The Quick, Painless, Free Way toLook More Beautiful in an Instant!

The simple trick? Back away from the mirror! While it sounds like a mean joke, I'm actually quite serious. Unless you're severely near-sighted, there is no reason to stand closer than, say, a foot away from the mirror when applying your makeup. Many people (myself included) have a tendency to stand far too close to the mirror, in an effort to seek out and destroy any visible flaw. Thing is, this method can actually backfire.

Realize that you are looking at yourself much closer than anyone else will likely see you, which means you're going to notice imperfections that no one else will see. Meaning that you could be caking concealer over a spot that no one would have noticed anyway, or creating an angry red bump where a fine, virtually invisible hair once was.

Worse yet, a tiny whitehead may seem like too big a temptation when you're looking at it in it's magnified glory. While, in truth it likely would go unnoticed, I know few who could resist a squeeze. We all know what happens next: a big, red, crusty spot that lasts for days. You're left thinking "I wish I had just left it alone." Standing to close to the mirror not only exaggerates minute flaws, it also distorts lighting and perspective, creating shadows and highlights that may not be there. What looks great close up may not translate when you step back and look at the entire picture from afar.

Obviously some detail work requires a closer look- liquid eyeliner for instance, but for everything else, give yourself some breathing room. After all, anyone standing six inches from your face shouldn't really care about a tiny (or even not-so-tiny) zit.