You know that ad for Gillette razor, that shows men making the goofiest faces while trying to shave? Before you laugh too hard, think about all the faces that you make on a daily basis when you're applying your own makeup. Those goofy facial contortions you instinctively make when applying cosmetics may not be serving you as well as they could. Here's how to position your beautiful mug for maximum beauty impact.
Face it: Put your chin up and look down your nose at yourself (like a mean girl), eyebrows slightly lifted. Use an eye shadow brush to sweep color from the inner corner to the outer corner of each eye.
The benefits: This angle removes creases and crinkles from the eyelid, creating a flatter area for cream or powder shadow, so color goes on evenly.
Lipstick
Face it: Smile as big and as tightly as you can, showing plenty of teeth. Use a lip brush to apply color to every bit of lips, including the corners.
The benefits: Opening your mouth into a broad, cheesy grin exposes the corners of lips, so you can get lipstick where you want it (when corners are missed, it looks like your lips were cut off on the sides)—and not where you don't (surrounding skin and teeth). Plus, the lip skin is stretched smooth for an even application.
Eyeliner
Face it: Many women lean in toward the mirror—but you shouldn't. Instead, tilt your head back and lift your brow skin up with your finger so you can get right next to your lashes with the liner. Rest the pencil vertically so the tip lays flat against your lash line, says D.C. makeup artist Sally Sagarese. If you tend to blink a lot while lining, say "Aaah."
The benefits: Your lashes will look thicker, and eyes will appear larger. Saying "aaah" helps relax facial muscles so blinking slows.
Blush
Face it: Practice the fake smile. Keep it close-mouthed and a little rigid, just lifting the corners of your lips a bit. Apply blush right at the top of the apple—the part that sticks out the most—then blend up and out toward your temples. For cream blush, use a stippling or Kabuki brush (which has short, dense bristles and a flat top). For powder color, a regular blush brush is fine.
The benefits: Color hits the apples of your cheeks in exactly the spot where you'd flush naturally.
Bronzer and Highlighter
Face it: Suck in your cheeks and purse your lips, says L.A. makeup artist Fabiola. Use an angled contour brush to apply matte bronzer that's two shades darker than your skin to the area inside the hollow of your cheeks. Starting an inch from your lips, blend bronzer upward toward your ear. Then dab a cream or powder highlighter onto the cheekbones, moving upward toward your hairline.
The benefits: This play of light and dark defines the angles of your face, making cheekbones appear higher.
