I’ve been doing makeup professionally for 25 years, and in that time I’ve picked up more real tricks backstage and in client chairs than I ever have from an Instagram post. Some of these are so simple you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it! None of them cost much and none of them add extra steps to your routine.
These are 5 I still use on myself, and the ones I tell almost every client…
I’ve tested more products than I can count over the last two and a half decades, on myself and on hundreds of different faces. The stuff that actually works is rarely the expensive stuff. It’s usually a small habit nobody talks about because it doesn’t come in an expensive bottle doesn’t sound exciting.
1. Change your pillowcase every week, and make it silk
Cotton pulls moisture out of your skin and hair overnight, and it tugs at your face while you sleep. Silk doesn’t do either of those things. It’s gentler on fine lines, it doesn’t crease your skin the same way, and your hair wakes up less tangled and frizzy. Washing it weekly matters as much as the fabric does. Your pillowcase holds onto oil, product, and bacteria all week, and every bit of that ends up back on your skin each night.
2. Keep a spoon in the freezer for puffy or tired under eyes
Cold metal tightens blood vessels and brings swelling down fast. Keep two metal spoons in the freezer, and in the morning press the back of one gently under each eye for a few seconds. It’s the fastest fix I know for the mornings your under eyes look tired before you’ve even had coffee.
3. Use coconut oil to remove your makeup
Coconut oil breaks down makeup, including waterproof mascara, without stripping your skin the way a lot of wipes do. Warm a small amount between your fingers, massage it over your face, then wipe it off with a warm washcloth. It’s especially good on eye makeup, and skin is left soft instead of tight afterward.
“The stuff that actually works is rarely the expensive stuff.”
The next two are the ones clients ask me about the most, along with the exact ratios and technique that make them actually work instead of sitting unused in a cabinet. That part’s for paid subscribers.
