As I’ve said before, I’ve been wearing makeup for long time now, so I know what works for me and what doesn’t. Through trials and tribulations (hello, super metallic blue eye shadow for prom!), I’ve learned what colors flatter me, how much to apply, how to apply it, and what works with my face shape, so that I don’t end up looking like a clown and scaring off kids.

Once you get the hang of things, it’ll become second nature to you and you’ll see just how makeup can accentuate your best features (and hide your not so favorite features). Here are some of my favorite makeup tips and tricks that I wish I would’ve known a long time ago…no seriously, what was I thinking with that blue eye shadow and why didn’t anybody warn me?

1. Heat your eyelash curler with a blow dryer, so that your lashes curl easier and hold the curl longer.

2. Mascara is supposed to last for 3 or 4 months, but sometimes mine dries out way too soon. When your mascara is drying out and becoming flakey, add a couple drops of saline solution (like eye drops) to the tube and rub the wand around the inside. This softens the mascara liquid, making it apply like brand new again! Added tip: Don’t pump your mascara wand trying to get more out of the tube! This just adds more air in to the tube, making it dry faster.

3. When applying eye shadow, start with a base shadow that doesn’t have shimmer and matches the lightest skin tone on your face. By applying it all over your lid, it creates a clean canvas to easily and properly blend your darker shadows. Added tip: Using an eye primer makes a big difference in how your shadows look and improves staying power!

4. When applying eyeliner on your upper lash line, don’t look straight at the mirror. Instead, get as close as possible to the mirror, tilt your head up slightly, and bring your chin towards the mirror. Looking down as you apply eyeliner makes the process 100 times easier.

5. While you apply your mascara, dig the wand in to the root of your lashes and wiggle your brush using zig zag motions as you go up. This will separate your lashes and coat them evenly with a nice layer of mascara.

6. Speaking of mascara, waterproof mascara is my favorite because of how it holds my curl and the fact that it doesn’t smudge, giving me raccoon eyes. The downside of waterproof mascara is that taking it off can be a hassle. To make it easier to take off, use your favorite regular mascara as the first coat and apply the waterproof mascara over that. This way, the waterproof mascara locks on to the first coat instead of your lashes. Added tip: To make it even easier, use cold cream to take off your eye makeup. Rubbing a little on your eyes will take that stubborn stuff right off!

7. Set your under eye area (all the way up to the lower lashline) with a light/translucent powder for a smoother finish that’ll prevent creasing and accentuation of fine lines. It’ll also up the staying power of your concealer/foundation.

8. When applying blush, smile and start at the apple of your cheeks, blend the blush back towards the top of the ear using swirling motions instead of sweeping motions. Added tip: Always tap off excess powder from your brush to avoid applying too much. You can always build up the color if need be.

9. To exfoliate your lips, use a wet toothbrush or washcloth to scrub off the dead skin. This will allow your lipstick to glide on smoothly without any caking.

10. For longer lasting lipstick, tissues and powder are your best friends. Start with applying your lipstick, blot with a tissue, and then hold a sheet of 1-ply tissue over your lips and apply translucent powder over that.

Hopefully these tips and tricks help you out! I’d love to hear some of your favorite tricks as well!