Believe It Or Not, You Can Actually Give Yourself a Face Lift Using Makeup

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Part of the fun of wearing makeup is the ability to play with and accentuate your features. If one day you want to exaggerate the look of your lips, a little lip liner above your actual lip line can help give the illusion of a juicy-looking pout. Want to make your eyes appear more sultry and sexy? Seems like a perfect moment for a winged eyeliner situation.

Lately, we've been seeing tons of videos on all our social feeds on how to apply makeup to make your face look more lifted. And with these techniques, you'll realize that less is more, and even the most subtle tricks can make a huge difference.

Ahead, we tapped two celebrity makeup artists to learn their best tips for giving a faux-face lift, using none other than makeup products you already own at home.

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Pay Attention to Wear You Place Your Blush

This side-by-side done by makeup artist Christen Dominique is a great visual representation of why your blush placement matters. We've seen videos like this and so many others floating on our Instagram and TikTok feeds.

The technique is referred to as blush draping, explains Sir John, a celebrity makeup artist with a client roster filled with A-list celebrities like Zendaya and Beyoncé. The idea is, instead of adding blush to the apples of your cheeks, you apply it on the high points of your face to create lift.

"Make sure that you go high on the temples of the cheek with blush," says Sir John. A little bit of product on the tops of the cheeks, and even on the temples will help create that sculpted look without contour.

Blend Your Contour Upwards

If you choose to contour your face, Jamie Dorman, a celebrity makeup artist, says make sure to blend upwards after placing color. Not only will this help lift the face, but it will also prevent your contour from looking muddy. We recommend a cream contour, like Makeup by Mario Soft Sculpting Stick ($28, sephora.com), which will be easier to work with and blend as needed.

Skip Heavy Concealer Application

Gone are the days of applying concealer in a large triangle under the eye if your goals are to lift. Instead, apply concealer on the inner and outer corner of the eye going upwards to highlight and, you guessed, to lift. Not only does it give beautiful results, but it also requires less product and can be used for natural no-makeup makeup or ultra-glam looks.

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Don't Contour Your Forehead Too Much

Another contouring trick that will offer a youthful radiance is to go easy on the contour. "Try not to contour your forehead too much," says Sir John. "That closes the face and minimizes what the eye can see."

Try a Lifting Eyeliner Technique

Not only can you lift the appearance of your face, but you can also do so with the eyes. One trick Sir John recommends? The lifting eyeliner technique. "Start in the tear ducts and give yourself a beautiful saturated line with a pencil or gel along the upper lash line," he says. "Once you get to the pupil of your eye, instead of going down, go slightly up, so it gives a lifting effect. Lifting liners can elongate the eyes and make them appear brighter, wider, and bigger."

For a visual on this technique and others like it, check out Sir John's "The Art of Makeup" series available on Assemble, a digital platform where Black and brown innovators share lessons from their careers. The episode "All About the Eyes" is great for learning more eye makeup application tips.

Place Mascara on the Center Lashes

Concentrate most of your mascara on the center of the eyes and less on the outer parts, says Sir John. "That will induce that 'Bambi' effect that we love to see," he adds. One of our favorite mascaras that offers lift and volume is the Ilia Beauty Fullest Volumizing Mascara ($28, sephora.com).

Try a Lateral Brow

When it comes to the brows, opt for a softer, subtle arch. Think Audrey Hepburn brows, for example. Sir John says brows that are more of a lateral shape elongate the face and emphasize the bone structure and eyes. "The goal with the lifted look is to make sure that you see a radiant complexion with open and fresh eyes that are aware and awake," he says.

Dorman also recommends highlighting directly underneath the high point of the brow instead of underneath the entire brow bone. "Use a precision brush for this, such as Westmore Beauty Dual Side Brow Brush ($19, westmorebeauty.com) with a cream highlighter," she says. The Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Highlighter Wand ($40, sephora.com) is a cream highlighter that never disappoints.

Don't Focus on the Bottom Lash Line

Finally, Sir John recommends keeping the makeup on the bottom lash line minimal. Again, less is more. To make the eyes pop, he says to try a beige liner on the bottom lash line. Avoid a white eyeliner as it can be too stark of a difference.