Whether you have an hour to prep for a party or just a few minutes, we have the ultimate roundup of quick tricks as well as the coolest beauty tips.

 

  1. Go for contrasting lids and tips. Pair a smouldering eye look with a crisp off-white nail polish. The combo looks elegant, plus you won’t have to worry about your manicure matching your clothes.
  1. Get tanned and toned. Look like a golden goddess by mixing liquid bronzer with a firming body cream, and then massage it into your arms. It’ll temporarily tighten your skin and give it a glow.
  1. Perfect your complexion. Camouflage any pimples by applying a yellow-based cover-up to counteract the redness. Use a concealer brush to pat it on precisely, and then blend the edges with your ring finger.
  1. Pump up the volume. For tousled strands, try this trick: When you’re finished blow-drying your hair, switch to the cool setting, flip your head over, and aim the nozzle around randomly for a few minutes.
  1. Sweeten up your cheeks. Create a foxy flush with a deep berry powder blush. Use a fluffy brush to swirl it in small, circular motions over the apples of your cheeks and back toward your hairline; this will blend the colour evenly.
  1. Make your gloss multitask. Keep a pearly white lip-gloss in your desk drawer to slick not only on your lips but also on your brow bones and cheekbones as highlighter.
  2. Rework your hair flair. A glittery accessory adds instant glamour to any hairstyle.
  1. Fake a gorgeous glow. Mix one part foundation with one part liquid illuminator, and then use your fingertips to massage it all over your face. Top it off with a dusting of a light-reflecting shimmer powder.
  1. Work a sexy updo. Starting with dry locks, tease the hair around your crown, then flip your head upside down and mist the underneath layers with hairspray. Flip back up, then gather all of your hair — except the front section — into a loose bun and secure with bobby pins. Now mist those face-framing pieces with hairspray and use a round brush to blow dry them so they’re sleek. Insert a sparkly hair accessory a few inches above one of your ears.
  1. Prep your lids. Before you apply any eye makeup, blend a creamy concealer onto your lids and into the inner corners of your eyes. This will give your shadow a base to stick to and conceal any redness.
  1. Revive your manicure. Slick a shiny, clear top coat over whatever polish you have on your nails. It’ll give them a glossy finish and prevent nicks so your mani will look freshly done.
  1. Go for a smoldering stare. A smokey eye effect is a classic night-out look. To do it: Line the rim of your upper and lower lashes with black eyeliner. Now use a stiff brush to smudge the pencil into your lashes. Finish by sweeping a dark shadow onto your lids.
  1. Nix a shiny nose. Left your powder compact at home? Tone down a glaring T zone with a piece of one of those toilet-seat covers in the ladies’ room.
  1. Flip up your eye fringe. Don’t have an eyelash curler on hand? You can use a sturdy plastic spoon instead. Just press the curved end into your eye socket so the edge flips up your lashes, then swipe on your mascara.
  1. Make a hair headband. Here’s an easy-to-do style that’ll make loose locks look super chic. First, blow-dry your strands so they’re straight, and then create a side part. Now pull the front two inches of your hair taut below the upper layers and secure them together with an elastic band.
  1. Cop the ultimate blowout. The secret to perfectly straight strands: After you’re finished blow-drying your hair, flip your head over. While you’re upside down, use a flatiron to smooth out any kinky pieces in the underneath sections of your hair, says Enzo Angileri, one of the most experienced hairstylists working in Hollywood today.
  1. Pare down your loot. If you don’t have enough room in your purse for all of your lipstick, just carry a balm. You can use it as a lip gloss, a cuticle balm or a face highlighter.
  1. Scent your strands. Put a small amount of an oil-based fragrance on your fingertips and then run them through your hair. Oil will linger in your locks longer than a traditional spray version, and it won’t dry out your do.
  1. Bring back your natural hue. To pump up your hair colour and add tons of shine to your tresses, use colour sprays. They are just perfect cover ups.
  1. Get 24-karat eyes. The perfect complement to dramatic red lips: glistening gold eyes. To get the look, use your finger to blend a cream eye shadow onto lids. If you’re pale, go for a light champagne tone; if your skin is medium or olive, opt for a bronze colour.
  1. Glam up your liner. Instead of using basic eyeliner, go for one that’s spiked with flecks of shimmer to make any eye colour look extra sparkly.
  1. Restyle your pony. For an easy, elegant tress effect, use a fine-tooth comb to tease your roots at the crown of your head. Then gather your hair into a low ponytail and secure with an elastic band. Pull out a one-inch piece of hair, wrap it around the elastic band and secure the end underneath the ponytail with a bobby pin.
  1. Look pretty in pictures. Avoid a shiny-looking complexion caused by a camera flash by applying a mattifying lotion to your T zone before you put on your makeup. It’ll keep oil at bay all night.
  1. Spray it on. To give your skin a sexy sheen in seconds, fill a spray bottle with dry body oil and mist it all over right after you shower.