We’ve All Been Putting Our Makeup on the Wrong Way

Turns out, the order you apply each product is super important.

Believe it or not, when it comes to your makeup, the order you put things on is just as important as the products you use.

And surprisingly, face makeup shouldn’t actually be your first step. If your eye makeup somehow always migrates onto your face—causing you to have to take off your foundation and start from the beginning—there’s an easy fix for that: Start your makeup application with your eye makeup instead.

  "Eye shadow has a tendency to flake during application, especially when creating a smoky eye,” says Jennifer Fleming, a CoverGirl makeup artist.  “Starting with eyes ensures you won't need to reapply foundation and concealer.” Pretty genius, right? This trick will save you serious time getting ready.

And when it comes to your eye makeup, you should use eye shadow first, then eyeliner, which is used to layer your shadow and create more definition. However, "If you don't have a steady hand, you can apply eyeliner first and then blend eye shadow on top to soften the line," she says.

Put your mascara on last since "applying eye shadow [or liner] after [mascara] can cause the products to flake onto the lashes and cause clumps," says Fleming.

Then you can go about your business as usual, applying foundation, concealer, and powder. If you want a sun-kissed glow, dust on bronzer after powder since bronzer is meant to only add color to areas where the sun naturally hits (think hairline, temples, bridge of the nose, and cheekbones), says Fleming.

As for your lips, always apply lip liner before lipstick—it works as a primer and defines the lip’s shape, says Fleming.