17 Life-Changing Makeup Hacks EVERY Woman Should Know

16. Map the contours of your face with a gel eyebrow pencil, since it’s easier to apply precisely and blend in.

Elizabeth Griffin

After you’ve applied your base, mark the areas you want to contour — the hollows under your cheekbones, your temples, along your hairline, jawline, the sides of your nose, the tip of the nose, and the crease of your eyes — with a deeply colored brow gel pencil, like IT Cosmetics Brow Power Perfector Gel Pencil in Auburn. Brow gel pencils are really concentrated, yet very smudgeable, and it’s easy to control the placement of their dark pigment, making them perfect for contouring. Next, use an all-over cream highlighter, like Mac Cosmetics Cream Colour Base in Luna, on the tops of your cheekbones, on the center of your forehead, the bridge of your nose, the center of your chin, and on your Cupid’s bow. (Tip via makeup artist Lauren Cosenza and this tutorial.)

17. Blot your face in a pinch with a clean toilet seat cover.

Initially, yes, this sounds gross, but both blotting papers and toilet seat covers are made out of similar fabrics and will help sop up excess oil on your skin. So, if you’re in a pinch and headed to the bathroom to freshen up anyway, grab one of these covers and pat it over your skin to decrease any excess oil on your face.