Beauty Tips Every Woman Should Know

Tricks of the trade

What do real women do to look beautiful? To find out, we went online and asked our favorite bloggers for their best beauty secrets. Here are their top, go-to strategies for gorgeous hair, glowing skin and marvelous makeup. Thanks, ladies!

Dunk nails to dry

“If you have no quick-dry products lying around, dip your painted nails in a bowl of ice-cold water to help them dry faster. It really works!”—Michelle Phan, YouTube vlogger

Steam nails for a matte look

“If I’m making soup or boiling pasta, I’ll put on two quick coats of nail polish. While they’re still wet, I’ll hold my nails for three seconds over the steam coming from the simmering food, keeping them about 5 inches above the water. Then I watch the magic happen: My glossy painted nails turn matte-sexy.”—Michelle Phan

Topcoat your decals

“When I opt for nail stickers, I always seal them with a clear topcoat covering the tip of the nail, too. It discourages edges from peeling, makes the decals last longer and gives an authentic painted-on look (so you can pretend you have crazy nail skills!).”—Kathryn Romeyn, Beauty Bender

Take off glitter with felt

“I love sparkly polish, but it sticks to your nails like crazy. To remove it, I use felt instead of a cotton ball—it works like a gentle Brillo pad.”—Allison Kratzer, Makeup by Alli

Cocktail your concealer

“I like my cover-up to float on the skin and hide imperfections rather than sink in and accentuate them. My latest trick: I first dab my ring finger into an eye balm (I love Kiehl’s Rosa Arctica Eye), then swipe it over a solid concealer and dot it on. The creamy texture blends in very smoothly and doesn’t settle into little lines. So nice.”—Brooke Pakulski, Blushing Noir

Perk up foundation with face oil

“Instead of layering on powder before happy hour, press a few drops of face oil over your cheeks to refresh your foundation and create a super natural glow.”—Elizabeth Dehn, Beauty Bets

Dot your eyes

“I have the least steady hands on the planet, but I love the way my eyes look when they’re tightly lined. I’ve learned to hold a liquid-liner marker pen horizontally, so I’m using the broader side of the tip instead of the fine point, and press it into my lash line. This way I can line my eyes in three to four quick stamps instead of trying to draw a straight line—which is nearly impossible!”—Lara Ramos, The Glossarie

Chill out

“If your eye and lip pencils are really soft, leave them in the fridge for about an hour before you sharpen them—the less creamy they are, the less waste there is.”—Christine Miekle, Temptalia

Blend your own glossy shadow

“I combine dark shades, like metallic brown, deep green or vibrant blue, with a creamy luminizer on the back of my hand to create a gorgeous, subtly glossy version that looks pretty both day and night.”—Alexandra Spunt, No More Dirty Looks

Swirl on blush

“I spin my brush in small, light circles from my cheekbone to my hairline. This trick gives a flawless, airbrushed look.”—Allison Kratzer

Remove makeup with coconut oil

“After I douse a cotton pad with my regular makeup remover, I add a bit of coconut oil and apply it to my closed eye. It helps break up the makeup, so it slides off with more ease.”—Julie Gutierrez, YouTube vlogger

Add blush for lasting color

“Eye shadow works, too, to give lipstick longer-lasting wear and a unique matte finish. Just make sure it matches your lip shade.”—Alexis Wolfer, The Beauty Bean

Card your lashes for major volume

“Before applying mascara, place a business card or index card behind your lashes to cover your lid. Starting at the roots, swipe mascara all the way to the tip. You can really let the wand fly so it lengthens without making a mess—the mascara will just hit the card! Your lashes will go from barely-there to full and thick in seconds.”—Jeannine Morris, Beauty Sweet Spot

Hands off for frizz-free hair

“After I towel-dry my hair, I work a dime-size drop of leave-in conditioner through and then just leave it alone. Most curlies make the mistake of over-touching their hair when it’s drying, which can disturb the curl pattern and bring on frizz.”—Alexandra Spunt

Pull out the old claw clip

“When my husband and I dressed up like Snooki and Pauly D for Halloween last year, I discovered this cheap trick: After blow-drying hair, pin it up into the Snooki pouf with a claw clip. Apply makeup while your hair cools, and when you’re finished, remove the clip. Hello, volume! Who knew the Jersey Shore star could be so inspiring?”—Kristie Burnett, Blushing Basics

Beachy waves with braids

“My hair goes flat fairly quickly, so I am always looking for ways to perk it up. These days, I wash it, add a dime-size dollop of light mousse—that’s key!—and put it into one big braid. When I undo the braid midday, I have perfect waves with body and volume.”—Aimee Blaut, The Formula Blog

Make dry shampoo your secret weapon

“I sleep with my hair divided into two loose buns, secured with a scrunchie, to keep my strands smooth. For adding volume in the morning, I rely on Osis Dust It—the powder soaks up excess oils and adds lift to roots.”—Lara Eurdolian, Pretty Connected

Mix up highlights

“A combination of bigger, piecey streaks and thinner, smaller ones makes my hair look more ‘back from the beach’ than ‘back from the salon.'”—Allison Kratzer

Swap your towel for a tee

Rather than using a towel, dry hair with a soft, old, worn-in T-shirt and pat dry. Don’t rub! Rubbing hair with a towel leads to breakage.”—Michelle Phan

Bun up to fake a blowout

“When I don’t have the time or cash to go to a salon, I shampoo at night, then run a drop of smoothing cream through my hair. I rough-dry it with a blow-dryer, wrap my damp strands into a bun and go to sleep. When I wake up, the top half is smooth. I just wrap random sections of the lower half around a curling iron for waves.”—Alyssa Hertzig, The Sparkly Life

Mist regularly for moisture

“I keep a hydrating, alcohol-free toner on the table by my couch, where I usually work from, and spritz it on for dewy skin in a flash.”—Janna Mandell, Beauty Binge

Define with self-tanner

“My best friend is St. Tropez Gradual Tan for the face. I’ll use a pea-size drop, focusing on the hollows of my cheeks for a subtle contouring effect and amazing glow.”—Gala Darling, of the eponymous blog

De-puff with H20

“I splash my eyes with cold water as soon as I get up—it reduces eye-swelling right away!”—Heart Defensor, Thats Heart

Pop pimples the smart way

“If you really must pop a zit, follow with a swipe of witch hazel on a cotton pad to kill bacteria, then ice it for 10 minutes. The inflammation and redness will go down much faster.”—Kathryn Romeyn

Don’t toss that face cream

“If a moisturizer you splurged on is too heavy for your face, relegate it to foot duty! Slather it on heels before bed and you’ll wake up so soft.”—Alexis Johnson, Beauty Bender

Go green for glow!

“One of the best things I have ever done for my health (and beauty and happiness!) was buy a juicer. I use it all the time and throw in kale, Swiss chard, cucumber, cilantro, parsley, green apple and lemon. Drink your greens, enjoy the glow!”—Gala Darling

Do an a.m. scrub-down

“Before I shower in the morning, I grab a body brush and gently run it up my legs and torso, down my arms and down my back. Called dry brushing, this technique takes only a minute, but it’s invigorating and exfoliating and boosts circulation. I also keep a bottle of body oil in the shower; once the water is off, I rub it over my still-damp arms and legs. I pat dry and I’m good to go—with amazingly smooth skin.”—Aleigh Acerni,

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