Far too often, enjoying life’s little luxuries is seen as frivolous, but we know that investing in something that makes you feel special can contribute to your happiness. And these days, that’s something we’re willing to invest in.
For a devoted fashion-lover, a luxe investment might look like a secondhand designer bag; for a foodie, it can be a $30 jar of sea salt; and for a beauty enthusiast, it's almost always a lavish, possibly gold-encrusted makeup product. Take it from a pro: the latter is always worth it. But there are a lot of high-quality, premium makeup products out there, so makeup artist Lauren Bridges is here to help navigate through the options.
The best way to make her case is to show exactly why these products can work for anyone — any trend, any makeup preference, and any routine. Allow Bridges to walk you through four looks that prove just how well a little luxury can work in your life.
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Break up with what you think your blush should look like, and get on board with applying it without caution. "Blush can be a polarizing topic, because understanding your own blush placement can be difficult," Bridges says. "I love trends that make blush applications fun and more whimsical."
While there are a million ways to wear blush, Bridges says the current trends are about being bold. Forget subtlety. Think: you’re a 17th-century romance-novel heroine who just ran through a field to reach your lover; you’re slightly out of breath, contour hasn’t been invented yet, and your flushed skin is giving away all of your emotions in the best way possible.
Blush
Your fevered blush should live atop a dewy, skin-like base, courtesy of the Armani Beauty
Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free
Foundation. "This foundation is a staple in my professional kit and personal makeup bag," she says, noting that her favorite way to apply it is using a fluffy brush and starting at the center of the face before blending out. "The lightweight formula is stunning on the skin, and it creates a silky-smooth finish."
Armani Beauty
Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation
French beauty — an unfussy base, a red lip, and chiseled but subtle contour — never goes out of style; it just evolves. "This trend defines effortlessness but still embodies style," she says. "We’re all looking for the products that help us achieve and maintain this look the most."
But this is 2022 we’re talking about — an age when even the most low-key look can be elevated with some sparkly details, like face gems. For beginners, she recommends using rhinestones or eye crystals to emphasize your eye shape. The most popular ways people are incorporating the 3D accessories into their everyday look is by using them as a liner along the lash line, as a highlighter on the brow bone, or near the inner corner and lower lash line.
The best way to complement a soft blush is with a bold, dark lash. "I don’t need to wear falsies, because I get the volume I need from [the Yves Saint Laurent Lash Clash Extreme
Volume Mascara]," she says. "You get up to five strokes to build up intensity that lasts all day." Thanks to its long bristles and tapered wand, the Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara makes even straight, thin, and short lashes look dramatic and noticeable.
Yves Saint Laurent
Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara
The Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Divine Powder
Blush is the kind of blush that makes you think, "Thank goodness I found you." The petal-soft formula gets high praise from Bridges, who says it’s the buildable pigment that won her over. Bonus: it offers a range of flattering shades, from cool mauve to vivid coral, in both matte and shimmer finishes. "This blush builds consistently and incredibly well," she says. "You can go from a sheer, soft touch [of color] to a bold cheek without using too much product."
Pat McGrath Labs
Skin Fetish:
Divine Powder Blush
The Dior Addict Lip Glow does luxury lip balm the right way. "Dior Addict Lip Glow makes my lips feel so opulent," she says. "The balm comes in this couture case that calls for reapplication just to show it off." While the packaging looks good, the formula makes lips feel even better. Not only does it help to enhance your natural lip color, but it also hydrates up to 24 hours, so you have a plush pout to match your flushed cheeks all day.
DIOR
Addict Lip Glow
The ultrafine texture of the Dior Airflash Spray
Foundation is the secret to achieving that French glow without having to actually go to France. "This is a very quick and simple way to achieve luxurious, airbrushed skin in minutes," she says. "I apply this by holding my arm at a 90-degree angle and eight inches away from my face, spraying the foundation in a Z formation." The result: a radiant, soft finish that actually looks like your skin, but better.
dior
Airflash Spray Foundation
Bridges is a fan of this full-coverage and waterproof formula to correct and conceal. The Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer glides onto skin, so blending it out takes mere seconds. "This formula has a beautiful satin feel that layers nicely for a flattering finish," she says, adding that she likes to use a damp sponge and small, fluffy brush to apply this concealer.
HOURGLASS
Vanish Airbrush Concealer
Even the French need a little bit of bronzer to ensure their flawless complexion doesn’t fall flat in photos and IRL. According to Bridges, the Gucci Poudre De Beauté Éclat Soleil Bronzing Powder does not miss. You might want to buy it for the lavish packaging alone, but after just one sweep over your skin, you’ll notice just how quickly this lightweight powder makes you look alive. It sits so naturally on the skin that it’ll look like the faux glow has been there your whole life.
GUCCI
Poudre De Beauté Éclat Soleil Bronzing Powder
Valentino may be an Italian fashion house, but the Valentino Rosso Valentino Refillable Lipstick embodies French beauty. For Bridges, the effortlessness that defines the trend comes from finding a long-lasting lipstick that you can wear all day — one that still looks good even after a pain au chocolat. This hydrating formula is not to be missed, she says, and can pack on intense and rich color for hours. The hardest part about loving this lipstick is trying to pick a color. Good luck restraining yourself from buying more than 10.
Valentino
Rosso Valentino Refillable Lipstick
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A no-makeup makeup look like the recently popular glazed-skin trend is easier to get wrong than it is to get right, but once you nail it, you’ll probably never look back. At its core, this off-duty look is all about creating a next-level glossy complexion. “This look calls for your skin to glow and shine, much like a glazed doughnut, so layering hydration is key,” she says.
With a pared-down trend like this, you want to work slowly. This is not the kind of look that requires a heavy hand — be patient, work with a damp sponge, and pat the product into your skin using lightweight, buildable layers.
The glazed look should extend to your lips, too. Bridges likes the Givenchy Rose Perfecto Liquid
Balm because it uses ingredients like shea butter, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C to protect and plump lips as it adds a hint of moisture-infused color. While all of the colors are flattering, it’s shades 001 and 011, which adapt to your lip’s pH to create a unique color made for you, that really embody this look that’s all about enhancing your natural features.
Givenchy
Rose Perfecto Liquid Lip Balm
A hydrating skin tint will be your best friend
for this look, and the Yves Saint Laurent NU
BARE LOOK TINT Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation
with Hyaluronic Acid is the best of both worlds: it moisturizes skin like a lotion but covers like a foundation. The finish is fresh and dewy, Bridges says, which makes it the one and only base you need to master that glassy finish.
Yves Saint Laurent
NU BARE LOOK TINT
Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid
The lit-from-within glow you're looking for won’t happen without first prepping your skin. Treat your skin to a heavy dose of hydration by using sheet masks before moving on to your makeup. Don’t forget the undereye area — eye patches can work wonders for tired and dry skin, too.
Fever
French
Gems
Glazed
Skin
The ’90s were all about monochromatic makeup that featured rich shades of brown in every detail of the face. Since nostalgia is in full force this year, Bridges expects a new take on this rich warmth to be a huge success in 2022. "I like that a bronzy look can work on anyone," she says. "As a Black woman, I love celebrating the complexities in various shades and hues of browns, and this is a trend that highlights any skin tone."
The key to making a look like this work for you is to find a neutral shade of bronzer that’s less about adding a sun-kissed glow and more about sculpting the unique curves of your face. Adding that to your eye creases, the hollows of your cheeks, and your lips can help turn your makeup into a moody masterpiece.
Retro
Warmth
Meet the modernized ‘90s lipstick: Armani Beauty
Lip Power Long Lasting Satin Lipstick. "I’m here for the return of the overdrawn liner, especially in conjunction with brick tones," she says, adding that her go-to shades for this satin lipstick are 201 and 202. "The packaging is a two-in-one because the drop-shaped bullet allows for precision, so no additional liner is needed." She suggests starting in the center of your lip and swiping from side to side to get even and rich coverage.
Armani beauty
Lip Power Long Lasting Satin Lipstick
Before creating all that warmth, you need to create a smooth, skin-like base. Bridges suggests the Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick. "This formula glides and melts onto skin with ease," she says, adding that you’ll feel luxurious just wearing it. Moisture-locking ingredients help to ensure skin looks healthy and plump underneath makeup. And thanks to the stick formula, this product can be used as a foundation, concealer, and, if you’re in a pinch, a contour stick.
Westman Atelier
Vital Skin Foundation Stick
The key to making a look like this work for you is to find a neutral shade of bronzer that’s less about adding a sun-kissed glow and more about sculpting the unique curves of your face. Adding that to your eye creases, the hollows of your cheeks, and your lips can help turn your makeup into a moody masterpiece.
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4 Makeup Trends
That Will Help You
Romanticize
Your
Beauty Routine
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Warmth
Retro
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Before creating all that warmth, you need to create a smooth, skin-like base. “This formula glides and melts onto skin with ease,” she says, adding that you’ll feel luxurious just wearing it. Ingredients like squalane and phytosphingosine help to ensure skin looks healthy and moisturized underneath makeup. And thanks to the stick formula, this product can be used as a foundation, concealer, and, if you’re in a pinch, a contour stick.
Glazed
Skin
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