Let’s face it (pun intended): it’s fun to experiment with makeup, whether you’re going for a natural or dramatic look. And part of the reason we experiment is because we’re always in search of the perfect look that shows off our best facial features. But if you’re sick of test runs, look no further. We’ll start with your favorite feature—whether it be your brows, eyes, cheeks or lips—and tell you exactly how to show it some love.
1. Brows
If you were blessed with gorgeous, full brows, then congrats: you probably don’t envy Cara Delevingne like the rest of us do. And if your brows are already thick, there’s no need to use a brow powder or pomade. But you can enhance the individual hairs on your brows by using a brow gel, like Glossier’s Boy Brow ($16, Glossier.com) or Benefit’s Gimme Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel ($24, Sephora). Brow gels are a great way to groom your brows into a neat, tapered arch (or whichever shape you prefer). They will even emphasize baby brow hairs so your brows are at their maximum fullness.
Another tip is to highlight with an eyeshadow that is slightly lighter than your skin tone just beneath your brow arch, so your brows are perfectly framed and stand out on your face. And to really bring all the attention to your brows, go minimal on eye makeup by using only neutral tones of eyeshadow, if any. This will keep the look fresh and will add extra contrast between your brows and your eye area.
2. Eyes
If you love your eye shape or color and want to make it pop, here’s how. Lancôme beauty expert Sandy Linter perfects an eye-enhancing makeup routine for Elle. She suggests using a dark eye pencil to contrast against the whites of the eye and the pupil. “You should also use a pencil because it’s easily manipulated. Liquids and gels will chip and flake, but pencil can be pushed around to form a beautiful shape,” she adds. She then uses a neutral palette of eyeshadow tones, adding in a taupe color along the lashline and blending it into a sideways “V” along the brow bone to further open up the eyes.
And as with brows, make sure to balance dark colors with light ones to keep the focus on your eyes. “Having darker tones surround a lighter one gives shape and definition—the light on the eye makes it pop,” Linter advises. Alongside that logic, you can also add highlighter or a white eyeliner to the inner corner of the eyes to look more awake. Amp up the contrast by selecting eye makeup colors that complement the color of your eyes: neutral champagne shades for blue eyes, smoky blue or silver cool tones for gray eyes, muted browns for green eyes and black or gold to set off brown eyes.
Finally, don’t forget to complete the look with a touch of eyeliner and mascara!
Related: 7 Ways to Up Your Eyeliner Game
3. Cheeks
If you’re a fan of your sculpted cheeks, contouring (using makeup that’s slightly darker than your skin tone to outline your features) and highlighting (the opposite) are two terms you should be familiar with. First, contour right underneath your cheekbones, which is the area from the corners of your mouth to your earlobe. Next, use bronzer in the hollows of your cheeks, and apply blush on the apples of your cheek—just make sure you find the right shade of blush for your skin tone! Lastly, apply highlighter on top of your cheekbones to brighten up the rest of your makeup.
Wendy Rowe, makeup artist and artistic consultant at Burberry offers the following tip about contouring your cheeks to create that effortlessly sculpted look. “There’s a lot of contour products on the market. The one that I love is the Burberry Contour Pen because it is the most subtle product available and you can use it on multiple parts of your face to reshape it,” she says. “Apply it to the soft part under your cheekbones in lines and blend using a brush or your fingers to create a natural shadow.” Watch Wendy’s tutorial to see the product in action.
Since you want the focal point of your face to be your cheeks, aim for a soft look on your eyes and lips. That means staying away from dramatic cat eyes or bold lip colors. However, pay attention to the colors you use for your eye and lip makeup; using tones that coordinate with your blush and bronzer colors will pull the look together and make your face look as natural as possible.
4. Lips
If you’re the most proud of your lips, you have a ton of options when it comes to lip color. If you prefer a clean, matte look, add a little concealer around your mouth so your lip color will look even more meticulously applied. Similarly, use a lip pencil before applying your lipstick to increase your lip color’s staying power and enhance the color.
The gradient lip is definitely an option too; it’s basically the lip equivalent of a smoky eye. Use a concealer or a nude lipstick as a base, dabbing it on the outer area of your lips. The Paul and Joe Lip Concealer Duo ($15.30, Beauty Bay) is also an option, as it has a pencil tip that makes it easy to apply right up to the edges of your pout. Then, come in with a brighter color and blend it into the center of your lip with your fingers or a brush. The combination of both colors will give your lips a dynamic look that will have you turning heads.
There you have it, collegiettes. We all have our favorite facial feature, and it’s time to give it some attention. So get ready to add some extra oomph to your daily makeup routine with these tips and tricks!