Top Instagram Makeup Artists Share Their Best Kept Secrets

The Makeup Artist: Ely Marino

Secret Trick: Make shimmery shadow really shine with setting spray

To help make those shimmery eye shadow colors even more amplified in terms of color and texture, Marino says to spritz your makeup brush with all-day setting spray—she likes Motives Ten Years Younger Makeup Setting Spray ($30)—before dipping into your shadow. “When the shadow brush is a bit damp, it grabs on to the shimmer better, which makes the shadow really shine and stay put. It also makes for an easier application so you don’t have shimmer end up everywhere.”

Instagram/elymarino

The Makeup Artist: Rhian Harrington Yeoman

Secret Trick: Fix makeup mistakes with cactus water

“One invaluable trick I’ve picked up along the way is that any makeup mistakes or mishaps can easily be fixed with a little cactus water,” says Harrington Yeoman. “Whether your eyeliner has taken a turn for the worse, your brows have gotten out of control or you’ve managed to turn your lipstick into something more suited for a clown, a bit of cactus water—I like Pacifica Cactus Micellar Water ($12)—on a Q-tip or angled brush can work wonders.”

The Makeup Artist: Lilit Caradanian

Secret Trick: Tight lining

Caradanian, a professional makeup artist and founder of Elcie Cosmetics, loves to line the tight line (the area under the upper lashes) with Morphe Gel Eyeliner in Slate ($9). “It instantly makes my lashes look fuller,” she says. Then, top it off with mascara to finish off the eyes.

The Makeup Artist: Tracy Murphy

Secret Trick:
Squish your eyes together

“To get that
‘Kate Moss done but undone makeup look,’ use a very pigmented black kohl pencil to line the inner water lines on the top and bottom of your lashes. Then, squint
and squish your eyes to get that natural bleed. Clean up and soften the smudged makeup with a Q-tip.”

Instagram/tracymurphymua

The Makeup Artist: Jenny Smith

Secret Trick: Use two types of highlighter

NARS lead makeup stylist, Jenny Smith, says to use two types of highlighter—cream, try Ilia Illuminator ($34), and powder, such as Nars Dual-Intensity Blush in Jubilation ($45)—to get skin that gleams and glows. “First, apply cream highlighter. Then, set it with powder highlighter. The combination dials your highlight up to the next level and really makes it apparent in those up-close selfies.”

Instagram/jennyatwoodsmith

The Makeup Artist: Nina Leykind

Secret Trick: Warm shadow on your hand and use it unexpectedly

Leykind, who’s also the cofounder of Eyeko, likes to make her eyes pop using Eyeko Me & My Shadow Topaz ($25) to give a wide-eyed look. “I warm up the color on the back of my hand and dab it onto my cheeks and brow bones for lit-from-within skin. It works better than regular highlighters, as it really stays put and isn’t too shimmery.”

Instagram/eyeko

The Makeup Artist: Ivy Sims

Secret Trick: Mist your brushes with rosewater

Makeup artist Ivy Sims, of Ivy Leez Luxe Makeup Lounge, says one way to make sure your skin looks good is by lightly saturating the bristles of your makeup brush with a rosewater tonic. “I use Embroylisse Rosewater Tonic ($35) on a kabuki brush and then apply foundation. If I want my skin to have a bit more glow, I’ll add a drop of argan oil,” she says. “Buffing the foundation into my skin with a brush infused with rosewater creates a natural, healthy glow and amazing coverage.”

Instagram/ivymakeup

The Makeup Artist: Gregory Arlt

Secret Trick: Mix makeup together to make skin look it has a ‘filter’

MAC Cosmetics director of makeup artistry, Gregory Arlt, loves to
create “magazine skin,” which he says is skin that looks perfect and real but
has a beautiful glow to it. To do it, he mixes two drops of MAC Prep +Prime Essential Oil ($22) with a pea-size amount of MAC Strobe Cream ($33) into foundation. He
strategically places powder on the T-zone and the sides of the nose to mattify the skin. “It’s like the ultimate filter!”

Instagram/gregoryarlt