Five Makeup Tricks to Look More Awake…

by Ruth Crilly | Feb 15, 2016

five makeup tips for a more awake face

Last week I had the pleasure of spending the day filming videos with mega-makeup artist extraordinaire, Caroline Barnes. Caroline works on the biggest A-listers and is an absolute mine of information when it comes to makeup tricks and tips – everything from plumping out lips to creating the dewiest skin finishes. I asked Caroline to go through her five biggest tips for making a face look more youthful – or less tired – however you like to phrase it. I have found these tips to be incredibly useful and have incorporated them all into my makeup routine already. They are all kinds of lip plumping, eye-droop-correcting, brow-lifting, cheek-filling, circle-lighting brilliantness. Here are five things that can make your face look more tired (or less youthful) and Caroline’s makeup solutions – watch the video for the full-length explanations and demo.

Dark Undereye Circles. Possibly the most “popular” beauty complaint and it really does make your whole face look tired if your circles are particularly bad. Mine were terrible in my busiest modelling years – probably because I smoked. (I know. It seems crazy now that I ever smoked, but I was like a chimney, as were most models I knew then!) Caroline corrected the dark circles underneath my eyes using firstly a really opaque concealer (Amazing Concealer) and then a more reflective one – the Clinique Airbrush. Finally she used Max Factor’s Masterpiece Precision Shadow in Pearl Beige to create a highlight in the inner corner of the eye to bring everything alive.
Loss of volume in the cheeks. I’ve noticed even in the six years that I’ve been writing A Model Recommends that my cheeks are less full and – if I’m tired or ill – they can look slightly sunken, which makes my face look drawn. Caroline’s answer? Blush to bring out the fullness of the cheeks rather than a contour (that’s so popular these days) which gives a more grown-up and sophisticated shape. Great if you’re doing full-on makeup but if you want to look fresh and bouncy? Blush all the way! Watch the video for Caroline’s guide to applying blush.
Droopy eyelids. I have a droopy eyelid on one side – there’s an excess of skin on the lid, which is nice. It’s only really very noticeable when I’m tired, but these days that’s a lot, so… Caroline’s tip? Use dark shadow like a kind of “imperfection eraser”, placing the darkness on the things you want to recede – in this case, the excess skin. Again, watch the vid for a demo. It really works.
Lowered brows. I don’t even know whether this is a “thing”, but my face definitely looks so much more fresh and awake when my brows are lifted. Caroline doesn’t use any expensive products here – just a touch of Elnett hairspray and a brow brush!
Loss of lip plumpness. My lips are definitely less plump than they were a few years ago. I’ve always thought that the “dab of gloss on the centre of the lip” trick was the only lip-youthening cheat but Caroline actually re-draws the lipline to create an illusion of fullness. It’s actually brilliant. If you can’t see the video box below then please click here to watch.