Some makeup advice is decoration; a few tips actually change how your face looks every single day. In under four minutes, makeup artist Nikol Johnson shares her three: start with genuinely clean, prepped skin; apply mascara from the root with a wiggle; and learn to wear a red lip with total confidence. Small habits, permanent upgrade.
Key Takeaways
- Makeup is only as good as the skin under it — a real cleanse and hydration beat another layer of product.
- The root wiggle is the whole secret of mascara: pigment at the base of the lash creates the eyeliner effect and the lift.
- A red lip is a technique, not a risk — lined, blotted, and worn like you mean it.
- Master three fundamentals and every product you own performs better.
Tip one: the canvas is the makeup
Wash your face like it matters — a proper morning cleanse, not a splash — and hydrate before a single drop of makeup. Foundation on flaky, unprepped skin emphasizes everything; the same foundation on clean, moisturized skin looks like a better product. If your makeup 'suddenly looks worse,' the answer is almost always underneath it, not in the bottle.
Tip two: wiggle the wand at the root
Most people stroke mascara through the ends — which lengthens tips and leaves roots bare. Instead, plant the wand at the lash base, wiggle side-to-side, then draw through. The concentrated pigment at the root reads as liner (fuller lash line, no pencil needed) and the anchored weight lifts the lash upward. With a volumizing formula like VOLUME UP Mascara, the root wiggle is the difference between 'wearing mascara' and 'having lashes.'
Tip three: own the red lip
The technique: exfoliate and balm first, outline and fill with a WaterProof Lip Liner Pencil so nothing feathers, apply the red — a true classic like NIKRAY Lipstick — from the bullet or a brush, blot once, and reapply the center. Then the real tip: stop touching it and stop apologizing for it. A red lip transforms not because of the pigment but because of how you carry it — and that part is free.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most important step before applying makeup?
Clean, hydrated skin. Cleansing and moisturizing improve how every product applies, blends, and lasts — more than any primer can compensate for.
How do I apply mascara so lashes look fuller?
Plant the wand at the root, wiggle side to side, then pull through. Root pigment creates a liner effect and lifts the lash.
How do I keep red lipstick from feathering?
Exfoliate, balm, then line and fill the entire lip with waterproof liner before lipstick. Blot once and reapply the center.
What red lipstick suits beginners?
A classic blue-toned red in a cream or satin finish — blue-reds flatter nearly every skin tone and make teeth look whiter.
