9 Common Beauty Questions, Answered!

Staring into your mirror in the morning, you may have quite a few questions in regards to your beauty routine. When it comes to applying makeup, for example, you might be wondering how to keep your eyeliner in place or how to pick the perfect shade of red lipstick for your skin tone. You may also have Qs regarding skin care (like do you really need to use eye cream), as well as styling and coloring your hair, too. (Seriously, is a fishtail braid really that complicated?) That’s why we’ve decided to answer nine common beauty questions. Check ‘em out below!

Question #1: How Can I Stop My Eyeliner from Smudging?

Using eyeliner can help you create a statement makeup look—but if it smudges during the day, it may not exactly garner you the kind of attention you’re looking for. The key to helping keep your eyeliner in place during the day is to apply an eye makeup primer first, then use an eyeliner with a long-lasting formula, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner, and finally set it with a coordinating eye shadow from the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Monos Eyeshadow collection.

Question #2: How Can I Make My Foundation Last All Day?

Foundation that wears away halfway is probably the last thing you want, right? The good news is, the solution is pretty easy. In fact, it’s actually almost the same as how you’d apply eyeliner to help prevent it from smearing. The best way to help keep foundation in place is to apply a face primer, like the L’Oréal Paris Studio Secrets™ Professional Magic Perfecting Base, then layer on a long-wear foundation, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation, overtop, before finally following with a face powder, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Powder, or setting spray, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Spray & Set Makeup Extender Setting Spray. Remember: prime, cover, and set. That’s it!

Question #3: How Should I Pick the Right Red Lipstick?

Red is a classic color that anyone (literally, anyone!) can wear, just as long as they find the shade that suits them. The best way to choose your perfect color is to consider your undertones.

If you have cool undertones…try a blue-based red lipstick, like the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Matte Lipstick in Devil's Matte-Vocate Red.

If you have warm undertones…try a red lipstick with orange undertones, like the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Matte Lipstick in Matte At Bat.

For more tips, be sure to check out our article, The Best Red Lip for Ever Skin Tone.

Question #4: How Often Do I Need to Wash My Makeup Brushes?

First of all, let’s state the obvious: Yes, your makeup brushes and blenders need to be cleaned. Those handy tools can be total breeding grounds for bacteria, especially if you don’t clean them regularly or store them properly. Find out how to clean your makeup brushes and blenders, here.

Question #5: How Do I Layer Products on My Face?

Learning to layer products is essential for both your skin care and makeup routines. As far as skin care products go, it’s generally best to layer them in order of thickness. Meaning: a serum would go on before a moisturizer. Then, for makeup, try applying foundation first, then concealer, powder, blush, highlighter, eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara. Coat your lips in color last, and you’re all done.

Question #6: How Should I Remove Eye Makeup?

Removing eye makeup can certainly be a challenge, especially if you’re a fan of waterproof products. Rather than struggling to rub and wipe away mascara with a regular old eye makeup remover, you’ll want to be sure you’re using a product formulated to remove long-wear and waterproof formulas. Our favorite? The L’Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser Waterproof - All Skin Types. This French-favorite cleanser is formulated with tiny micelles—oil molecules—that act as a magnet to lift dirt, oil, and makeup up and away from the skin.

Question #7: How Can I Minimize the Appearance of Under-Eye Circles and Bags?

If you have under-eye circles and/or puffiness, then chances are you’ve thought about what you can do to diminish their appearance. For starters, choose an eye cream that can help minimize the look of circles or bags with continued use over time, like the L’Oréal Paris Eye Defense. But that’s not all—you can also hide them with color corrector and concealer. Just use a light hand when you’re concealing—a little cover up goes a long way! Try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit and the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Concealer.

Question #8: How Do I Create a Fishtail Braid?

Learning how to create any kind of braid beyond the most basic can seem almost impossible, but it doesn’t have to be so daunting. Fishtail braids look like they take excessive effort, when really, they’ll probably only tack a few extra minutes onto your morning hairstyling sesh. Follow these simple steps to try it for yourself.

Step #1: Gather hair. Collect all of your hair over one shoulder, pulling your strands in front of you for easy access.

Step #2: Separate into two sections. Split your hair into two chunks, not three like a standard braid requires.

Step #3: Add hair from one section to the other. Take a piece of hair from the outside edge of one section and add it to the inside edge of the other.

Step #4: Repeat. Repeat Step 3, adding pieces of hair from one section to the other, swapping back and forth until you’ve reached the end of your hair.

Step #5: Secure with an elastic. Obviously, you won’t want your beautiful braid to fall out immediately, so use a small hair tie to secure the end.

Question #9: How Do I Balayage My Hair?

By now, you probably know what balayage is (although we’re happy to provide a refresher—just checkout our piece on The Best Balayage Ideas for Summer 2017). What you’re more likely to still be wondering is how you can make balayage happen for your own hair. While it’s a popular trend that’s often sought out in the salon, you also have the option of getting a similar style at home. Balayage requires a difficult process of painting on highlights that we suggest seeing a stylist for, but ombré hair is the easier (fraternal) twin style to balayage. Find an ombré hair coloring kit, and follow the directions on the box. Keep in mind that lightening your hair will require bleaching—and the lighter you want to go (and the darker your starting color), the more work it’ll take to get your desired result.