those babies away, now you can just let them grow and you’ll probably STILL need to fill them in.  That’s where Anastasia Beverly Hills plays a vital role in your beauty routine.  I’ve been a big fan of theirs for a while now, but hearing a workshop (just on eyebrows, people) from brand representative Kara made me realize how far I had to go when it came to my brows.  Her best tip? Fill in your brows first, THEN tweeze so you don’t risk going overboard.  And if you haven’t heard of Anastasia’s Golden Ratio for eyebrows, you are about to have your world made infinitely simpler.  Just look at the difference it made when I stopped by to see Kara the next day and had her do my eyebrows:

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2. BLUSH: placement is prime.

Everybody had a different opinion on where and how you should apply the infamous pop of color that is blush.  One particular well-meaning sales associate at a booth smeared it across my face and left me looking a bit like an 80’s throwback for the rest of the day.  I always find that less is more with blush, so I really identified with Eugenia Weston’s philosophy.  During a workshop on contouring (more on that later!) for her brand Senna Cosmetics she listed out this rule of thumb: blush should never go below your nose.  It should never go between your pupil and your nose.  It should never go all the way back to your hairline in one big sweep of color.  And it should never go up in to the highlighting section of your face between the top of your check and your eye.  So basically, it SHOULD go as just a pop of color mid-way along your cheek bone.  Bronzor, contouring, highlighting, etc should do the rest of the work defining your cheek for you.  Blush should be a minimal addition to that.  Can I get an amen for Eugenia, folks?

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3. QUALITY matters.

All you have to do is swipe your finger across a high quality eye shadow, then do the same to your drugstore brand to realize that you get what you pay for when it comes to makeup.  If you want it to actually stay on your face for longer than your commute to work, invest in makeup that is made from rich pigments, nourishing ingredients, and will help your skin glow instead of weighing it down.  My absolute favorites featured at the Makeup Show were NARS, Smashbox, Stila, and Crown Brushes.  And once you start using the good stuff, you’ll never be able to go back.

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4. It PAYS to be pro.

Since The Makeup Show was 90% beauty professionals and makeup artists, many of the cosmetic brands were offering the opportunity to sign up for their professional rates at the show.  I didn’t even know this was something that existed, but anytime I hear 40% off you can bet I’m IN no matter what it takes.  It turns out you can sign up on most high-end cosmetic lines’ websites and apply for a special discount depending on your level of professional status.  If you’re a makeup artist doing a few bridal jobs a month, there’s a discount for you.  If you’re doing full-time work in film and special effects makeup, there’s a discount for you.  And if you’re just a regular Joe Schmo like me, you can always attend a Makeup Show like the one I experienced in Dallas to get limited time offers and special discounts at the event.  Because when you start doing #3, you realize that quality costs moolah.  But if you can get the quality without the retail markup, that’s financial brilliance for your face.

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5. You’ve gotta know when to stop.

I saw a thousand different styles at The Makeup Show.  Everyone has a range of beauty that they’re comfortable with.  Some go minimal with a fresh face and a little mascara.  Others feel naked without contouring, eyebrows painted on, and a barrage of color on their eyes, lips, and cheeks.  No matter where you are on that scale, you’ve gotta find your happy spot.  It occurred to me while perusing the aisles of the show that one could literally spend five hours on their appearance every day and still not do everything the experts say you should.  So you’ve got to pick and choose, find only the most potent and effective options to add to your routine, and squeeze a little fun in there when you can.  Because at the end of the day makeup should make you feel good about yourself, not cover up who you are.  Discover what that means to you, and then share it with me! I’d love to hear all about it.

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XO,

A

P.S. I received a complimentary pass and advertising from The Makeup Show in exchange for this post.  Don’t worry though, all opinions are my own!