Beauty standards have changed over the years, but they are still difficult to achieve and can be stressful for many women. The most sought after make-up look now is all about appearing natural, but ironically, it can take a lot of make-up to look natural! A flawless foundation, long, lush eyelashes, plump lips, and expertly lined eyes are all a part of an everyday look. However, these can be difficult to achieve if you’re not a professional make-up artist.

Thankfully, we’re here to help with these professional make-up hacks from beauty professionals:

1. Flawless foundation
Perfecting the look of your skin is the best way to present an over-all pulled together and professional make-up look. The look of your foundation depends on the texture of your skin. Exfoliation, either physical exfoliation or chemical exfoliation, is a great way to ensure that your foundation lays smoothly on your skin. A mild exfoliant once or twice a week will help to remove dead skin and reveal smoother, and younger-looking, skin. The liquid foundation will sit perfectly on freshly exfoliated and moisturized skin.

2. Precisely lined eyes
A perfect cat eye can be a difficult look to achieve. First, start with a sharpened and softened eyeliner pencil. Gently heat the tip of your eyeliner with a lighter or match for a few seconds before lining your eyes to get a smoother, easier liner. If you have trouble achieving a cat-eye try using the edge of a spoon to trace your eye. This will help you create a smooth, even cat-eye!

3. Long, lush lashes
Mascara is a necessity for many of us, but it can be a costly part of a make-up look. It’s important to keep your mascara tightly closed, but on the chance that it dries out, you can refresh your lengthening mascara with a few drops of saline solution, and ta-da! Your mascara will lengthen and volumize like it was brand new. Another quick tip to get your lashes to curl like a professional make-up artist is to hit your eyelash curler with the warm setting on your hair dryer for a few seconds. Make sure that you touch it to make sure it’s not too hot, but this will curl your eyelashes like it was a curling iron! This is a great tip, especially if your lashes are shorter.

4. Dark undereye circles be gone!
Any Instagram influencer can tell you that a triangle of concealer under your eyes can help brighten and lighten your whole face. Make sure your under-eye concealer is a shade or two lighter than your foundation. Apply it in a triangle under each eye and blend.

5. Perfect pout
Using a lip liner, especially if you choose a matte lipstick, is a great way to be sure that your lipstick looks great all day long. When applying a lip liner, pick something slightly darker or the exact shade as your intended lipstick. Start in the middle of your top lip, and draw an “X” to perfectly outline your Cupid’s bow. This technique helps you center your lip liner and will make your lipstick look perfect!