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1. Perfect your makeup in a magnifying mirror with LEDs that mimic natural daylight so you don't step outside and see unblended blush and splotchy foundation.
2. Follow along with this guide to map out where to put on concealer, foundation, and translucent powder for the best photo-ready makeup so it shows up best — without looking flat. 100+ Instagram likes, anyone?
3. Try a popular Etude House Zero Sebum translucent powder to set your makeup for the whole day without cakiness.
4. Or mix e.l.f.'s Make Me Matte Foundation Adjuster into your usual formula for a smooth, flawless, and shine-free finish that lasts and lasts — no touchups required.
5. Apply your under-eye concealer in a triangle rather than little dots — it'll draw attention to the brightest part of your eyes!
6. Set your under eye concealer and say goodbye to creases with a baking technique — press on a generous amount of setting powder, let it "cook" for a few minutes, and brush it off.
7. Seamlessly blend all your products from foundation to concealer to eyeshadow with a set of brushes that have tightly-packed fibers for an airbrushed finish.
8. And for an easier blending experience and smoother finish, handle your brushes like a pro — hold them like paintbrushes (aka loosely from the bottom) rather than like pens.
9. Apply skin care and makeup in the right order for a flawless finish (and less wasted product) every time.
10. Apply a cream contour just one shade darker than your foundation to your temples, the hollows of your cheekbones, and the outline of the bridge of your nose for an easy, sculpted look.
Looking for a contour shades to get started? This Aesthetica cream contour palette has six silky, blendable shades so you can find the perfect one.
11. If you're new to color-correcting, check out this handy guide to figure out exactly what you're looking for.
12. Blend your lipliner through the inside of your lips to avoid that liner-with-no-lipstick look.
13. Or if you're tired of buying a lip liner for every shade of lipstick you own, try a transparent Urban Decay universal priming liner to keep your lips on lock. It also works to hide blemishes, fill in fine lines (so makeup doesn't settle into them), and correct errant makeup marks!
14. Brush on translucent powder between layers of your favorite lipstick to help it last alllllll damn day.
15. Perfect your pout by tracing the edges of your lips with a dab of concealer on an angled brush.
16. And if you're in the market for an easy-to-apply red lipstick, try Fenty Beauty's Mattemoiselle lippies — their pen-style applicator and rounded tip make it suuuuper easy to follow your lip line. And the matte finish is comfy, never overly drying.
17. Use a tweezer or eyebrow pencil to line up where your brows should start, arch, and end before filling them in for your best and most natural-looking forehead caterpillars ever.
18. Try Benefit's Browvo conditioning primer both at night and underneath your makeup to help your eyebrow powder, pencil, or pomade last longer AND to help your brows grow in fuller.
19. Layer eyelash primer (like this top-rated Lancôme one) under your mascara for long and clump-free lashes for days (it conditions to keep them healthier, too!).
20. If you get that mascara smudge under your eye without fail, try this handy trick to stop it once and for all. Just run your finger across — in the words of Ina, how easy is that?
21. Combat clumping and make reapplying mascara in the evening less of a mess with a set of foldable eyelash combs. Keep one in your purse for touch-ups!
22. Dot your eyeliner, then connect the dots to make doing a cat eye with liquid liner so much easier.
23. Or opt for a waterproof, smudge-resistant eyeliner stamp with two sides: a triangular stamp on one end and a felt-tip eyeliner on the other to create the perfect winged liner look in no time flat, i.e., you'll never be late again!
24. And erase any errant eyeliner or mascara marks with a genius Almay cotton swab that's filled with oil-free makeup remover for the most precise strokes.
25. If your eyeliner isn't perfectly pigmented or turns splotchy, fill it in with a matching eye shadow for a bolder line.
26. Tightline your eyelashes (that is, use a pencil or brush to line the spaces between hairs) to avoid having that annoying space between your liner and your lashes.
27. Create a shadowy cat eye on monolids (that won't disappear into the crease); just move it up higher on your lid.
28. Catch eyeshadow fallout and/or guide a perfect eyeliner wing or smokey cat eye with a pack of adhesive shadow shields; they stick right to your face and remove easily — without disturbing your foundation or concealer.
29. Layer a white priming base under your eyeshadow to keep your pigments true to color.
30. For a quick and effortless eyeshadow look, draw a hashtag in the outer corner of your eye with an eyeliner or shadow pencil and blend, blend, blend.
31. Or try a foolproof eyeshadow contour kit with a primer, three super-pigmented shades, and a shimmer top coat — plus a numbering system to make doing a gorgeous eye look easier than ever.
32. *Or* skip the powders and pencils altogether and opt for a liquid shadow you can dot on and blend out with your fingers — truly the easiest and most mess-free way to get a sparkly, glitter look with no fallout.
33. Fully remove one pigment from your brush before applying another; just wipe it on this brush-cleaning sponge so your eye makeup is blended without errant marks.
34. And finish off your whole look with NYX's cult-favorite setting spray with a lot of staying power for not a lot of money.
Mulan-level makeup just got easier!
