34 Beauty Hacks You've Actually Never Heard About Before

Tucking hair behind your ears gives any hairstyle a girlish innocence. But hair never seems to stay perfectly in place (grr)! Backstage at Prabal Gurung, Paul Hanlon used Wella hair spray just behind the ears to give the style staying power without using a bobby pin.

Did you make a wrong move with your makeup? Use a moisturizer to erase mistakes. Gucci Westman piled the Omorovicza moisturizer ($195) onto a sponge to blend out too much bronzer.

Ladies with thin hair have to be very careful about the products they use. Peter Gray has come up with an amazing tip to scope out greasy hair sprays before you ruin your style. Spray the product into your hands first, and then rub. If it leaves a sticky film, it's good for thick hair. If it turns to powder, save it for thin strands.

Even though the world is jumping onto the contouring bandwagon, James Kaliardos has been using the same technique for years. At Rodarte, he used the Nars Dual Intensity Blush in Craving ($45) on cheeks. The trick: use short, quick strokes in the hollow area to get a natural-looking shadow.

There’s no need to invest in a special topcoat to get ultraflat, matte nails like these from the Alexander Wang show. Lead manicurist for Essie Michelle Saunders recommends buffing the shine off a fresh manicure the day after it’s applied (so it’s superdry) to get the same look.

Want to apply rhinestones or glitter to your skin but are wary of using glue on your face? Deanna Melluso, lead Mary Kay makeup artist at Tracy Reese, suggests using a thick cream like Mary Kay’s Extra Emollient Night Cream ($14) to make that sparkle stick.

Getting a flawless negative space nail art design is challenging. Even worse, when you try to touch up a mistake with polish remover, the base coat turns your artwork into a jagged, blurry mess. Julie Kandelec, the lead Essie manicurist at Altuzarra, recommends skipping the base coat until you’ve completed the design with your lacquer. “Make it work like double sided tape,” she said. Go over your new art with base coat to make your natural nail look nice and even, then once it’s dry, apply another coat of your lacquer shade.

Sometimes the old-school tricks are the best. Backstage at Thakoon, Odile Gilbert — the lead for Kérastase — created ropy waves by using a diffuser piece over a blow-dryer. She prepped the hair with Spray à Porter ($30) and scrunched strands while blasting them with heat. For extra volume at your roots, she suggests flipping your head upside down and trying this technique on the underside of your mane.

For decades, pageant queens have been using clear lip balm, glosses, and petroleum jelly on their faces as makeup. But the hack works IRL, too. Diane Kendall, the head Nars makeup pro at Thakoon, used a clear lip gloss on the lids for the runway show.

"It reflects the light and makes it look fresh — like [there's] a natural dewiness to the eyelid," she told us.

Her advice is to choose a product that does not feel sticky, such as the one she used: Nars Triple X Lip Gloss ($26). And don't overdue the application! Dab it on with your finger. "It gives you a good gauge," she explained.

You thought you were going to tone down the classic smoky eye by making it gray. Two hours later, it's all a dark, raccoon mess. To keep your gray cream shadow from turning black, layer with gray powder shadows like the MAC metallic and matte formulas James Kaliardos used at Nicole Miller. Balance out the moody eye look with a neutral, peach-toned blush.

We've praised the eye-brightening effect of white eyeliner in the waterline for years, but this hack isn't for every skin tone. At Banana Republic, Stila makeup artist Sarah Lucero recommended a sienna or terracotta eyeliner for darker skin tones to get a similar effect. The lighter liner helps correct any blue or purple tones inside the lid.

These days, a puff full of powder isn't enough to set your makeup. Backstage at Prabal Gurung, Diane Kendal used tissue to reduce moisture before putting on powder. Just gently rub a tissue over the oiliest spots — forehead, chin, nose, and cheeks.

The key to an amazing blowout is the brush. Backstage at Rebecca Minkoff, Jeanie used two different round brushes. Jeanie used an all-nylon brush for models with thin or wavy hair. The flexible bristles create less tension on strands. For the girls with thick or curly strands, Jeanie used boar-bristle tines, which grip the hair for a sleek look.

Finally your coffee habit has a beauty benefit. Use your coffee-stirring straw to pick up a polish, then blow the color over your nails. This is the technique Katie Jane Hughes of Butter London used to get the splatter effect at Nicole Miller. A bobby pin also works in a pinch.

Fresh out of your favorite matte lipstick? Use eye shadow instead. Backstage at Opening Ceremony, James Boehner with Nars used a pink-toned powder wet to create a soft, dusty lip color on all the models.

Picking the perfect nude nail color can be somewhat of a guessing game. The lead manicurist backstage at Jonathan Simkhai recommends buying two colors and layering. You can change a polish that is too white by adding a warmer toned nude on top. You can also dilute an opaque formula with a few drops of clear top coat.

We usually skip mascara on our lower lashes because it inevitably turns into a messy situation (which means more concealer). But you can prevent smearing by using a fan brush on the lower lashes instead of the wand in the tube. Vivienne TK with Kevyn Aucoin used this hack to get the clumpy lashes for the Rebecca Minkoff runway.

You've been applying your smoky eye makeup all wrong (it's OK, there are worse beauty sins). For the colorful look at Jill Stuart, Aaron de May started with cream shadow on the lids, then used a long, fluffy shadow brush to buff the color outwards. The final step was concealer to diffuse the edges even more.

Got a nail from the hardware store and a No.2 pencil? Then chic dotted nail art is only a few steps away! Backstage at Adam Selman, lead manicurist Madeline Poole used a nail and eraser to create ladybug dots. Home Depot, here we come!

Even a seasoned nail artist will admit that straight lines on a small canvas are nearly impossible. That's why Naomi Yasuda used scotch tape to create the checkered design backstage at Opening Ceremony. First, paint a base coat on the nail. Then, paint your accent shade on a strip of tape. Cut out the tiny squares and apply with a pair of tweezers.

If you don't want to drop any dollars on the highlighting trend, you can still fake a dewy glow at home. Tom Pecheux, the lead MAC Cosmetics artist at Altuzarra, recommended two products you likely already have. "Use extra cream or dry oil on your cheekbones to add natural shine," he said. Avoid using any products with glitter — it'll make the highlight look fake.

You've already re-created a matte nude lip with concealer or foundation, but you know how that can parch your pout. "If you want your lips to be treated, but not super shiny, take a pore minimizer and put it on the lips," suggested Val Garland, the lead makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics at Hervé Léger. The priming effects of the formula will fill in fine lines while mattifying your pucker.

This may come as a surprise, but the original nail art design — the French manicure — can make small or short nail beds look elegant. "Just paint on a wider, thicker tip than usual," advised Gina Edwards, the lead Morgan Taylor manicurist at Monique Lhuillier. "That gives the appearance of a longer nail bed."

Can you tell this model is wearing clip-in bangs? Didn't think so. Neither could we, and our minds were blown backstage at Christian Siriano when all of the models received the most realistic-looking shaggy faux fringes we've ever seen. Lead stylist Anthony Cole for Sebastian hair care has some tips for getting the fake hair to blend with your natural strands.

First, map out how deep the bangs will go from your hairline (at your forehead) to the middle top of your head. Look at the shape you just created, tease the section a bit, and clip the bangs in place. Then make a zigzag part where the fringe hits the rest of your mane to hide the clip. Genius!

The most modern beach waves we're seeing look less ropy than the ones of the past. It's the model-off-duty hair of your dreams, and it's created with a flat iron. Anthony Cole, who did the hair on behalf of Sebastian for the Christian Siriano show, explained his method:

"Bend the hair as it naturally goes, and clip it [with the hair iron]. Start making little S shapes as [you feel it through the iron], leaving the ends straight. It's a flatter texture — rather than round or big. When we [usually] curl hair, we're used to taking sections that are horizontal. Instead, curl it vertically, and then feed it through the iron so it stays flat."

For an extra undone mane, comb the cooled-down waves through, and mist with sea-salt spray.

Orlando Pita is so over the flat-iron-waves look (we're looking at you, Wendy Williams). Instead, he recommends this overnight trick for spiral twists. Hot-tools-created curls tend to fall limp by lunch, and he swears this technique will make your coils last all day.

Dampen your mane with a blend of hold and shine products like TRESemmé Make Waves. Twist locks into one long spiral, then "cinnamon bun" the hair up into a knot, making sure to tuck the ends under. Hold the style in place with a rubber band. When the knots are completely dry, unravel for no-heat waves.

OK, we know you've been reading all our contouring tutorials that teach you to apply bronzer in the hollows and on your jaw, but backstage at BCBG, we learned a new technique from Jackie Fan of Temptu. For a true sun-kissed glow, apply your bronzer across the nose, on the apples of cheeks, and all over the forehead. That's one way to keep your Summer tan going without stepping out into the sun.

Here's a tip for the glitter-lovers — your best adhesive agent is actually lip gloss. Aaron de Mey used a clear Nars lip product to stick on a layer of coarse glitter at the Creatures of the Wind show. He also used surgical tape to get the shape of the eye makeup just right. It's less sticky than generic tape and also helps remove any fallen particles from the cheeks and undereye area.

Even if you are blow-drying your hair stick-straight, you want a style that moves with the wind. Rodney Cutler recommends using a round brush to get a little lift at the roots. At the Tadashi Shoji show, he showed us the professional technique.

Place the bristle and nylon brush at your roots, underneath the section of hair you're drying. Then work the hair up and around in a C-shape motion. It elevates hair off the scalp. Let each section cool while still twisted around the brush for long-lasting volume.

Put down that dark lip liner ASAP (that should be left in the '90s with your tie-dyed scrunchie). Backstage at Desigual, Gordon Espinet explained the best way to get a natural-looking lip is to use a pencil that is lighter than your lip color. He used MAC What a Blast ($20) before layering on the neon orange lipstick. It gives the lips a faded, slept-in stain.

Sometimes it takes five coats of pastel polish to get the finish you want, and honestly — nobody has time for that. Backstage at Creatures of the Wind, Katie Jane Hughes with Butter London gave us her pro trick.

Layer on two coats of pure white polish like Cotton Buds ($15) before putting on pastel and neon lacquers. Then, you only need one coat of color. This hack works just as well with your jewel-tone shades; just use black as your base coat.

Looking for a way to give your foundation a dewy texture? Skip the typical makeup primer and spread eye shadow primer all over your face. Kabuki used this trick to give models a vacation-ready glow backstage at Ohne Titel. Tip: skip the forehead if you want to avoid the glow of the overhead lights.

The models on the Jason Wu runway were wearing absolutely no foundation. NONE! It's a little harder for mere mortals to pull off this no-makeup look, but not impossible.

Maybelline global makeup artist Yadim suggests using a very fine brush (like an eyeliner tool) to dot concealer onto the blemish. This will correct the reddish color without leaving it cakey. To set everything, apply a dash of powder on top.

Is chunky glitter even worth all the work to get it off? We know how you feel. You can minimize your removal time with Deborah Lippmann's easy trick. First, saturate a cotton pad in remover (we're talking dripping wet). Press the cotton pad into your nail for a few minutes. This will dissolve the polish around the glitter. If the particles don't rub away, you can use a cuticle clipper to pull up the edges on the tiny flecks.