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9 Essential Makeup Tricks for Looking Flawless on Camera

These beauty tips will have you looking gorgeous -- no filter required
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Save the Cake for Your Wedding Day, Not Your Face
If there's one thing we should all avoid -- whether or not we're getting ready to say "cheese" -- it's cakey foundation. Piled-on foundation only becomes more evident in front of a lens. Reneau and VanLeeuwen both suggest skipping full-coverage foundation in general, as today's makeup innovations allow for lots of coverage in lightweight formulas.

"Women usually only need full-coverage on the center of their face or spot concealing," Reneau says. "You don't want to conceal already beautiful glowing skin." Stick with lightweight formulas, like Wet n Wild Photo Focus Foundation, $5.99 or Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation, $44, to maintain the integrity of your skin's natural texture. And don't limit yourself to just one shade. "Using two foundations is usually key because your face isn't just one shade," Reneau says. "Using two shades can create really natural looking dimension, especially on camera."

Another surprising tip? Set your foundation before you apply any other makeup. "Before you powder your foundation, spritz on a setting spray," VanLeeuwen says. "This makes the freshness of the foundation last way longer and it allows you to use a lot less powder."

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Get Colorful With Your Concealer
Intuitively, it doesn't make much sense to smear green or red on your face to blur out imperfections, but color correcting does just that. To cover up blemishes and redness, reach for a green concealer like Clinique Acne Solutions Clearing Concealer, $17.50, which contains salicylic acid to fight breakouts, and a green tint to help cover them up in the meantime.

For other skin tone issues, we like Make Up For Ever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette, $40, because it contains a color for every skin concern. For dark circles, or to brighten dark spots, reach for the pink concealer. If you're lucky enough not to have these problems (#unfair), try a yellow concealer to give your skin tone a more even and refreshed look.

And then there's your concealer technique. How many times have you concealed a blemish into oblivion, only to find it staring back at you in your photos? You're not alone and Reneau is here to help. "Place a dot of foundation on the blemish, and let it sit for 30 seconds," she says. "Then, press it with your finger -- don't smear it -- to create full coverage. Press some powder -- don't brush -- over the top to set it." Be sure to cover blemishes, scars or any other imperfections after you've applied foundation, so your concealer doesn't get wiped away. If you know you'll be shedding a few tears (brides, I'm looking at you) apply a setting powder to your under-eyes to keep your concealer intact.

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Shine On
Can you rock a high-wattage glow in your photos without looking like a strobe light? Yes, you can -- it just takes a delicate touch.

"Apply your highlight to the brow bone, top of the cheek bone, down the nose and the cupid's bow," VanLeeuwen says. "And absolutely avoid places like the forehead, sides of the nose and the chin." You can pick up the Milani Spotlight Face & Eye Strobe Palette, $13, for an angelic glow, or add the Too Faced Love Light Prismatic Highlighter, $30, to your Sephora shopping cart, for a romantic eye-catching shine. Pro tip: If you really want to work glowing skin, apply highlighter after primer and before foundation, so that the highlighter peeks through for a lit-from-within look.

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Bulk Up Your Brows
Some people's brows get lost in pictures -- even if they don't seem thin in real life. And because brows frame the face (just ask any makeup artist), you don't want to neglect them.

Start by filling in your eyebrows and make your strokes as fine and as hair-like as possible, so as not to look blocky on camera. You can use Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil, $24, if you need a little help creating your false hairs, as its fine-tip point allows for precision, while providing bold, natural color. Then pair it with a brow gel likeMaybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Eyebrow Gel, $7.99, to fill in sparse areas and achieve arches that would make Cara Delevingne proud.

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Brighten Eyes
To enhance the natural curve and shape of the eye, "tight-lining" is essential, according to Reneau. "This is the technique of drawing eyeliner inside the upper lash line," Reneau explains. "This works for all eye shapes and makes your lashes look thicker." When working in the waterline, be sure to grab a waterproof eyeliner, so you're not touching up every couple hours (try Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner, $25) and use individual false lashes rather than strips, for a natural-looking eye.

To really make the eyes pop in your selfies, use your mascara as a second liner. "Wiggle the mascara at the base of your lashes, and deposit a little bit of color right at the skin and then brush through," VanLeeuwen says. "This joins the lashes to the liner and gives excellent definition on camera." And while you can get a little wild with the mascara, your shadow should be uniform. "Nothing is more distracting in a photo than uneven or messy eye makeup," VanLeeuwen says. "It sends the signal you don't care."

Start by applying an eye shadow primer to smooth out fine lines and prevent shadow from transferring, especially if you have oily lids (VanLeeuwen uses the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, $20, on his celebrity clients). Then, reach for matte shades. "These look more natural and beautiful on camera," Reneau explains. "Shimmer shades can cause flashback or weird highlights in photos."

BY MARISSA DESANTIS, JESSICA AMARIS | JUN 19, 2017 | SHARES
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