20 Life-Changing Beauty Tips From MECCA Experts
February 13 | 5 minute read
Words by Christie Sinclair
And then we actually thought about all this insider IP and came to the conclusion: 99.9% of our best beauty tips – the ones that changed everything – have come from someone else. Our bestie who swears by a weird but genius foundation hack. A makeup artist who casually drops their backstage secrets on our FYP. Our great aunt who’s been dunking her face in ice water decades before TikTok caught on.
Beauty is so much better when it’s shared. After all, it’s why we trade products, swap secrets, pass down our rituals like precious heirlooms and find ‘getting ready’ the most exciting part of a night out.
So with that in mind, we’re putting our collective knowledge on paper to bring you our best-ever (read: life-changing) beauty hacks. The ones we’ve learned (while at the snack cupboard at HQ, on set, or while happily browsing the MECCA shop floor), loved, and now can’t wait to share with you.
1. For undetectable makeup
No-makeup makeup sounds easy in theory, right? But fooling people into thinking you were born with it does take some practice. Lori Taylor Davis, Global Pro Lead Artist at Smashbox has just the trick: “For the most natural [complexion] application start in the centre of the face or where you have the most discoloration, being sure to apply product in sheer layers.” Keep it light – and focus on blending – as you reach the hair and jawline. This will give you the real-skin finish you’re after.
2. Stop your eyeshadow disappearing
Can’t for the life of you figure out how to keep your eye makeup where you left it? MECCA’s Head of Brand Experience and Partnerships, Cat, swears by one product that changed everything, as shared by her local MECCA Store Host. “I use the Hourglass Veil Eye Primer for my moist (sorry) eyelids, so my eye makeup doesn’t end up around my ankles by lunch.”
3. The one tool you actually need for your everyday haircare routine
“Everyone needs a good brush or wide tooth comb, depending on your hair texture,” explains hairstylist Sam McKnight, adding, “It’s important to detangle hair gently and often.” As the veteran stylist behind iconic looks for Princess Diana and Kate Moss, and creator of his salon-loved namesake haircare range, we’re listening!
4. Get the cleanest hair (ever!) on wash day
Feel like your hair simply won’t get clean, no matter what product you try? Founder of Crown Affair Dianna Cohen let us in on the hair hack we’d apparently all been missing: brush before you wash. This is not a quick once-over – you’ve got to take some time to really (but gently) brush. “Brush your hair with a dual bristle nylon and boar bristle brush before getting into the shower to spread the natural oils from the scalp down to your strands. It’ll move the healthy oil, debris and build-up from your scalp to your strands – which allows for a cleaner clean when you go to cleanse."
5. Make your makeup outlast anything
For the days (and nights) when your makeup really needs to go the distance – e.g. big work meetings, first dates, drinks that turn into all-nighters – MECCA’s Makeup Education Lead Sally has the solution. “Really press in your powder to set it – none of this light dusting on top. You want to compact the layers of foundation and concealer together for longevity, so pressing in your loose powder is the best way to do this.”
6. For your best skin...
There’s really only one thing, says Allies of Skin founder Nicolas Travis. “Don't ever skip sunscreen. If you only have money for one product, if you only use one product for the rest of your life, make it a sunscreen. Everything else is just icing.”
7. Sometimes you need to switch it up
“You need to surprise your body,” says Flamingo Estate founder Richard Christiansen. He elaborates: “You need to, so people that go to the gym every day and do the same thing, they get bored. People that drive the same way to work every day, they get bored. People that eat the same thing every day, they get bored. Your senses get bored. So get rid of the sweet vanilla candle and try a tomato one and wake your nose up again. Go back to the vanilla later, but try the tomato first. Surprise your senses.”
8. Have more fun with makeup (and in general)
Australian makeup legend and brand founder Rae Morris is rebellious at heart, as seen in everything she creates (including her incredibly innovative makeup brushes). When it comes to makeup, she encourages us to challenge conventions, too. “Makeup is an art form. There are no rules – there is advice if you want to know how to do something better. If you want to paint a Ziggy Stardust glitter lightning bolt all over your face and head to the shops, I’ll be right behind you cheering you on.”
9. Love your skin? Change your mindset
Sure, you could spend time worrying about the state of your skin in 10 years’ time, or you could take British facialist Eve Lom’s advice and channel that energy into looking after it properly and enjoy what you have now. “The cosmetic industry has been taken by storm with eradicating ageing and wrinkles. My motto is all about ageing healthily. Wrinkles mean you laughed. Grey hair means you cared. Scars mean you lived.”
10. Never take blush below the second half of your face
One of the most in-demand MUAs of all time and creator of cult favourite conscious brand RMS Beauty, Rose-Marie Swift is a never-ending source of beauty wisdom. We take every tip she shares as gospel, but there’s one – concerning blush application – that really changed the game for us. “Always apply blush above the nostril line. Anything below that will pull the face down and can look jowl-like. Elevating the blush gives an instant lift to the face for a more youthful appearance. This is an easy trick that anyone can do.”
11. You can’t disconnect your skin from the rest of your system
We all know that our skin is a reflection of our overall health, but sometimes we need a little reminder. Professor Augustinus Bader, the biomedical scientist behind the ‘miracle’ creams from his eponymous skincare brand, believes that our eating, sleeping and movement habits can offer serious support when it comes to promoting radiant skin. “Healthy skin means a status of physiological harmony of a biological system. In this condition, everything functions to the best of its innate capacity. We can’t disconnect our skin from the rest of the system. Our appearance is reflected in the quality of our whole lifestyle, from emotional health, nutrition and even the air we breathe. That is why I developed our products based on my understanding of the body’s protection and care needs for our skin cells.” In summary, stress less, eat the rainbow, move more, sleep deeper, if you want better skin. Easy!
12. The ultimate makeup trick for self-tan obsessives
Dedicated fake tanners will understand the amount of effort required to match your foundation to your self-tan, especially as your glow gradually fades. There is hope! And it doesn’t require a wardrobe of foundations. MECCA Events Specialist Tahnee learned this tip from a MECCA Makeup Artist in-store and has never looked back. “Chantecaille Radiance Gel Bronzer is essential for anyone who fake tans (like myself). Mix it into your existing foundation to avoid buying multiple shades!”
13. Two-second lived-in smoky liner
There is no eye look more universally loved – yet notoriously difficult (read: scary) – than the smoky eye. Tara, MECCA’s Head of Content and Editorial Strategy, shares how to create a sexy, smudgy version in the blink of an eye, literally, thanks to a little tip learned from legendary celebrity makeup artist and founder of Westman Atelier, Gucci Westman. “Apply eyeliner to top and bottom lashes, then immediately squeeze your eyes shut to make it look more lived-in.” Try it and see for yourself!
14. The waterline hack
Before you try tip 13, MECCA’s Digital Marketing Assistant Tiana suggests you give this pop star’s waterline hack a whirl. “My close personal friend Billie Eilish gave me the tip of wiping my waterline with a dry cotton bud before applying your eyeliner.” Shared in a backstage GRWM TikTok, Eilish uses this technique to make sure her eyeliner is concert-proof – but for us ordinary people, it helps your liner glide on easily and withstand tears, rain, sweat, humidity, you name it! (A real breakthrough for those with watery eyes).
15. Clean your brushes while you clean yourself
Now, this tip from MECCA’s Senior Marketing Manager Sara might just be the most effective use of shower time ever. “I wash my makeup brushes weekly in the shower while my hair mask marinates. Multitasking!” Don’t forget to take your MECCA MAX Power Tool Sponge & Brush Shampoo with you.
16. Prime your brushes for the most flawless application
Speaking of brushes, ever wondered why MUAs apply product to the back of hand before going in with their tools? There’s a method to their madness, as we learnt from celebrity and editorial makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, who says “it’s an addictive trick” in this TikTok– you’ve been warned.
Always prime your brushes with product before you use them on your face for a more even application. If you’re using a concealer, put some on the back of your hand and then smush your brush into the product until it’s completely coated, then very gently sweep it where you want coverage. The technique works with any liquid or cream blush, bronzer, foundation – and you’ll actually use less product, surprisingly. For the best results, Hughes recommends washing your face with a clean cloth to exfoliate the skin first.
17. The trick for a makeup look that lasts
It’s one of our most-asked questions: what’s the trick to making your makeup last all day? And although there’s an army of products designed to help us do just that, celebrity MUA and founder of Westman Atelier Gucci Westman believes your makeup will look better if you make time for one quick thing. “Your skin is living, it’s breathable, there’s elements… I think you just need to incorporate some touch-ups.”
18. How to buy a fragrance you love without smelling it
Shopping for fragrance online? To make sure you pick the perfect scent without a single spritz, Aussie pop star and founder of Tsu Lange Yor Troye Sivan says to look at the key notes of a fragrance you love, then match your preferences to complementary notes using the Fragrance Wheel. “It’s like a colour chart, but for scent,” says Sivan. “It helped me better describe my thoughts and feelings about certain notes and ingredients, and I think it can help understand scent descriptions online as well.”
19. Stop foundation ‘sitting’ on your skin
There’s nothing worse, in our opinion, than feeling a cakey layer on your face. Leanne, MECCA’s Makeup Education Lead, has the solution. “Smoothing things out at the final stages with the warmth of your fingertips helps to fuse and melt the foundation into your skin, so it’s not sitting on your skin but instead it’s sitting with your skin.”
20. The best ways to tackle hyperpigmentation at home
With the right skincare routine, it’s possible to manage signs of hyperpigmentation (scarring, uneven skin tone and discolouration) at home, explains Dr. Dennis Gross, a practising dermatological surgeon and leader in skin research and product development. First, try a chemical exfoliant, like glycolic or lactic acid. “It keeps that cell turnover going… that turnover helps with the disintegration and eventual removal of excess pigment.” Next, prevent more pigmentation forming with skincare’s power pair, SPF and vitamin C. “[Vitamin C is] the big gun to stop the overproduction of hyperpigmentation,” he says, adding, “Remember, sun can play a role in pigmentation, so always, always, always wear your sunscreen, regardless of the treatment you choose.”
