Every woman deserves to feel beautiful, but when lack of sleep, stress, poor diet, lack of hydration, and harsh weather put a damper on your au natural complexion, makeup can be your secret weapon.

Here are nine step-by-step tips from the makeup experts for every essential product in your makeup bag:

1. Start with a fresh canvas

That’s right, clean skin makes all the difference and it’s the perfect place to start. Before you apply a dab of powder or foundation, wash your face and neck with a cleaning cleanser, and pat dry with a soft, clean towel. Tone using a facial toner to suit your skin type by gently cleaning excess makeup and dirt with a cotton pad. Then moisturize before reaching for any product.

2. Primer

Next up is primer, an underrated liquid product that can smooth and even out your skin, and help large pores virtually disappear. Apply a drop of primer using your fingers to your forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks, then cover evenly by blending downward, using a makeup sponge.

3. Concealer

Depending on where you need it most (I’m looking at you dark undereye circles), apply a dab of concealer under the eyes and blend outward being conscious of blending in well into the cheekbones. Resist the urge to sweep concealer onto the eyelids as it tends to cause makeup to crease.

4. Powder or liquid Foundation

The general rule is shiny faces use powder foundation and drier or combination skin use liquid foundation. Start at the T-zone (outsides of nose, forehead, upper lip) and blend outwards using a makeup sponge.

5. Blush

Your mother was right when she put blush on you as a child, the best way to do so is to smile and sweep blush gently onto the apples of the cheeks, sweeping upwards towards the ears and downward toward the jaw. Less blusher is always more.

6. Eye Shadow

Start by sweeping a matte base color over the entire eyelids and brow bone, from corner outward into the opposite corner of your eye. For daytime, this might be plenty, but for a more dramatic look, sweep a darker complimentary shade into your eyelid crease and blend out for a smoky effect.

7. Eye Liner

Don’t rim your eyes by making a single straight line. Instead make little dashed along the upper lash lines with a brown or black liner pencil, then smudge in an upward direction using a short, blunt shadow brush.

8. Mascara

Curl your lashes and apply two coats of mascara on your top lashes by working the mascara wand up from the bottom lashes, outward. Gently apply to bottom lashes as well with tip of mascara brush.

9. Lipstick

The finishing touch of lipstick can be swept over the lips, starting at your cupid’s bow and sweeping out to the corners of your mouth. Blot with a tissue for a sleek, natural look.

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