The Best Hair, Makeup, and Skin-Care Tips From True American Beauty Icons
Think: Makeup tips from the makeup artists for Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, and Meghan Markle; skin-care secrets from the founders of some of our favorite brands; and hairstyling hacks from the hands behind some of our favorite red carpet looks of all time. Scroll through to find out what they had to say, and get ready to add a whole lot of new tips to your own American beauty routines.
Hair
Dry shampoo is a Godsend: “I’m in love with dry shampoo—it’s definitely my number one beauty tip! For my girls with bangs, I love recommending they use Dove Foam Dry Shampoo ($5) because of how you can apply it. With just a dollop, you can rub it in directly at the root to absorb oils that your face naturally secretes. Foam is definitely ideal for bangs because when using a traditional dry shampoo, you need the powders and starches to dry in the air for that millisecond before it hits your scalp. With a foam format, you can apply directly and not have to worry about spraying it over the rest of your face.” —Mark Townsend, Dove celebrity stylist
Don't be afraid to scrub: "Exfoliate your scalp. The benefits of exfoliating the skin, particularly on your face and body, are well documented and well known, but a lot of us forget our scalps (it's still skin up there!). Incorporating a once-a-week exfoliation into your hair routine will help deeply cleanse and clarify your scalp, clearing away dead skin cells, product buildup, excess oils, etc. My favorite scrub for scalp exfoliation is the new NatureLab. TOKYO Perfect Shine Scalp Scrub ($16), which is made with sugar crystals instead of salt - so you don't have to worry about it drying out your hair." —Andrew Fitzsimons, NatureLab Tokyo brand ambassador and celebrity hairstylist
Invest in a shower filter: "My favorite beauty trick is actually quite simple and makes a huge different in you hair and skin: It’s a shower filter. My favorite is Raindrops because it filters the water six different ways giving you the cleanest purest water. You will notice a difference in your hair and skin, they won’t be as dry and your hair will feel softer. Having filtered water to shower in keeps me fully moisturized and fully clean from head to toe." —Riawna Capri, co-founder of 901 Salon and In Common Beauty
Embrace #masklife: "I always use a mask every time after I wash my hair. Some may be afraid of this because they think it will weigh their hair down. But actually if you cleanse your hair properly and then nourish it, your hair will have bounce and life." —Nikki Lee, co-founder of 901 Salon and In Common Beauty
Try the "clip trick" for perfect beach waves: "This is an easy no-fuss way to get incredible natural looking waves. Spray damp hair generously with OUAI Wave Spray ($26), then use duckbill clips to create a dent in the hair, pushing the hair up at the root, then clipping into place, pushing the hair up underneath it, and clipping into place until the entire head has been clipped and the hair is in an S-pattern. Let air dry or blow-dry over then remove the clips, scrunch and you’ve got beach waves." —Jen Atkin, celebrity hairstylist and founder of OUAI Haircare
Use your straightening iron for everything: “The ghd Platinum+ Styler ($249) is my must have tool. I love that the rounded edges make it easy to create curls, waves, and sleek styles while the ultra-zone technology ensures the iron stays a consistent temperature and doesn’t damage the hair.” —Justine Marjan, celebrity hairstylist
Keep it simple: "Keep it simple! I notice my body, skin and hair are their best when I don’t change up my products or pile on too many products at a time. Find a few great products that work for you and use them consistently. Your skin, hair, and body will thank you." —Nancy Twine, founder of Briogeo
Learn to work with (and love!) what you've got: "My favorite beauty tip may sound cliche, but I’m okay with that: It’s embracing what you have and learning to use it. The further you stray from your natural hair texture or hair color for a long period of time, the more effort it’s going to require and the more damage you will do." —Kristin Ess, founder of Kristin Ess, and celebrity hairstylist and colorist
Skin
Don't forget to wear sunscreen: "My favorite beauty tip is to always wear sunscreen, every single day. It’s the most important thing you can do to keep your skin looking healthy and youthful. I love Supergoop Everyday Sunscreen ($20) because it’s lightly hydrating yet doesn’t cause congestion." —Shani Darden, celebrity esthetician
No, seriously—wear sunscreen: “If there’s one thing I can convince you to do every single day, it’s to wear sunscreen. As a board-certified dermatologist, I see the damage that the environment can do to our skin, whether that’s in the form of premature aging or even cancer. I know that you may not like the way traditional sunscreen looks or feels on your skin, which makes applying it a challenge. Try an easy powdered formula that feels great, like UV Bounce ($40).” —Sandra "Dr. Pimple Popper" Lee, founder of SLMD
Invest in the right products for your pores: One third of women are more concerned with pores than wrinkles. Pores do not fully open and close. They act more like a camera lens—they can appear smaller and bigger—depending on environmental factors. While you can’t change the actual size of your pores, you can do a lot to reduce the appearance of their size. For example, in addition to wearing sunscreen and decreasing consumption of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, incorporating an active serum like Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting & Refining Serum ($65) can help reduce the appearance of pores. —Dr. Dennis Gross, founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Be cognizant of your ingredient labels: “I think the best thing I’ve ever done for my skin is to eliminate what I call the “suspicious 6” from my routine. It was transformational. Essential oils, silicones, chemical screens, SLS, fragrance/dyes, and drying alcohols are the ingredients that I’ve come to believe are the top contributors to unhealthy, dysfunctional skin and at the root of skin “behaviors” like sensitivity, acne-prone, combination, redness, excessive dryness and oiliness. Once removed, my theory is that skin can do what it knows how to do and reset to a healthy state, without being derailed by these potentially disruptive, ubiquitous ingredients." — Tiffany Masterson, founder of Drunk Elephant
Turn your eye cream routine into a luxury experience: Place your eye cream in the refrigerator for five to ten minutes, and apply in dots with your ring finger around your eyes. With a quartz or other facial roller, gently massage the cream in upward motions beginning beside your nose moving towards your temples to alleviate water retention. This will be freshen the area around your eyes, rev up circulation and decrease puffiness.” —Nyakio Grieco, founder of nyakio Beauty
Makeup
Hydrate ahead of time: “My secret to great skin is simple. Make sure you put on your foundation before your moisturizer fully dries. When your skin is still a little damp from moisturizer, your foundation will blend easier and look like second skin. My current favorite combo is Revitalift Derm Intensives 1.5%Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($30) and Infallible Fresh Wear Foundation ($15). This duo will make your skin look flawless with no cakiness.” —Sir John, L'Oreal makeup artist
Put moisturizer on top of your makeup: "Take your moisturizer and put it on top of your makeup. Sometimes you don't realize that your skin is not luminescent or glowing that day, and you put your makeup on and you're like, 'Oh my God, I still don't look good,' so then you put moisturizer on top of makeup as the final touch and it gives you that extra glow. You may think that you need extra makeup, but really you just need moisture." —Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
Hack your mascara routine: "After you apply your mascara and you see "skips of skin" in between your lashes- use a flat tip liner brush (dipped back into your mascara) pressed at the base of the lash line to create cohesion of lashes and liner on the eyes." —Daniel Martin, celebrity makeup artist
Apply eyeshadow so it won't budge: "Apply eye makeup first (before the rest of your makeup) so there is no eyeshadow fallout on your concealer, foundation or skin. Use concealer one to two shades lighter than your foundation shade as a eyeshadow primer, like NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer ($13), and use a liner the same shade as the shadow to set it in place." —Carl Ray, celebrity makeup artist
Want more beauty tips? Heres how to apply eye-makeup so that you'll never, ever wind up with raccoon eyes. Plus, the American beauty brands we can't stop hoarding.
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