Faking It with Makeup

Eyes, Cheeks, and Chin

Weren't born with the perfect eyes, lips, and cheek structure? Not many of us are. Luckily, a few simple makeup techniques can help you create the features you've always wanted.

"Shaping the eyebrows is the first step to enhancing your eyes," says Eve Pearl, key makeup artist for ABC's The View and author of Plastic Surgery Without the Surgery: The Miracle of Makeup Techniques. A general rule is to create the arch of your eyebrow three-quarters of the way toward the outer part of your eye. Use an eyebrow pencil or powder one shade lighter than your natural brows so they look natural.

Gently curl your eyelashes with an eyelash curler, then apply one or two thin coats of mascara to lashes. For fine lashes, applying volumizing mascara with a thick brush will help coat lashes and make them look fuller. For straight lashes, look for curling mascara with a slightly curved brush that will help extend eyelashes upward. How to make your eyes really pop? "Using fake eyelashes will make the biggest difference in having your eyes really stand out," says Pearl.

Products we like: Try Cover Girl LashExact Mascara, $6.99, or Max Factor Lash Perfection, $7.75, both of which feature flexible rubber brush bristles that separate and coat lashes evenly. To fatten lashes, Stila Fiber Optics Mascara, $12.50, has a rich formula composed of micro fibers. It bulks up even the thinnest lashes and won't wilt a curl.

"Using an angled blush brush, apply a deep blush color underneath the cheekbone, then use a highlighting color on the apple of the cheek," instructs Jazzlyn Douglas, a Sephora color consultant at New York's Fifth Avenue flagship store. Highlight the upper cheekbone area with a light-colored powder or shimmer to bring out the cheekbone.

However, if your cheekbones are too prominent, apply blush all the way above the cheekbone area, almost to your eye, says Pearl. "This will take up your cheek and give you a mini facelift."

Products we like: Try Maybelline's Dream Mousse Blush, $7, a creamy sheer blush that can be applied and easily blended with you fingertips. For highlights, BeneFit High Beam, $22, is a soft pink liquid shimmer that can be mixed with foundation or worn alone.

A long night out can mean red, sleepy eyes with dark undereye circles. To look fresh in spite of your exhaustion, find a good undereye concealer, advises Pearl. "I prefer the salmon color over light yellows. Put on lots of moisturizer, apply warm tones over the eyes, and a natural color for lips." To get the red out of eyes, hydrate them with lubricating drops.

Products we like: BeneFit's Boi-ing, $18, is an industrial-strength concealer that comes in three hues and masks even the darkest shadows. Soothe irritation with Bion Tears, $14.99.

"Use a darker color under the chin and along the jaw line," says Douglas. "Highlight above the jaw line to draw more attention away from the chin area." Be sure to blend the shadow all the way to the back of the neck to avoid obvious stripes.

Products we like: Try Bare Escentuals i.d. bareMinerals All-Over Face Color in Warmth, $20, a bronzer that subtly darkens your skin. This is great for masking a double chin as well as for contouring a nose.