Genius make-up hacks we stole from Netflix’s 'Glow Up'

If you’re a serious make-up junkie, you must add Netflix’s Glow Up: The Next Makeup Star to your watch list.

The America’s Next Top Model/Project Runway hybrid show sees a group of aspiring make-up artists — or MUAs as they are affectionately called — go through a series of challenges to test their artistry skills in creativity briefs, industry briefs as well as face-off eliminations.

With renowned judges such as L’Oreal Paris global make-up director Val Garland and MAC Cosmetics global senior make-up Artist Dominic Skinner, Glow Up is full of creativity, mind-blowing techniques and nifty little make-up tricks.

Here are some clever hacks for recreating popular runway beauty trends we picked up after binge-watching the series:

RHINESTONE PRECISION

When Euphoria-inspired make-up is on the brain, all we want to do is stick sparkly rhinestones to everything.

Handling tiny stick-on embellishments can be a tedious job but luckily there are some tips that you can use to make your bedazzling experience slightly more seamless:

• Map out the design you want to create by applying little dots of lash glue or make-up adhesive to your face or eyelids first. It’s less fiddly to apply the glue to your skin than to the back of the individual rhinestones themselves, plus deciding on their placement ahead of time leaves less room for error.  
• Struggling to pick up the rhinestones easily? Use a pair of tweezers or a piece of Prestik.  

SPEEDY FAUX FRECKLES

Have you ever admired the youthful trend of adding faux freckles to your beauty look but haven’t dared try it at the risk of ending up looking like a speckled egg?

Achieving natural-looking freckles does require some know-how, but it’s definitely quicker and easier if you use a spoolie brush (a small brow brush that looks like a mascara wand) rather than an eyeliner.

Here’s how to go about it:

• Mix up a medium brown watery paste by adding a little water to some brown eyeshadow or brow powder.
• Rub a spoolie brush into the mixture and then run your thumb down the bristles to flick the mixture onto the areas of the face where you want freckles.
• To make the freckles look more lived-in, gently tap in the specks with your finger to soften them.

ACE A GLITTER LIP

It’s no secret that glitter can get messy — especially if you’re not sure of what you’re doing. But when applied properly it can look luxurious and beautiful.  

The glitter lip made a debut on the runways of Versace and is the perfect choice when you want to make a statement. Here’s the easiest way to do it:

• Apply lipstick with a lip brush or straight from the bullet.
• Use a lip pencil to trace along the lip edge and make the lip shape sharp and super clean.
• Apply a thin layer of clear gloss to the lips; don’t go heavy with gloss as the glitter will just drip off instead of staying put.
• Use a medium eyeshadow brush to pack on glitter until the whole lip is neatly covered to the edges.

Tip: It may save time, but try not to mix your clear gloss and glitter into a paste and then apply it to the lips as you end up losing the maximum sparkle pay-off of the glitter.