If you are on my email list, you already know my stance on Makeup + Mask wear (read the email here). Bottom Line: It’s not a good idea.
That’s why I thought I’d round up my favorite and best makeup tips and hacks of 2020. These are makeup hacks I use in my day-to-day personal and professional makeup artist life.
Emphasis on the Eyes
The emphasis in this list is obviously on eye makeup but not necessarily in the sense of layering a ton of different colors and blending them together to death. If you already know me, you know that’s not my style – I mean, not everyday at least. And I’m fairly confident you can find a million makeup tutorials online for those types of looks. Google, “eye makeup” and you’ll be in Pinterest heaven!
Plus, who wants to do a full eye makeup without wearing makeup makeup? (Not me). It feels unbalanced and incomplete.
Most days, I just want to wear something flattering and practical. I want my skin and eyes to appear healthy and bright. I want to accentuate and maximize what I already have — not necessarily go out and buy new things.
So without further adieu, here are the makeup tricks for you. Please note, they are not in any particular order and I would love to know which ones are the most impactful for you! The cool thing about this list is that you can employ every single beauty hack on this list and still look like a normal person 🙂 That’s my style!
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Best Makeup Tips and Hacks of 2020
1. Tightlighing = Automatic Eye Opener (without surgery)
The first of the best makeup tips and hacks of 2002 is linining the lash line. Lining the lash line, the area beneath your lash bed, is one of my favorite techniques for instantly opening the eyes.
I personally use dark grey, black, or dark brown on top and use a white eyeliner / flesh tone on bottom for a polished daytime look. I’ll line my waterline (the line beneath the tightline) with a darker eyeliner for evening events or times when I want a more dramatic, sultry, or sexy eye look.
If the idea of lining your tightline freaks you out, use a creamy white or flesh-toned eyeliner on the waterline to brighten. This hack extends the white of your eyes, to make them appear larger (vs. lining the tightline to make them appear whiter).
Product Mention
Image: Pinterest
Makeup Pro Tip
- Black top white eyeliner /nude bottom: balances and make eyelashes appear longer
- Black top/bottom: sultry
- White/Nude bottom: opens/brightens
I wrote/discussed an entire segment on how to practically wear white eyeliner in my Stay At Home Style Guide, you can watch it here or download the guide here.
2. Lashes for days with a Mascara Primer
Mascara is one of my hero products. You can find an amazing mascara for $3 and used in conjunction with an eyelash curl AND a primer, you’ve got some million dollar eyes going on.
I personally love mascara, I honestly feel naked without it (on days I wear makeup, that is). it’s one of my secret weapon makeup products. Remember, it’s all about the wand! (The wand page was my book designer’s favorite page btw!)
Btw, I have a whole section in my book, Be Your Own Makeup Artist, dedicated to eye makeup – from finding your own eye shape to primer, shadow and eyeliner application. Click here to check it out!
You will learn that I don’t normally recommend primers but I always make an exception with mascara primers.
Product Mentions
- Loreal Original Voluminous Lash Primer
- Christian Dior Lash Primer
3. Brighten Inner Corner of Eyes
This is one of my favorite makeup tips and hacks for 2020 – and for life.
Ok, now every damn tutorial I see on the internet talks about focusing on the outer corners, the “V”. And while that is a solid technique for sure, an easier, quicker, and more practical hack is to actually brighten the inner corner first.
The thing is: your mascara can be concentrated in the outer v… your eyeliner can be concentrated in the outer v. It doesn’t always have to be with eyeshadow!
So in order to make your eyes pop in the inner corner, use your champagne-colored eyeshadow or your highlighter to concentrate color in the inner corners. Refer to my book for the right shade of highlighter for your skin tone! Generally, warm skin tones = gold and cool skin tones = silver.
Apply with your ring finger or a small, dome-shaped brush.
Image: Society19
Makeup Pro Tip
Unless you are born with natural curled lashes (i’m jealous), don’t forget to curl your lashes for an instant eye lift!! It’s a game changer.
By brightening the inner corner of the eyes, you are also minimizing the appearance of dark circles without using a ton of concealer. Which you know how much I hate the use of concealers in excess.
4. Brow Mx / Clear Brow Gel
If you have dark brows, you may think you are g2g and normally that’s the case! But if you have an extra few seconds, comb up and over your brows, perhaps even set with some clear brow gel. It’s amazing how something so simple has such a polishing effect on your look.
Image: Socitety19
If you don’t have dark brows that help to frame the face, invest in some quick and easy brow products.
In my pro kit I use Senna brow gels! They are a game-changer. Only works if you have brow hairs that gel can cling to.
I have Anastasia Beverly Hills powder and use a coarse angled brush to comb/apply/blend.
PS: In my Essential Tools Guide you can find my product recommendations for makeup brushes and more.
5. Highlight the Cheekbones and Temples!
This trick instantly brightens your look. But consider using a cream, since it looks SO much more natural. You can definitely tone down the highlight by dusting translucent setting powder over. All in all, avoid highlighters with glitter.
Here’s an image to know exactly where are the best spots to highlight:
6. Setting powder
I’m really avoiding makeup wear when possible because we all know wearing makeup under a mask is no bueno. Google it, trust me. That’s why I’m focusing on the eye makeup and healthy skin.
However, if you do get shiny or want a blurred look, AFTER your skin prep (check out this article on makeup skin prep), you can lightly dust setting powder over for oil control and blurring effect – only in areas your mask aren’t touching.
There are lots of different types of setting powder and it really depends on your specific end result goal – so I can’t necessarily give a blanket recommendation. I outline all the different types of setting powders in my book and why/when you’d want to use one over the other.
7. Repurpose your blush and bronzer
Last but not least, here’s another one of the best makeup tips and hacks of 2020. Blush and bronzer typically fall under my mask, so I try to avoid using these products if possible. Sometimes, I can get away with blush.
But I do use my bronzer to lightly contour my eye, which paired with tightlining and mascara, is AMAZING in terms of impact.
Dust your blush on your eyelid to add a bit more dimension and awaken your eyes and also create a bit of contrast with your eye color and blush.
If you don’t know what blush color is right for you, you can find my inclusive chart in my book!
Want to really learn how to wear makeup? I’m launching my Learn Makeup in 5 Days Course, the ultimate makeup for beginners course (that follows and goes into depth based on my book) in early 2021. This is a truly unique approach to learning how to wear makeup and something that doesn’t really exist, I promise – if I tell you why, then it wouldn’t be that special now would it?! Either way, sign up to learn more and receive a notification of the course launch.
Beauty is about perception, not about make-up. I think the beginning of all beauty is knowing and liking oneself. You can't put on make-up, or dress yourself, or do you hair with any sort of fun or joy if you're doing it from a position of correction.
kevyn aucoin
