14 makeup tricks to finally master in 2016

While everyone else is busy writing down their diet or relationship-related resolutions for the new year, we’re focusing on how to up our beauty game in 2016. Maybe you finally bought some nice makeup brushes in 2015 or you discovered the existence of the best eyelid primer ever. That’s awesome! But let’s be real, there’s always room for improvement.

Whether you’re a relative beauty newbie or you’ve been a Sephora VIB for years, everyone has that one beauty blind spot that they never quite got the hang of. Luckily, we went through our archives to round-up our best tips and product recommendations to help you finally nail that tricky beauty maneuver. Here’s the top trends that you really should attempt to master in 2016 if you haven’t yet.

Dark lipstick
Dark lipstick can be intimidating and high-maintenance, but there’s no better time to figure out how to wear it than winter.  Luckily we picked up tons of tips for wearing dark lipstick from makeup artists backstage at fashion week, along with specific lipstick recommendations. Eventually you’ll even be able to work up to wearing black lipstick.

Winged liner or graphic liner
If you’ve been skipping eyeliner in favor of sticking to a few swipes of mascara, this year it’s time for you to be brave and experiment a little. Just remember that practice makes perfect, whether you’re attempting a cat eye (in which case you can take inspiration from these street style beauties), a cool graphic eyeliner look, or just a quick eyeliner look that you can do in five minutes.

Finding the perfect foundation
Not sure which shade or brand of foundation is right for you? It’s past time to rectify that. Avoid orange or too-pale foundation with this handy beauty tool which will match you with your perfect foundation in minutes.

Braids
Braids are never going to fade out of popularity, so if you have hair longer than a pixie you should definitely know how to do some sort of braided hairstyle. Check out this pretty braided crown tutorial or this list of braided hairstyles for inspiration and tips.

Nail art
2015 was a big year for nail art, though it was more subtle than past years, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down in 2016. So try out this easy animal print manicure or this negative space nail art. Of course, the glass nail art trend is going to be huge in upcoming months as well. Make sure you know how to restore a bottle of  dried-up nail polish. And finally, be sure to check out these nail artists’ favorite products and trend predictions.

Contouring
Contouring isn’t going away anytime soon either, so if you haven’t given it a chance yet you really should. It’s not as complicated as you might think, and it can really transform your face. Check out our guide to all the different types of contouring, and then read our best tips for a flawless contour right here.  

Lashes
Who doesn’t want to make their lashes look longer? Here’s all the best ways to get longer lashes, plus a great tutorial for faking it with wispy false lashes.

Smoky eye
Smoky eye makeup is not for the faint of heart, but it makes for a great party look around this time of year. Try out this metallic smoky eye tutorial or this green smoky eye tutorial to kick-start your smoky eye mastery in 2016.  

Eyebrows
Eyebrows frame the face, and the beauty world has certainly taken that to heart in the past year or so. Bold brows are definitely here to stay for some time, but even if you don’t have naturally thick brows that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the trend. Check out four great techniques for filling in your brows.  

Blush
Blush wakes up your face, giving you a warm and bright glow that makes you seem more awake and friendlier. Of course, if you use the wrong shade things can get clownish fast, and nobody wants that. Check out our guide to choosing the best blush for you so that you can start wearing blush every day in 2016.

Fuller lips
Chalk this trend up to Kylie Jenner. Fuller lips are still very much en vogue, so if you’d like to plump yours up a little bit we have the comprehensive guide to lip fillers that you need right here. Of course, if you’d rather just fake the plumpness, we can help you out there as well.

Beachy waves
Get a head start on summer 2016 by mastering your beachy waves with the help of this cool new hair tool, The Beachwaver. It was used at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show to give the models perfectly beachy waves, so you know it’s the real deal.

Making your makeup last
There’s no point in mastering blush or eyeliner in 2016 if you’re just going to let it run off your face by the end of the day. Check out how to party-proof all of your makeup here, and read up on making your lipstick last here.

Facials
Skin care is important too (if not more important than makeup) so make sure you take it to the next level in 2016. A facial is a great way to relax and pamper your skin. If you have sensitive skin, you’ll be interested in these four facials for sensitive skin. Also be sure to check out the best facials our editors have ever had for some helpful inspiration on where to go.  

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