It’s holiday party season and we thought you’d need some life-saving beauty hacks just in case you find yourself in a pinch under the mistletoe or otherwise. For the best beauty hacks around, we turned to celebrity makeup artist and beauty expert, JoAnn Solomon, who has worked with everyone from Alicia Keys to Allison Williams; and she’s even customized makeup kits for Oprah and Beyoncé. To put it lightly, she’s the ultimate beauty girl-in-the-know.
Here are 5 beauty hacks that she swears by.
If you struggle with dark circles under your eyes, Solomon recommends conceling darkness with a orange-y concealer and topping it with your favorite nude toned concealer.
“Banish super dark under eye circles with a red concealer with an orange base. If you don’t have a concealer, you can use a red-orange lipstick and apply it directly to the problem area. Blend well and apply your regular concealer on top.”
Our favorite bright eye booster is Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Caramel Primer ($36, sephora.com)
Struggling with getting your lashes to fit? Solomon recommends that you try this trick:
“Wrap the bottom side of your lashes around any pencil that you have in your makeup kit. Hold the eyelash around the pencil for a minute or two to maintin the shape.”
For the perfect lashes, we love Eqsido The Signature Collection “Gina” Upper Lashes ($38, available at esqido.com)
Be honest, your makeup bag has way too much stuff in it! Lucky for you, one item in particular can be used multiple ways. Solomon offers three tips and tricks for your favorite cosmetic.
1) No Eyeliner? No problem! “In a pinch, I’ve repurposed mascara as an eyeliner. Simply apply a bit of mascara to a liner brush and craft the perfect feline flick.”
2) Have issues with a thinning hair line? “Use a clean spooly and tap a complimentary mascara on to your hair line and blend using a soft bristle brush or toothbrush.”
3) Does your mascara dry out quickly? Stop double-dipping. “Pumping air into your mascara dries it out.”
For super lush lashes we love The Edge Beauty Iconic Volume Mascara ($18, available at dillards.com)
If you’re a beauty minimalist who wants to look great without doing too much, try a little bronzer.
Solomon recommends, “A soft bronzer is a great way to get skin that glows, but still looks natural. Apply to your face and dust a bit of color onto your eyes using your favorite shadow brush. You’ll look polished without loking over done.”
Ciaté London Glow Pop in Honolulu ($19, available at sephora.com)
Celebs always have legs that seem to catch the light at a perfect angle, now you can too!
Solomon’s red carpet trick is oil sheen spray. “When trying to get celebs red carpet ready, something I’ll use a little oil shen on the skin for a glow. Yes—the same same stuff you use on your hair— oil sheen on arm or legs yields beautiful results without the sticky residue.”
Her sheen of choice? Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Sheen Spray ($5, available at drugstores)
