Getting Ready for a Fun Night Out? These 8 Makeup Hacks Will Boost Your Confidence
Whether you’re spending a cozy evening with someone special or meeting friends for a cocktail, you deserve to look and feel your best. Makeup and beauty treatments can enhance your natural features, boosting your confidence with long-lasting effects. But which products are best for each feature you need to address? Certain ingredients make the difference between a minor touch up and a full-blown transformation, and we know exactly what add-ins you need to look for when you’re nabbing the best beauty products. Check out our recommendations below for dark circles, thin lashes, dull complexion, thin lips, red skin, thinning and dull hair, and gray strands.
To Nix Dark Circles: Use a Hyaluronic Acid Concealer
Those pesky dark shadows are thanks to blood pooling beneath the thin transparent skin under the eyes. The triple-duty beauty treatment that fixes it: a concealer packed with hyaluronic acid, like ColourPop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Creamy Concealer (Buy from Ulta, $9). The color masks circles instantly, and the naturally occurring acid improves blood flow, thwarting pooling while hydrating and firming skin so eyes look refreshed long-term.
To Volumize Thin Lashes: Use a Magnetic Mascara
A magnet-infused mascara like Pür Fully Charged Magnetic Mascara (Buy from Ulta, $22) contains positively charged ions that cling to the body’s negatively charged hairs, wrapping a tube-like coat around each one so they appear thicker. Plus, it‘s made with panthenol, a vitamin B-5 derivative that moisturizes lashes so they grow in thicker and stronger.
To Enliven Dull Complexion: Use a Gel-Based Blush
As we age, our skin sheds dry, dead cells at a slower rate, leaving skin looking lackluster. Gel-based blush to the rescue! “The color gives skin a dewy flush that not only wakes up the complexion in seconds, but it won’t settle in and magnify pores or fine lines like powders can,” says makeup artist Amy Zdunowski-Roeder. And one formulated with aloe, like Pixi Beauty Sheer Cheek Gel (Buy from Amazon, $22.90), moisturizes skin so it remains luminous moving forward. Also smart: Use a dab of your lipstick on your cheeks for a moisturizing blush. For one we love, try Alexa Persico Cosmetics Lipstick (Buy from Alexa Persico Cosmetics, $28).
To Plump Deflated Lips: Use a Coconut Oil Gloss
With each passing year, our lips lose more of their pillowy fullness. But a gloss made with coconut oil and menthol — like e.l.f. Cosmetics Lip Plumping Gloss (Buy from Ulta, $7) can re-plump them. Coconut oil’s lauric acid hydrates and menthol increases blood flow, swelling lips temporarily while boosting collagen production for longer-lasting volume. Plus, a gloss reflects light for the illusion of an even fuller-looking pout. Looking for a matte alternative that doesn’t dehydrate lips? Try Lip Velour Matte in Spiced Rum (Buy from Alexa Persico Cosmetics, $27).
To Calm Red Skin: Use a Redness Correcting Cream
Green and yellow pigments in a foundation like IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness Neutralizing Correcting Cream (Buy from Ulta, $35) counteract any skin redness in a flash. Plus, this correcting cream contains colloidal oatmeal, which soothes skin and reduces future irritation.
To Thicken Thinning Hair: Use a Bamboo Treatment
Bamboo might not seem like the obvious choice for thinning hair, but it’s an excellent, inexpensive option. The plant’s extract increases blood flow to your scalp, which encourages hair growth. It also helps your hair retain moisture, which prevents strands from breaking. A product to try: Pantene Hair Thickness Multiplier Treatment with Bamboo (Buy from Walmart, $15.33).
To Conceal Gray Roots: Use Non-Toxic, Tinted Minerals
Mineral pigments cover errant gray roots or stray grays without harmful, drying chemicals. Using pigments in wand-form allows for the precise placement of color. We recommend Mineral Fusion Gray Root Concealer (Buy from Walmart, $13.57), which is designed to cover your roots in between coloring sessions. This concealer contains hydrating Argan oil and zero parabens, phthalates, or irritating fragrance, so you can apply it without feeling guilty.
To Add Luster to Dull Strands: Use an Avocado and Moringa Rinse
A hair rinse containing a mix of antioxidant-rich moringa and hydrating avocado will leave your strands shiny and soft — stat. Why it works: Moringa and avocado are rich in fatty acids, which boost shine and softness. We recommend SheaMoisture Moringa & Avocado Power Greens Hair Tea Rinse (Buy from Walmart, $13.99).
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
